25th October, 2004 from Chrissie Grenfell
I am a descendant on the Hardwick family tree on the Wrington website. I am a grandchild of Daisy Williams (Hardwick). We would love to provide updates to the page that is currently on the website, and get in contact with others listed.
8th November, 2004 from Will Hardwick
Dear Chrissie,
Richard Thorn, who operates the Wrington web pages, sent on your enquiry to me. My name is Will Hardwick, perhaps you saw a picture of me on the Wrington web pages along with the story of how Richard helped me to link up a line in our ever growing Hardwick tree.
I was delighted to receive your letter and only wonder where indeed your line fits in to the picture. We can trace some lines, including my own, back directly to a Hardwick family (yeoman dairy farmers) of Clapton in Gordano (and the mid-seventeenth century) in North Somerset.
To date, we have a collection of about 1500 names from both the past and the present. I have a number of e-mail addresses and am in touch with branches in Australia (Western Australia and NSW - there are others we know of in Queensland too), New Zealand (Auckland and Wellington), Canada (Vancouver Island, Ontario and Alberta) and USA (Minnesota and Utah) as well as in England itself (Somerset and Bristol) and more immediately of course, with my most direct relatives in and around the South East of England (although my own family are in Edinburgh, Scotland).
I am writing from Nagoya, Japan, where I am presently working a two year contract but it is temporary and should be back home in early 2006. Where in Australia are you? I am willing to pass your information on to whoever you think might be closest to your line.
I sincerely hope I am able to help you grow your part of things and make any contacts you might wish to make. In return we would all be delighted to know how you fit into the picture. Please let me know what you would like to know and where you think your line starts... I seem to remember Williams as a name somewhere along the way but do not have any information with me here in Japan at present and cannot think where I came across it - I am sure we have some Williamses somewhere.
With kind regards and great delight at your letter.
9th November, 2004
from Will Hardwick to Chrissie Grenfell
Dear Chrissie,
I am delighted to hear from you. Thanks for the prompt response.
Joseph James has an interesting history and it was through a descendant of his, Gilbert Hardwick, who also grew up in Griffith, NSW, who has done a lot of work on the family there. He now lives in Western Australia and I shall now send him your e-mail to me so expect some message from him soon. I haven`t been in touch with Gil for a while and this would be a great excuse to get things going again.
I say Joseph James has an interesting history as, just at the beginning of this year, another line closely related to his became known to us and makes a link between your family in Autralia and another in Alberta, Canada as well. Possibly you read the information regarding Gail Reinhart`s family search on the same website. I believe she posted a tree on the site and you might find the line that connects your family with hers. I am sure she will also be delighted and shall send her your letter as well. I am certain she will respond.
I knew I had seen the family name Williams somewhere in all my notes and your mentioning it in connection with Gil`s ancestors brings it back. I think Gail and/or Gil would be better people to fill you in on the details but if you want to continue keeping in touch with me then that`s fine too. It`d be a pleasure to answer questions and let you know about my family.
All I have at present is the following; Your Joseph James Hardwick went to Australia (Gil can fill you in on the details but he apparently went as an orphan, Gil Hardwick has a copy of the birth certificate but it doesn`t give the parents` names. He married 24. 3.1920 Alice Maude Rawson, in Bogan Gate, NSW, who was the daughter of Horace Kendle Rawson and Ada Selina Coulston. They were married at `the residence of the bride`s parents, Bogan Gate.`
I shall let Gail tell you the rest. We are related through John Hardwick, the grandfather or great grandfather, if I remember correctly, of Joseph James. John was the eldest in a large family of 11 children. My great great grandfather was one of the youngest. His name was George and in 1832 left Somerset for London and this is my line. I can give you all of it later of you want but I imagine you are more interested at present in your immediate family.
If you look at Kit Withers` web pages www.geocities.com/kitwnz/hardwick/hardwick.htm you will see some lists and I hope you are able to make the links you want. I shall send Kit your letter as well and maybe you will hear from him. I am sure you will if you write directly. His address is in the pages.
I hope this is helpful to you and that you will let us know a bit about your lines since those you mention. I am in touch with two very active listers, Lynne Davis in Vancouver Island and Cynthia Walters in New Zealand and I am sure they will also be interested.
I know Richard at Wrington is also. His pages have been very helpful in bringing a lot of us together and February last and during the summer I visited Somerset and this area for the first time. It`s a beautiful place and the villages concerned are all things good about England and everyone I met was extremely kind and friendly. I have friends there now and plan to visit again when I have the time.
Anyway, please keep in touch. I hope this is a good start for you.
9th November, 2004 from Gil Hardwick to Will
Chrissie's grandmother is my Aunty Daisy, who will be a first cousin of Gail's father Cyril.
I knew her eldest daughter Judy, who married Neil Wishart, quite well when we were children. Judy is Chrissie's aunt, on her mother's side. I think her mother is Margaret Williams, who married Ken Gill. They are my first cousins, and Gail's second cousins.
I have a Chrissie Gill in my files, and I expect her married name is now Grenfell.
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