The Woolven Family of Sussex
My husband's grandmother, Doris Ellen Woolven, was born in Steyning in Sussex in 1912, not far from where her father, grandfather and great grandfather were born. The Woolven family lived in the Horsham district of West Sussex for over 100 years.
I was fortunate to be able to correspond with Doris Ward during the 1980's and her letters were often full of interesting family stories and details of happy events such as weddings and births. My husband remembers her fondly. He would hop on the train to go visit her on a Saturday morning and time it just right as she took a fresh loaf of bread out of the oven. He managed to always get the crust, topped with some lovely home-made jam, just before his granddad stepped into the kitchen.
Over the years I have had a number of people who have helped me trace the Woolven family, including Chris Timms and Hope Anscombe from Genes Reunited and Jennifer Bellamy in Western Australia.
But by far, my most constant source of information, photographs, and family stories of the Woolven family has been Jill Drummond from the West Midlands, who I met through the Genes Reunited website back in 2008. Jill and I still correspond regularly to this day. I am truly grateful to know her and call her my friend.
I was fortunate to be able to correspond with Doris Ward during the 1980's and her letters were often full of interesting family stories and details of happy events such as weddings and births. My husband remembers her fondly. He would hop on the train to go visit her on a Saturday morning and time it just right as she took a fresh loaf of bread out of the oven. He managed to always get the crust, topped with some lovely home-made jam, just before his granddad stepped into the kitchen.
Over the years I have had a number of people who have helped me trace the Woolven family, including Chris Timms and Hope Anscombe from Genes Reunited and Jennifer Bellamy in Western Australia.
But by far, my most constant source of information, photographs, and family stories of the Woolven family has been Jill Drummond from the West Midlands, who I met through the Genes Reunited website back in 2008. Jill and I still correspond regularly to this day. I am truly grateful to know her and call her my friend.