I often wonder at the coincidences that have brought our particular line together. I was born in Nottingham in 1933. In 1985 I started my research into my husband ARTHUR HUCKERBY’S family. Oh, they were “Nottingham born and bred”-so they said! I had only worked back to Arthur's Grandfather JOHN FRANCIS HUCKERBY. After searching for nearly two years in vain for his baptism circa 1850 in the numerous parish registers (no P/R indexes at that time) I had nearly given up. An inquiry from my sister-in-law as to the progress I had made led me to their "AUNT FLORRIE." She was half sister to my late father in law and a visit to her proved my first break. She told me she had a brother BILL that could possibly help me as her father and Bill went fishing together and probably discussed things usually not mentioned at home. My husband and all of his 8 siblings had never heard of him. It was a Saturday afternoon in late September 1987 when I knocked on Bill and Mabel’s front door. They made me feel so welcome, I felt I had known them all my life as we chatted away. Bill then told me "My father was not born in Nottingham he was born in Newark!" A visit was needed to “St Cath's” in London, as it was then known, to check the indices of registry of Births, Marriages and Deaths. Luck was on my side and I subsequently sent for his birth certificate. Born to GEORGE and SARAH nee MANNERS on 16 Oct 1853 at home George Street Newark.

I looked at a copy of the Genealogical Research Directory in the Central Library and to my amazement a lady in Canada was looking for Huckerby's in Newark. MARY McLEOD came to Nottingham at least every two years until her death in 1999. It was a lovely friendship. GEORGE HUCKERBY (above) was the son of FRANCIS HUCKABY and his wife MARY ANN NEE FLETCHER. Mary's link was WILLIAM, Francis's brother. Of all the churches in the Newark area WILLIAM was married to ANN GROVES in our village church, St Wilfrid's North Muskham 2nd October 1815 Previous to my daughter's move from Nottingham to Muskham in 1985 and ours in 1989 there was no link to the area whatsoever.

My husband was terminally ill at home in the winter of 1991 and I was helped by the attendance of SALLY from Beaumond House Hospice in Newark. Her husband DOUGLAS had told her a relative GERTRUDE RILEY had married CHARLES HUCKERBY. I was fortunate that I had joined the Nottinghamshire FHS or I would have never known the connection. June and Norman Hunt of the NFHS provided me with the rest of the information here. Doug and my Arthur had a common ancestor and yes they were related down from the line of Francis and Mary Ann.

After my husband's death in 1992 my son suggested that with all the information I had amassed we could work on a one-name study. It was a few years later I advertised in the Nottingham Evening Post personal column for anyone to contact me with an interest in the name Huckerby. One lady wrote to me I will just call her NELL she gave me a few details of her "split family" which meant nothing to me at that stage. I replied and thanked her and that was that. I wrote to people in the phone books including a couple GEORGE HAROLD HUCKERBY and his wife MARY in Lincolnshire. I gathered by the information that George Harold was related to Nell but I kept quiet about it, as I did not want to cause any unhappy memories.

My brother now retired was a solicitor in Nottingham and rang to say they had a new legal secretary DEBBIE HUCKERBY had come to work in the office. Debbie was George Harold's daughter.

In 1995 a couple ALLEN and BETTY wrote to me from Surrey. They had been on a visit to Australia and met up with a man FRED HUCKERBY with whom I had corresponded. He gave them my name and address as Allen was at a standstill with his research. They came to visit me and I was able to inform him that his namesake, grandfather ALLEN CHARLES HUCKERBY had married twice. This is where the family rift began, the family didn’t approve of his second marriage so the children of his first wife Ada didn’t speak to the children of his second. This must have proved very difficult for all concerned as their father had married Ethel, sister of his eldest son’s wife. Allen was related to Nell and George Harold(Lincs.)

In 2000 I went on to the Rootsweb.com site and a lady LESLEY in Australia was inquiring as to where Beauchamp Street was in Nottingham. I replied that I was not sure whether it still existed due to demolition in the area but used to be on Carlton Road. She emailed me in thanks and said it was funny to see her birth name after all these years. Her father FRED died in 1950 when she was 2 months old. Her mother eventually remarried and they emigrated to Australia. JEAN her mother and husband GERALD are happily married over there. Lesley has always used Gerald's surname. Another couple of emails and Lesley had to sit down. Between us we had matched her up to Debbie. Her Late father Fred was George Harold's blood brother. Allen's father CHARLES ALLEN HUCKERBY was half brother to them.

It was in the January 2004 edition of the Notts FHS Journal that I replied to a request from RAMON and Pam. They were looking for John Francis Huckerby and also another listing for Harriet Allen. My husband's grandmother ANNIE was his first wife and after she died in 1901 he married HARRIET a year and a day afterwards. Pam was their grand daughter. Pam and I still ring each other every Friday and in conversation she was telling me that at one time in their lives she and her brother RODNEY were fostered out. Rodney to a couple named HUCKERBY living on Ravenswood Road in Arnold but she didn't know of any connection to the family. I thought this too much of a coincidence, so after a little more detective work all was revealed! The couple were CHARLES ALLEN HUCKERBY and his wife ZILLAH nee FRIER they were the parents of the Allen Charles that had come to visit me. Sadly, Allen died shortly after their visit to Newark.

I was really curious now. What was the relationship? I looked in the BMD indices to find Allen CHARLES HUCKERBY- his birth was registered in the 4th quarter of 1868. I sent to Nottingham Register Office for the certificate . He was born 27th August and registered on 7th October 1868. I was amazed to find he was the son of GEORGE and SARAH nee MANNERS. He was a youngest brother to JOHN FRANCIS. My husband's great grandparent's George and Sarah had moved to Walker Street Sneinton Nottingham from Newark circa 1876. Debbie and her partner Darren have visited Lesley and her family in Albany Australia and if you would like to see some of the photographs have a look at our Website www.huckerby.co.uk and then “Photocall” Another twist in this tale is that the late Nell and her sister Vera worked for my cousin Tom Daws at Hemsley’s in Nottingham and after they retired he used to visit them at home. If only I had known! I think you will agree this is proof that it does pay to follow up leads. Sometimes I write but receive no reply but the way I think is that is their loss, if I find anything else I won't send it but I have been repaid many times over, by connections such as those above. There are quite a few mysteries yet to unfold. Why did they suddenly decide in the mid 1870’s that they would call themselves Huckerby-Fletcher and then change back again-what scandal is lurking unseen. If anyone out there, knows the answer I would be pleased to know. As our Website says

We seek them here, we seek them there
We seek the Huckerby’s everywhere
Past or Present
Friend or Foe
Will you please just let us know?

I am indebted to Janet Rattenberry of the Notts FHS Many years ago I sent her what I thought maybe a reference to Palethorpe’s- one of the names she was researching. Since then Janet has sent many Huckerby references to me. Thank you once again Janet! My thanks to Norman and June, to Ramon and Pam all current NFHS members. I think we all appreciate belonging to a Family History Group. These days much emphasis is on Internet searches and yes I agree it is marvellous but never forget there are still many elderly (and Younger) people that do not own a computer but do read the NFHS Journals that may provide us with that vital information. Irene Meakin of Cheltenham Gloucestershire saw this article in the magazine and provided me with a little bit of “flesh on the bones” of the Huckerby’s of Walker Street. Football fans may be interested to see photos of Darren Huckerby a striker for Norwich City-see “photocall” His late Grandfather Jim and my husband were brothers.