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Funny where life takes you…

Stories from beyond the family trees

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Author: Natalie Mayhew

Originally a London girl, now living in Rochester, Kent. Fascinated by social history and passionate about equality, diversity and inclusion

Twins and the Paths of Poverty and Prosperity

Henry Mayhew (1812-1881) and Priscilla Mayhew (1812–1886): born together, lives apart - twins in an age of change

Natalie Mayhew Canada, Childhood & Family Life, 🌐 Migration & Emigration, England, Farming & Agriculture February 13, 2026June 24, 2026 7 Minutes

Discovering the Missing Mayhew Child

A young woman wearing a coat, scarf, and hat is shown in profile with a low light background of terraced streets at dusk

Lily Violet Dorothy Mayhew (1907–1942) vanished from the records as a baby, only to re-emerge as a young woman whose life was shaped by loss, work, and war

Natalie Mayhew Childhood & Family Life, 🔍 Mysteries & Brick Walls, England, Women's Lives February 13, 2026June 24, 2026 14 Minutes

A Smörgåsbord of Food Memories

Childhood meals remembered through everyday food, family habits and changing tastes - a glimpse into domestic life in the past

Natalie Mayhew England, Recollections February 11, 2026June 24, 2026 5 Minutes

The Man Who Bent New York’s Broadway

Henry Brevoort (1747–1841) resisted change, influencing Manhattan's layout while practicing Native American folk medicine

Natalie Mayhew Business, Trades & Professions, Farming & Agriculture, New York February 8, 2026June 24, 2026 6 Minutes

“Present at the Death”

Charlotte Mayhew (c1816–1899): a silenced life recovered through the records

Natalie Mayhew England, Poverty, Hardship & Resilience, Women's Lives January 16, 2026June 24, 2026 9 Minutes

Warrant Officer Edwin John “Jack” Aslett

Killed whilst flying - after VE Day, aged 23

Natalie Mayhew 👥 Beyond the Family Tree, England, Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham Gas Company Roll of Honour (1939-1945) January 15, 2026June 24, 2026 2 Minutes

Stoker 1st Class Leonard Francis Beck

Killed on War Service in the Mediterranean Sea, aged 28

Natalie Mayhew 👥 Beyond the Family Tree, England, Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham Gas Company Roll of Honour (1939-1945) January 15, 2026June 24, 2026 2 Minutes

Corporal Vernon Creswell Best

Died on War Service (of illness),aged 23

Natalie Mayhew 👥 Beyond the Family Tree, England, Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham Gas Company Roll of Honour (1939-1945) January 15, 2026June 24, 2026 1 Minute

Sergeant Sydney James Betts

Killed while flying during a training exercise, aged 34

Natalie Mayhew 👥 Beyond the Family Tree, England, Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham Gas Company Roll of Honour (1939-1945) January 15, 2026June 24, 2026 2 Minutes

Driver Douglas Roy Capps

Died of wounds during the Dunkirk evacuation, aged 23

Natalie Mayhew 👥 Beyond the Family Tree, England, Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham Gas Company Roll of Honour (1939-1945) January 15, 2026June 24, 2026 2 Minutes

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Funny Where Life Took Them
Some of the surnames on this site — click one to find stories behind it

Bailey Baker Banfield Banfield aka Wackrill Barrett Baynes Booth Bovill Bowes-Lyon Brevoort Bristow Brock Carson Chaldecott Collingwood Conway-Gordon Coolidge Cooper Cotton Courtauld Daley Dibben Dowman Down Earle Finch Fitzgerald Gordon Hall Harvey Hill Irving Kirby Krug Lane? Levens Mayhew Mayo Napier Obee Payne Poulton Rose Saumarez Sheldrake Todd Twohey Wackrill Whetten

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