The Soulsby Family Tree
Let start off with a couple of words about family trees. I attended a first aid course a couple of years ago and one of the other participants told us that she had traced over thirty thousand relatives on-line researching her family tree. I have traced a couple of dozen and have rumours of others, however, unless I can prove with birth, marriage or death certificates that people are related to our family then they go under the rumour section - to be confirmed
Take a look at the side bar content for an example.
Alison Jane Piercey and I married on 3rd June 1989 and her own family is also being traced.
The Soulsby Name
English from Northumbria where I know my family originates. It is of uncertain origin but could be from one of two places called Soulby in the area. These are probably from the Old Norse sul 'post' and byr 'farm'. The two settlements are near Penrith and Kirkby Stephen but I have not yet managed to get a connection between my family and either of the two settlements. I have been told that the family name has Norse origins and am happy with this information.
The Piercey Name
Another interesting one as the family tell me it is an old local dialect term for a poacher however I cannot find this meaning on the internet. The family comes from the Reading area of Berkshire where the name derives from the Percy family. A second meaning is from the French 'percer' and was given to a soldier in Northern France who had pierced a fortification. The name came over to England with the Norman invasion of 1066.
Anecdote
My grandfather on my mothers side of the family, a Barlow fought at 'wipers' Ypres in the trenches during the First World War and my wifes grandfather, a Mumford also fought in the trenches so at some time I would like to discover whether they fought together.