Contact Me

This site is Ipad friendly, and should also work with all internet browsers.

Summery

This Web Site charts the family tree of a Family from the Weald of Kent (UK). Most of them are farmers and agricultural labourers. Although 1 branch of the family comes from Bradford, Scotland & Germany, who were involved in the Cloth Trade (Stuff Manufacturers, Stuff Merchants and Drapers).

Structure

This site is composed of Family Sheets where all that is known about each family is recorded. The Sheets first have a graphical representation of the family, followed by a table listing each member of that family recording name, birthdate, birthplace, and where they were on each census, and what their job was if recorded. Any visitors are also listed. Below the table, is noted all other information known Parish Records, Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates, Death Certificates, IGI information etc. The Family Sheets are linked by Hyperlinks, travelling into the past through the parent s links to their parents families, and the future through the children. So just click on the parents names to travel back to their ancestors.

For a key into reading Family Sheets click here

Notes

Could anyone who has any photo's or information that would help this family history,or would like to talk about family tree research, please use the Contact link above Thanks!

Family Names

To save some aimeless wandering through the maze of hyperlinks, I ll list here the most recent sheets of the main family names :-

Backhouse	Backwell	Batt	Baker	Binns	Bishop	Bower	Brooke
Butler	Brungar	Baldock	Chantler	Clarke	Colegate	Cornes	Cornelius
Coleman	Cruttenden	Cumber	Day	Daynes	Diprose	Downe	Drury
Dunke	Else	Fever	Forward	Friend	Gibbon (Hawkhurst)	Gibson	Groombridge
Hayter	Heron	Hinkley	Holdsworth	Homewood (smarden)	Homewood (woodchurch)	Hollier	Hovenden
Hydor	James	Jell	Kadwell	Kingsnorth	Koster	Langley	Marshall
Michael	Muddle	Munk	Offen	Paine	Pattenden	Philpot (Hawkhurst)	Puxty [1]
Rofe	Russell	Skinner(Sussex)	Small	Spencer	Thrift	Tolehurst	Tuppenny
Tyler	Waters	Weare	Weaver	Weddle [2]	Weller	Wilkins	Willard
Wood	Wratten
Anderson(P)	Kirkham(P)	Mellor(P)	Phillips(P)	Walker(P)	Craft(P)	Davies(P)

[1] Puxty, also known as Puxted, Puxtey
[2] Weddle, also known as Woddle, Waddle, Widdle, Waddell

To connect to my Family Sheet, press here - Dave Russell Family Sheet

To connect to my Wife's Family Sheet, press here - A Peak District Family

Family Trees

Click on Trees below to see sections of my Family Tree.
For a key into reading the Tree's, click here

Family Tree A - Russell's
Family Tree B - Weller's & Puxty's
Family Tree C - Willard's, Marshall's, Coleman's & Tolehurst's
Family Tree D - Puxty's & Weddle's
Family Tree E - Hinkley's, Drury's, Spencer's, Hovenden's, Renvill's, Philpot's, Gibbon's, Muddle's & Hider's
Family Tree F - Butler's, Diprose's, Rofe's & Daynes's
Family Tree G - Wratten's, Small's, Tyler's, Homewood's & Skinner's
Family Tree H - Current Generations Tree
Family Tree J - Later Backhouse's
Family Tree K - Backhaus's, Koster's, Binn's, Bower's, Holdsworth's & Heron's
Family Tree L - Watson's
Family Tree M - Later Homewood's
Family Tree N - Homewood's, Offen's, Wood's, Munk's, Jarvis's
Family Tree P - Wood's, Day's, Langley's
Family Tree Q - Thrift's, Kadwell's, Cornes's, Jell's, Paine's
Family Tree R - Thrift's, Brook's, Pattenden's, Dunke's
Family Tree S - (my Wife, Carol's Tree) Mellor's, Walker's, Phillip's, Kirkham's, Lloyd's, Fletcher's
Family Tree T - Day's, Cornelius's, Gibson's, Wilkins.
Family Tree U - (my Wife, Carol's Tree) Anderson's, Davies's, Craft's.
Family Tree V - Russell's, Friends's, Waters's, Batt's, Else's, Weaver's.
Family Tree W - Puxty Cousins.
Family Tree X - Joan Johnson(Backhouse).
Family Tree Y - Forward's, Tuppenny's, Puxty's, Backwell's, Cruttenden's, Chantler's
Family Tree Z - Early Homewoods (based on Brian Homewood research)
Family Tree AA - Groombridge's
Cousins in the Smarden Area - how many 1st cousin marraiges can you spot?

Click Here for Bloodline Chart in PDF Format . Use your applications zoom and pan controls to navigate chart.

Parish Church Photographs

Benenden Church
Bethersden Church
Boughton Malheibe Church
Cranbrook Church
Ebony Church
Frittenden Church
Goudhurst Church
Hawkhurst Church
High Halden Church
Kingsnorth Church
Rolvenden Church
Salehurst Church
Sandhurst Church
Ticehurst Church
Woodchurch Church

Unknown People

This Album is full of people who have lost their identity. These photos belong to Ada Butler who married "Jack" Russell in Cranbrook, Kent.
If anyone can identify any of them, please let me know through the contact button above.

Exhibition at Cranbrook Museum 2007

I'm a member of The Cranbrook & District Local History Society, and in 2007 I was privilaged to Exhibit a Display of my family tree at the Town Museum. The main Trees were drawn on Autocad, and printed in colour. Additional sheets were created showing photos of my ancestors, or case studies of ancestors and how they were found. Also sheets were drawn up helping people new to the hobby on how to find there Ancestors. I had a lot of fun putting it on, and I hope people found it interesting.

Exhibition Photos

Family Photograph of the Russell's and Backhouse's

Family Photograph of the Backhouses at Dymnchurch 1934 - see Frederick Backhaus's family sheet for details.

Family Photograph at Goudhurst 2016

Revisions:

Nov 2007	Addition of Hollier (Holyer) family from Woodchurch : sheets 117 & 118. Tentative addition of Hooker, Ware, George, Smythe, Kingswood & Beall families to Sheet 112 (Richard Offen b.1768, Smarden)
Dec 2007	Addition of sheet S137 for George Wood & Family. Son of Horace Wood, who joined the 5th Dragoon Guards and fought in the Boer War.
April 2008	A63 John Diprose revised & updated ancestors back to early 1600 s added. S01 John Russell revised & updated children added. Small family added. A64 George Wratten revised & updated. Daw family added.
April 2008	Daw family deleted connection proved to be groundless.
May 2008	Hider family updated and revised. Day family updated and revised.
July 2008	Thrift family updated. Site relocated to HTTP://family-tree-russell.co.uk
July 2008	Brooke, Cumber, Pattenden, Dunke & James families added.
Aug 2008	Kingsnorth and Downe families added.
Aug 2008	Birth, Death & Marraige Certificates added.
Aug 2008	Photograph's added. Sheets reformatted.
Sept 2008	Military Records of George Wood added.
Sept 2008	Family Tree's added
Nov 2008	Photograph of George Homewood's family added Will of Elizabeth Ann Homewood added. Tenantcy Agreement for Haffenden Farm added (go to Edward Homewood's (b.1823, Smarden) family sheet)
Jan 2009	1911 Census Returns added. Family Sheets updated
Jan 2009	Extra Photo of Edward John Russell added. Photo's of John & Rachel Butler added.
Jan 2009	Extra Photo's of my father Peter Edward John Russell added
Mar 2009	Photo's of Parish Churches added
Apr 2009	Items from the London Gazette added, including Deed Pole Declaration of Frederick Backhaus.
Apr 2009	Trees revised.
Apr 2009	Puxty's & Weddle's updated.
May 2009	Mortgage of Castweazle Farm added (A36, Edward Homewood)
May 2009	my wife Carol Walker's Family Tree ["A Peak District Family"] added
July 2009	Skinner family revised.
Sept 2009	Cyril Russell's War Recollections added.
Sept 2009	Mellors & Kirkhams revised.
Oct 2009	Homewoods revised.
Oct 2009	William Homewood Offen Family Sheet added
Nov 2009	Frank Wood's War Records added added
Nov 2009	Exhibition at Cranbrook Museum added
Dec 2009	Extra ancestor families added to Wood Family
Jan 2010	Skinner family updated
Feb 2010	Backhouse Family photo added.
Mar 2010	Wood & Homewood family sheets added
Mar 2010	Rofe Family revised and Family Tree F
Apr 2010	Russell & Butler photos added.
Apr 2010	"Unknown" Photos added
Apr 2010	Homewood farm auction catalogues added
August 2010	Will summeries from "The National Probate Calendar, 1861-1941" added
September 2010	Ethan Joel Palmer added to Family Tree H
October 2010	Birth Certificates added for Edward Homewood & Mary Willard
November 2010	Photographs and details of the Bower Family added.
November 2010	Walker family updated including cemsus returns and the true identity of "Charles Edward Walker"
November 2010	Photo added of Edward and Sarah Ann Butler (Diprose)
January 2011	more Bower photos added
March 2011	All pages now re-written in HTML with new graphics, pictures, etc.
March 2011	Family Tree T added. PDF versions of Tree's added (you can now zoom into trees to see detail - yay!!), Links added between family sheets and family trees.
March 2011	Mahala Weeks (Puxty) 's Sheet [S147] added.
April 2011	More Homewod & Wood photo's added. including Alice Reeve (Wood) & Fanny Farrance (Wood) family photo's
May 2011	Photos of Emma Mellor; William & Edith Mellor added. Carols family tree updated
July 2011	Binns family expanded, due to release of yorkshire parish records on internet
August 2011	Happy Waddle's family added to site
December 2011	Booth's, Hancock's and Gidman's added to my wifes tree
December 2011	Anderson's, Davies's, Craft's, Chipp's added to my wifes tree
January 2012	Lilly Booth of Congleton disproved to be our Lillian May Booth by Carole Galley of New Zealand. Records deleted accordingly.
February 2012	additional census records for Esther Russell, William Thrift, Robert Kadwell.
February 2012	added Weller family sheets
March 2012	Hollie Jasmine Coley added to Tree J
March 2012	Grace Homewood family sheet added (S154)
March 2012	Elizabeth Russell (Homewood) family sheet added (S155)
March 2012	Ann Hosmer (Homewood) family sheet added (S156)
April 2012	Paper clipping added to Grace Homewood family sheet (S154)
April 2012	Bloodline Chart added
May 2012	Family of Mark Turl & Mary Ann Butler added.
June 2012	Family of John Wenbourne & Ann Russell added.
June 2012	1911 census sheets added.
July 2012	additional backhouse photos added
July 2012	family trees revised
Aug 2012	census transcripts added. "Finally!!"
Aug 2012	Batt, Weaver & Else families added.
Oct 2012	additional sibling sheets (S167-175) added, plus many more 1911 census returns
Oct 2012	The story of the Homewood-Hopper's (S158) advanced due to help of Jennifer Stark - many thanks
Nov 2012	More Farrance Photos due to help of Sam Bridgeland - thanks
June 2013	after rest from family tree: parentage of William John Russell added to sheet A03 (stephen russell and family)
July 2013	more Puxty's added, inc Puxty cousins tree.
July 2013	Dinah Weller family sheet added (S183)
July 2013	John Skinner family sheet added (S184)
July 2013	George Skinner family sheet added (S185)
July 2013	Mary Ann Luckhurst (Skinner) family sheet added (S186)
Nov 2013	William Thrift family sheet added (S187)
Nov 2013	Mary Dean (Day) family sheet added (S188)
Nov 2013	Sarah Ann Bourne (Day) family sheet added (S189)
April 2014	Death certs of James Heron & George Backhaus added
April 2014	Marraige cert of William Homewood added
April 2014	Photgraphs of Binns, Bower, Backhaus, Wood & Prime Families added
May 2014	More ancestors for the Koster, Backhaus & Von Breymann families added
May 2014	Alice Tyler family sheet S190 added
June 2014	Homewood (Woodchurch) family sheets S191-3 added
June 2014	S56 revised - both John Wratten & Robert Tyler married Elizabeth Betts
June 2014	Elizabeth Weller's family sheet added-S194
June 2014	Elizabeth Thrift's family sheet added-S195
June 2014	Creetown Graves added, thanks John!!
July 2014	Kadwell sybling sheets added (S196-S198)
July 2014	Coggers & Mundays added (A172 & A173)
Oct 2014	Corne Families added (S201-S208)
Oct 2014	Walter Morley added to S208
Nov 2014	Children trees of Stephen Russell updated
Feb 2015	Death certificate of Charles Edward Walker added.
Feb 2015	Marraige certificate of Sussanah Rebecca Davies (Russell) and Richard Noble Morley added.
Mar 2015	Birth certificate of Mary Elizabeth Walker added.
Mar 2015	Homewood census images added to family sheets
Mar 2015	Wood, Day, Offen, Thrift census images added to family sheets
Mar 2015	Elizabeth & Ann Homewood removed from James Homewood Jnr's Family Sheet (A55) and added to James Homewood Snr's Family Sheet (A53). This is becouse they are not James's daughters but his brother Edward's (proven on Ann's marraige certificate to John Hosmer)
Mar 2015	Backhaus, Heron, Koster, Binns, Bower census images added to family sheets
April 2015	Weller, Willard, Marshall, Puxty, Groombridge, Colegate census images added to family sheets
April 2015	All remaining ancestor census images added to family sheets. Next the siblings!!
December 2015	Lachlan Craig born in Australia to Melissa & Phillip - Tree H revised.
March 2016	All Sibling census images added to Russell, Weller, Backhouse Trees plus Homewoods & Woods. Taken over a year so far.
April 2016	All Sibling census images added to Days.
April 2016	All Sibling census images added to Offens.
April 2016	All Sibling census images added to Cornes & Thrifts.
June 2016	Elizabeth Mary Backhouse added to Tree J - congrats!!
Sept 2016	Photo of Family get to together at Goudhurst 2016 added
Sept 2016	Skidmore family information updated
Sept 2016	Record of Charles Homewood's death in 1918 added.
Feb 2017	Family Sheet S211 for Albert Diprose added. Due to information given by Alan Diprose, Thanks!!.
Mar 2017	Sibling census images copied to sibling family sheets. Finished hurrah!!!
April 2017	Family Sheet S230 for Ann Marshall (Soane) added.
May 2018	Information on Joan Johnson (Backhouse) added. Thanks Sarah!!
June 2018	Family Sheet S231 for Nancy Puxty (Forward) added. Tree Y added.
June 2018	Family Sheet's S232-4 for more Forwards & Tuppenny's added. Tree Y revised accordingly.
June 2018	Family Name Matrix revised.
Aug 2018	Early Homewood Family revised to Brian Homewood information - major rebuild
Aug 2018	Clarke family added sheet A237 & family tree B
Aug 2018	Alexander Groombridge and family - added sheet A239
Aug 2018	Thomas Skinner & Family - added sheet A240
Aug 2018	Gabriel Morgan & Family - added sheet A241
Aug 2018	Photos of Parish Churches - Bethersden, Ebony, Kingsnorth, Woodchurch & Salehurst - added.
Aug 2018	Wills of John Groombridge & Gabriel Morgan added.
Feb 2019	Brungar & Baldock families added (A242,A243, A244)
Feb 2019	Town & Skinner(kent) families added (A245,A246-8)
Apr 2019	Sally Anne Russell (Clarke) added to family tree (Tree H). "Hi sister in law."
Jan 2020	Stook family details added to Tree M.
Apr 2021	Death dates added to many ancesters
July 2021	Butlers updated - tree F - Thanks Chris
Jan 2022	1921 census added
Jan 2022	Lilian May Booth families added (since proven unrelated, I'll replace when correct family discovered)
Mar 2023	Homewood tree updated (TM), using information kindly given by Catherine Skidmore
Apr 2023	Bloodline Chart revised and updated.
May 2023	Family Tree AA added (Groombridges), Groombridges removed from Tree E
May 2023	Family Sheet (Ancester Sheets) links to Trees updated and revised.
June 2023	Family Sheet (Sibling Sheets) links to Trees updated and revised.
June 2023	Sheet A261 - John Weller and family added
June 2023	Sheets A264-A267 - Philpot, Gibbon & Muddle families added
June 2023	Sheets A268-A269 - Spencer & Hovenden families added
June 2023	Sheets A270 - Renvill family added
July 2023	Historical Context added to all family sheets. ie Monarchs, Wars, Battles, Local Events of note.
August 2023	Sheets A277-284 - Backwell, Cruttenden & Chantler families added. Puxty family extended back.
Sept 2023	Homewood Photos added and reorganised
Sept 2023	Wood Photos added and reorganised
Sept 2023	1837 Tithe Charts added
Oct 2023	Russell & Backhouse Photos added and reorganised
Oct 2023	Artwork from Daphne Backhouse & Michael Backhouse added
Oct 2023	History of Cranbrook Congregational Church added