It is a Small World

Bert Gough of Chipping Sodbury in a letter to Jack proved just how small the world really is.

Bert's grandmother is Naomi Blincoe born 1856 at Husbands Bosworth, daughter of Thomas James Blencoe of East Haddon and Sophia Stafford. Naomoi had three brothers: - John Thomas, Charles Fredrick, Albert and a sister Mary Anne.

Naomi's mother, Sophia died in 1860 and her father Thomas James remarried to Ann Cooper at Wandsworth in 1864. He died in 1866.

The 1861 census found Naomi and siblings living with their grandparents Joseph Blencowe and Elizabeth Brooks in East Haddon and by the 1870s they were in the Nottingham area.

Naomi had three children from her first marriage to John Thompson: John William, Annie Louise and Margaret Ellen. In 1886 she married George Gough and in 1892 my father, George David Laurence Gough was born.

Naomi's eldest son, John William Thompson married Ann Aldred in 1899 and baby Gladys was born in 1900. John, Ann and Gladys migrated to Butte, Montana in 1902. In 1904 Naomi was born, John in 1916 and Doris in 1924.

Gladys married a Mr Oaks and went to Spokane, Washington where they had a daughter, Edith in 1924.

Doris Pearson-nee Thompson, Doris Nelson, Bert Gough and Edith Davey

My wife Pat and I were visiting Spokane and staying with Edith when cousin, Doris invited us to afternoon tea. She had also invited Doris Nelson, whom she desperately wanted us to meet. These two Dorises had heard about each other through a mutual friend whom they decided to visit on the same day. Doris Nelson mentioned to my cousin that she had been in England looking up her Blencoe ancestor in Long Buckley, Northamptonshire. My cousin, Doris said her grandmother (Naomi) was a Blencoe and that I was about to visit her in Spokane.

A meeting was arranged, paper work compared and to our amazement we had all descended from John Blencowe and Elizabeth Phillips –our family from John Blencowe born 1685 and May Burrell and Doris Nelson from John's brother, William (1690-1711) and Elizabeth Murket.

How or when Doris Nelson's family arrived in Spokane, I have no idea but our side came via Butte in Montana.

Bert Gough

What an extraordinary chance meeting, Bert. Jack tells me that Doris Nelson's great grandfather, William Blincow migrated to Lincoln, Nebraska in 1871. Their story is told by Ruth Blincow Mussett commencing on page 312 of the Blencowe Families of Cumbria and Northamptonshire.

Anne