Alden Carter Weston’s son by Belle Bilton A more in-depth look at the life of Isidor Weston, incorporating the full First World War military records of people who joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force which have recently become available. Both Alden Carter Weston’s sons, Gerard and Isidor, joined the CEF but did Isidor and Gerard ever meet? Did Isidor meet any of his relatives as an … Continue reading Isidor Alden Cleveland Weston
On 4th September 1872 Jonathan Alden Weston wrote, from Paris, to Margaretta Sophia (Howard) Ridgely at Hampton, Baltimore County, Maryland. The letter was partly business and partly family matters although Jonathan addressed Margaretta in a formal manner. This article explores the clues in the letter about the Weston’s life in Europe and their relationship with the wider Ridgely family. It also casts light on the post-bellum life … Continue reading Margie, Amy, Little Willie and General Lee.
Jonathan Alden Weston closed his memoir with a brief account of the retreat across the Potomac in September 1862. This article concerns his life after he left Virginia with his family in the first months of 1863. Jonathan lived in Paris for most of the time between 1863 and, at least, 1883, however official records in France, e.g. of births & deaths have not been … Continue reading An American in Paris and London
In July 1782, 20 year old Dorothea Bland left Dublin with her mother, Grace Philips, and two of her older siblings, George and Hester. Dorothea, or Dora, was pregnant and the departure was to enable Dora’s escape from Richard Daly, the manager of the Smock Alley Theatre in Dublin. Daly was known for making advances to his young actresses, some of these were of the … Continue reading Mrs Jordan in Yorkshire
Ducatus Leodiensis and The Bland Families One of the unresolved issues from the original research about the Bland family has resurfaced in describing the James River Blands and the families connected to Farley Plantation. That issue is the relationship between the Blands of Bland’s Gill, Sedbergh and the Bland family of Orton. Given the proximity of Orton to Sedbergh a family connection has seemed likely … Continue reading Ducatus Leodiensis and The Bland Family
“A sudden invasion of Muscovites…” It is not generally known the Russian Navy once visited Culpeper County, and in so doing, sparked one of the more ludicrous events of the Civil War. But before we detail the “Muscovite” visit to the “shores of the Rappahannock,” some background is in order. At several junctures early in the Civil War, England threatened hostilities against the United States … Continue reading When The Russian Navy Came to Farley
Farley, “that bijou of a place”, was the birthplace of Elizabeth Carter Storrow, the wife of Jonathan Alden Weston. Helen Weston, who married Richard Lionel Morphy, was their fifth child. Farley is situated near Brandy Station in Culpeper County, and was uppermost on the list of places Felicity and I wanted to visit in Virginia because of the relatively recent family connections. The property is … Continue reading FARLEY PLANTATION – CULPEPER COUNTY, VIRGINIA.
Jonathan Alden Weston was the father of Helen D’Olier Weston and father-in-law of Richard Lionel Morphy. Part of the purpose of our Virginia trip in September 2016 was to visit some of the places mentioned by Jonathan in the memoir of his early years, which was transcribed in Pilgims, Priests and Perfidy. We also wanted to gather additional information about his life from local sources … Continue reading Jonathan Alden Weston Revisited
Visitors to York will be familiar with York Minster. Less well known, even to some long term residents, is the Minster Library and Archive. A chance meeting led to a visit to the library which is housed in The Old Palace near the Minster. The purpose of the visit was to find out about the library’s resources, not to research Blands or Morphys. It was … Continue reading Alumni Dublinenses
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