As I’ve researched my family history I’ve been interested in the new surnames I’ve collected with each generation. I was born a Jenkins and my mother’s maiden name was Wheeler – both common surnames that have given me headaches as I’ve tried to progress backwards through the generations. My grandmothers added Dewfall and Burrows to my list. Again Burrows is quite a common surname but Dewfall was interesting. There are only approximately 130 individuals recorded in the 1881 census with the surname of Dewfall or Dufall (the other common spelling of this name). Compare this to approximately 40,000 Jenkins and 18,000 Wheelers and 17,000 Burrows and you can see how rare the Dewfalls really were.

It seems that the Dewfalls originated from Dorset and as I found out more information about my Dewfall families I found that they did indeed come from Dorset back in the late 1700s before moving just across the border into Somerset. They then moved to Bristol where there are still a number of Dewfalls living today. But it wasn’t the place for my great grandfather as he moved onto South London where my grandmother was born.

Given that 3 of my 4 grandparents were born in Surrey, the other in Essex, I was quite surprised to find this connection with the South West and to follow the movements of the families around the country. I had always thought that people didn’t travel far in those days but I found it wasn’t unique. Research into my Burrows ancestors revealed that they came from around Cheltenham in Gloucestershire. My great grandfather Charles Burrows married Mary Masters whose family came from near Romney Marsh on the Kent / Sussex border and they married in Fulham. How did they both get to Fulham and why? I don’t know yet and perhaps never will but it’s interesting trying to find out.

I’m still trying to sort out my Jenkins family, with such a common name they are proving difficult to unravel. Not only have they got a common surname they were all named William, the most common Christian name in the 1800’s. And to make matters worse my great, great grandfather married a lady called Eliza Johnson. The surname Johnson is even more common than Jenkins (over 100,000 in 1881) and Eliza / Elizabeth the second most common Christian name (Mary’s the first if you are interested)! Family myth has it that my Jenkins came from South Wales, not surprising given that this is where the surname originated and where it’s most common in 1881, but when did they move to Surrey? Did they stop anywhere on their way there? I’ve found that you have to be patient and methodical when your tracing your family tree. It’s like being a detective and I could just do with Inspector Morse or Hercule Poirot to help me with this puzzle!