Russells, Russells Everywhere.

This blog of mine continues to amaze in terms of the links it fosters.

Ages ago I posted these photos of two graves in the Indian city of Jabalpur. They are the graves of two of my great-great-grandparents. I was sent these piccies by a gentleman called Byram who also had ancestors from Jabalpur. He found me through this blog.

An amazing contact formed through the blogosphere.

Well it has happened again!

This little blog has brought me contact with two people from the UK (to be precise England) researching their genealogy. Only this time the people in questions are actually distant relations of mine.

Great- great-grandfather William Alexander Russell who lies in the Jabalpur grave was one of eight siblings.

As a quick aside his sister Ellen also happens to be my great-great-grandmother. Before you go “eeewwww” or “give me six” (as a friend facetiously did) they did not marry each other. WA's son (my great-grandfather) married Ellen's daughter (my great-grandmother).

Actually, at some point I am going to have to write about how the two cousins came to be hitched. It is quite a romantic tale. But as I say another time!

Now where was I?

Distant Russell relations.

I received an email from a Susannah Russell who lives in England.

She introduced herself by saying she enjoyed my blog and went on to say “I have just started to research my own family tree and I am sure that we must be related. Like you I am descended from the Russells of Jabalpur and the names Postance and Anley also feature in my tree.”

It turns out WA and Ellen had six other siblings.

One of these Edwin Arthur Russell is Susannah’s great-grandfather.

While another brother of WA and Ellen was Augustus Morrell Russell who is the great-great grandfather of yet another distant cousin Bill Russell.

The internet and the blogosphere are making this world very small and giving me very long lost relatives!

Two last points on family links:
Bill (or William) Russell is a family name that has continued down my line too. My pop's brother was another Bill Russell, my dad is Rupert Anley William Russell, and one of my nephews is also a William Russell.

Susannah's father was a scriptwriter (and actor) for the BBC and her grandmother (also a Russell) was a novelist!

It seems there are some latent writer’s genes in this Russell’s family!

Now that is enough because you are probably all as confused as I was to start!

Now a piccie from Mum's place.

A juvenile Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans)