Neil a big thank you for the photographs. You have provided me with what no one else in my own family has been able to do, photogrpahs of my forebears. I do have photos of my own father, William George Rufus SWALLOW s0052 but he didn't have or didn't keep any of his own relatives.

Great. let's hope that tucked away in your photo archive there are some other Hadhams SWALLOWs.

I will let you have my database references for them as soon as I have applied them. If it is possible for you to do it might serve a useful purpose by attaching the FGN (Family Group Number) to them. Would allow other researchers quicker targetting of the data I hold.

Thanks again. Will be in touch

Many of my Swallow ancestors came from Little Hadham. I am looking for anyone who is descended from them. I have done much research and will gladly share any information to genuine descendants.

Caroleann. Hi, please contact me. My lot all come from the Hadhams and I have about 200 of them. In addition I hold a database of about 7000 SWALLOW individuals world wide for The Guild of One-name Studies.

Do not send me any personal information until I have given you further information about myself and my ancestors and the Guild.

Please contact me on my gmail address.

Look forward to hearing from you.

John,
As promised I have attatched a couple of photos of the Swallow family at the turn of the century.
The first one is James Swallow (always called "Jimmy-Too") 1844-1920. Jimmy Too lived at The Common House (Fiddlers Croft) just South of the Stortford road near Stone Farm and the Churchend turnoff. In his younger days he was a groom and horsekeeper. One night in the 1870`s, after a night in the Angel pub, he stumbled into a ditch, breaking his leg very badly. His wife, Mary, worried that he hadn`t returned, went out looking for him with a lantern. He was a big man, and when she found him she struggled to get him home. He spent some years recovering, and could never work properly after the accident, just doing a little gardening for the Rev.Bury.
Jimmy`s wife Mary (maiden name Petchey) could remember seeing the first ever train to pass along the Stortford to Cambridge line just after it was built when she was 4 or 5 years old.
The second photo is of the farm workers at Home Farm in about 1920. Back row (from left to right) is George Swallow, David "Ding" Pryor, and Jimmy "Crow" Swallow. Front row is Ambrose "Ambrey" Swallow and Dick "Flee" Ettridge.
Ambrose Swallow was born at Sharpes Farm, Westland Green, in 1854 the son of James Swallow. He moved to Maltings Cottage at the Ford in 1914. He worked at Home Farm as his father had done and as his sons George and Jim did. Life was very hard for Ambrose and `Melia, his wife, bringing up 6 children on 11/- a week. He had a very broad local accent and used to talk with a lot of old dialect words that the younger men didn`t know. He was one of the last farm workers to be seen at work in an old "Smock-Frock" - a kind of white embroidered dress.
Hope they are of interest
Neil

I will try to attach photos again!!
Neil

Hi Carolanne,
I have just joined the forum and immediately saw your message re the Swallow Family.
My grand father was a Swallow (based in East London) and through the census and IGI I have traced this strand of my family to Little Hadham. In fact to William Swallow who was born Abt 1832 and his parents who were John & Elizabeth (Abt 1811). William had George (1839), James (1837) and John (1835) as brothers. I know they were living at the Ford. I am not sure if all the Swallow’s of Little Hadham were related or what!

Although I did used to live in St Albans I am now in Australia and so things are a little difficult to get to. I would greatly appreciate anything you might be able to send me to wade through.

The above goes for amyone else out there that may be reading this with info. Thanks.


Kind regards