Letters

A film star in the making?

Natalie Blinco Hemington wrote from Perth, W. Australia: her son William has played a starring role in a TV commercial being screened by the Royal Auto­mobile Club. The story goes that the family is having breakfast, with William in his high chair, when a car crashes into the house. Australian readers can look out for it and maybe report back on the ensuing mayhem! Natalie descends from Henry Blinco, a prison warder, who emigrated to West Australia from Hedgerley near Windsor in 1864.

A Blencowe family in Germany

I have enjoyed corresponding with Peter William Blencowe who lives in Augsburg. Peter served in the Royal Air Force in Germany where he met Gisela Popp; they were married at Frankfurt am Main. An aircraft radio engineer, he has spent most of his working life outside Europe. He has retired to Germany where he is now a citizen. Peter and Gisela have two sons and a daughter and three grandchildren, so far there are no Blencowe grandsons to carry on the family name in Germany! Peter’s branch of the family originated in Sussex and he shares a g-g-grandfather with Chris Blencowe whose picture appeared in Vol. 17 No.1 (See p.9)

Blincoes of Harpers Ferry

Teri Kelley has written to seek help in tracing the ancestors of Mary Blincoe who was born 29 August 1827 near Harpers Ferry WV and married Abner Thomas there 12 March 1845. They had three daughters and in 1850 were living in Jefferson Co. WV, moving to Indiana around 1859 before the war. Mary, middle name probably Elizabeth, was the eldest of nine children, 8 girls and a boy. Of these, three of the sisters moved to Baltimore MD, two others and the brother lived near Harpers Ferry.

Can anyone help in the search? There is a record of Joseph Blincoe who married Harriet Dillow 27 August 1835 and had four children of whom George Washington Blincoe was born 13 April 1841 at Harpers Ferry. George married Emma White in Nevada MO in 1872 and had 8 children and I believe descendants are members of the Association. Could Joseph have been an uncle or cousin of Mary E. Blincoe?

The Blincoe – Connolly Connection

Daniel C. Yarbrough, grandson of Clarence Herbert Connolly wrote: I have a copy of the last will and testament of George Connolly, a plantation owner of Lancaster Co. Virginia, dated 2 April 1771. In it he makes provision for his daughter Mary and her husband John Blincoe. Their children are named in the will as George Connolly Blincoe, Betty Blincoe and Ann H. Blincoe. He also provides for his daughter Frances (or Frankie) whom he states is “very much subject to fits (epilepsy?) and in the event of his deaath should be placed in the care of her brother-in-law John Blincoe.

John (1737–1782) was the great-grandson of the ‘Immigrant James’ and had a son Mark (1766–1814) and grandson James who died in 1833; if anyone has information of further descendants, I should be glad to know. Readers with more Connolly information may care to contact Daniel at: <celticdreamer@copper.net>

Motor Sport

Rick Blenko, fourth generation President of Blenko Glass, has most likely caught your eye whilst he’s been helping promote PBS with that remarkable documentary Hearts of Glass. When he does have some spare time he has a passion for motor racing. The car he’s coveting in the picture is a BMW Mini, made right here in Oxford. I’m told there’s an English Blencowe who is a racing driver, we should try to get them together some time!