Posted in Stories on Sep 22nd, 2008 No Comments »
As mentioned in this article, in the 1830’s, like many others, the parish of Chiddingly was having a hard time feeding it’s poor. Someone came up with the idea of financing settlers to the “new world”. Thomas, his wife, Ann and their 9 children settled in Ontario, Canada, a land which offered them many more opportunities than the parish ever could.
Posted in Stories on May 10th, 2008 No Comments »
The 1830s were a period of intense stress in the rural Sussex countryside. The end of the Napoleonic wars triggered an economic depression with consequences on agriculture. The reform of the “Poor Laws” (1) left many families hungry and demography was eating Parish budgets. “Captain Swing” was opposing the mechanisation which was depriving “AgLabs” of [...]
Posted in Stories on Mar 26th, 2008 1 Comment »
Whilst researching, I stumbled on this Internet book which describes rural Sussex life in Chiddingly in the early 1800s. Not surprisingly, Funnells are mentionned several times as in this passage I’ve extracted to whet your appetite. I found the book captivating and read it from end to end.
Thomas Funnell can be found in the genealogy [...]
Posted in Stories on Mar 25th, 2008 2 Comments »
In the first half of the 19th century, the railways were pushing the industrial revolution into the farthest reaches of the country. Until then, timekeeping had been left to the skies. The necessity for trains to run on time forced England into the modern age and a unique time zone. The whole country became punctual [...]
Posted in Stories on Mar 27th, 2007 2 Comments »
Mildred Clarice Funnell was born in Honeyeye Falls, New York in 1901, daughter of Alfred Jennings Funnell and Louella Yates.
Her father was born in East Varick soon after his parents arrived in New York from England. He was a Presbyterian Minister ordained in 1898. Chaplain with Ohio’s National Guard in 1916, he served in the [...]
Posted in Stories on Feb 24th, 2007 No Comments »
Martha Griffiths must have cursed the day she set eyes on a Funnell. Worse, she must have grown to hate our family name.
Martha was only eighteen and already obliged to make commerce of her virtues, when in 1825 William Funnell stumbled across her path.
Martha was plying her charms in the infamous Whitechapel area of London.
William, [...]
Posted in Stories on Feb 4th, 2007 No Comments »
George Stephen Funnell served in the military, and was decorated for bravery. He joined the London police force [1] at the age of 26. Seven years later, he was still a constable, badge n° 261J, plodding the beat in the neighbourhood of Victoria Park. Shortly after one o’clock on the morning of Friday 22nd of [...]
Posted in Stories on Feb 3rd, 2007 No Comments »
It seems we have a controversed ancestor in the person of William Funnell who gives his account of a round the world voyage in this text first published in 1707. Captain Dampier, who is mentionned in the text, came home later than William and his crew in a “prize” (ie. stolen) ship. Upon arrival, he [...]
Posted in Stories on Feb 2nd, 2007 1 Comment »
Our Family, consisting of my father (Henry) Thomas, a carpenter, my mother (stepmother) Minnie (Moore) and four brothers, Walter a horticulturist, Bert (Herbert) a printer, Arthur a civil servant in the Middlesex Guildhall, and Tom who was apprenticed to a trade (plumbing) were living together in Epsom, Surrey, England.
In 1903 Walter went out to [...]
Posted in Stories on Jan 30th, 2007 3 Comments »
Arthur and Herbert (Bert) left Liverpool England on 29 January 1912 and migrated to Canada. They arrived in Canada in February 1912 and joined Walter at his ranch in Saskatchewan. The three prepared everything for their trip, which included pork, beef, flour, lard and other food necessities as well as the needed cooking equipment. They [...]
Posted in Stories on Jan 20th, 2007 1 Comment »
There are several explications as to the origins of our surname put forward by more learned men than me.
The three most credible explications all point to the same region : Pevensey Bay or to be more precise in historical terms, the liberty of Pevensey which was an early name for the “Rape of Pevensey”. This [...]
Posted in Stories on Jan 20th, 2007 No Comments »
The following article is taken from “Sussex County Magazine”, vol. 6, p.131.
THE FAMILY OF FUNNELL
Mark Anthony Lower records the following : - "There are two tradesmen at Lewes (i.e. in 1873), one of whom keeps a beerhouse called the Grape-vine and the other a respectable able grocer, Mr Alfred Funnell, who deals in British wines. [...]