General Chat

Ooh that sounds a bit too close Shady. Very nasty too. Sorry to hear that. Sue

The dates all seem to add up. I have an ancestor called John Hawkins who turns up in Aldermaston in the late 1700s. My 2nd cousin and I have been researching this bit of the tree on and off and had not got back from him. I have an old road atlas which I keep by my computer and I underline and highlight places which look interesting. I did a trawl of villages around Aldermaston and then looked for websites for them. To cut a long story short I found that in 1787 a 17 year old William Hawkins was one of two lads who murdered an old man for his silver watch. They were both from Ufton Nervet in Berkshire and I see the IGI has a probable William as the son of a John and Mary. I also spotted a very likely older brother who looks as if he is my John from Aldermaston. No definite proof yet so this isn’t going on the tree until a lot more digging is done but someone else must have thought there is a connection too because there’s a submitted IGI report of a John Hawkins (of Aldermaston) baptised in Ufton. I contacted the Berkshire Library and I’ve been told that the newspaper report of the execution didn’t name William’s parents but it took place in his home village of Ufton and his parents were present. The parents were described as humble but honest and respectable. I can’t imagine how they must have felt. This sort of discovery is what I find fascinating about doing family history. Sue

I had a great uncle who murdered his wife and two little daughters,he cut their throats,he was a barber....

I’ve been browsing and googling and think I may have found an ancestral uncle who was a murderer.