By Ruth A Symes Link to buy my books Amazon.co.uk: Ruth A Symes: books, biography, latest update Publishing this today in honour of the 250th anniversary of American Independence! [This article was originally published in Discover Your Ancestors in January 2019] The Dollar Princess: Miss Gabrielle Ray (1883-1973) as Daisy in the Edwardian musical comedy ‘The Dollar... Continue Reading →
Marriage Mishaps: Blunders at Family Weddings
By Ruth A Symes This article appeared in Discover Your Ancestors online periodical in 2025. Discover Your Ancestors | Bringing Past Lives to Life A horse-drawn carriage arrives at a church in a poor part of a town: a newly- wed couple walk down the steps towards it as the coachman holds the door open... Continue Reading →
‘Robust, Unattractive Women’: A Frenchman’s View of the English (Snippet: 1)
Florence Georgiana Spooner Carr (later Gray) formal portrait in Egret-feathered Hat ca 1878. Photographers C&R Lavis, Eastbourne, Via Wikimedia Commons. In a series of visits to Britain between 1862 and 1870, outspoken Frenchman Hippolyte Taine wrote lengthily about his impressions, and his comments-at-a-distance give us a clear and fascinating view of our ancestors in a... Continue Reading →