Where oh Where Has my Invitation Gone??

Where can it be? Prince William and Kate Middleton are getting married tomorrow in London England. And I'll be gob-smacked - my invite has not arrived!

But my family tree clearly indicates that I, Brian Massey, am the 28th cousin, 4 times removed, of Wills. So what's up with not inviting me and my spouse to the wedding of the century!! I'd give him the benefit of the doubt and say maybe it was a space issue but I just found out that the Palace revoked the invitation previously sent to the Syrian ambassador.  So... that means there's a couple of empty spots at supper!

Here's the direct royal line down to Elizabeth from William I. It's a bit confusing but here's how it works - King Henry II's mother Matilda, was the sister of my direct ancestor David, 1st King of Scotland. That's right - I've got royal blood. My family always told me I was special...

At least, I've got royal blood if the online family trees can be trusted... but if they're online, they can't be wrong can they?

The line from my 26th great-grandparent David King of Scotland, comes down several generations to Bryan Stapleton who died in 1394. My Stapleton family carried on in the male line and ended up leaving England in the early 1800s for Canada.

So there we have it. If the online royalty trees are correct, I'm Will's cousin. And I really don't get why he didn't have all this figured out. I mean the guy can afford to hire a genealogist for cripe's sake! Or if he hasn't got the money what with marrying Kate, all he has to do is ask Grandma to pony up some Euros.

My wife says I should take him off the Christmas Card list.

Disclaimer: My tongue was tucked so far into my cheek it went numb. I won't be able to lick the stamp for Will's Christmas or Birthday card at this rate!

Bedlam Bodies Found

Opened in 1247, London’s St Bethlehem Hospital was the world’s first institution dedicated to mental illness. An abbreviation of its name produced the modern word “bedlam”.

Archaeologists have now discovered as many as 1,000 bodies at the hospital’s former burial site near London’s Liverpool Street station, as part of the capital’s Crossrail development. While some of the remains will ultimately go on display in the Museum of London, Government regulations demand the bodies are ultimately reburied locally – though indecision still surrounds the exact location.

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'Pay $10,000 to keep old family graves'

As someone who appreciates the importance of preserving cemeteries I could not believe this next story. It  seems this area in England wants to dig up the older graves so they can sell them again. Relatives could be asked to pay between £1,000 and £5,000 (that's approximately $2,000 to $10,000) to keep a plot that's more than 75 years old. Remains that were removed could be placed in an unmarked common grave.

Massacre at the hillfort

Archaeologists at the site in Derbyshire found four babies, a two-year-old, a teenage boy and three adults.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1378190/Iron-Age-mass-grave-reveals-slaughter-women-children-challenges-theory-pre-Roman-peaceful-life.html#ixzz1JuZ7mb1H

Bones of Leper Warrior Found in Medieval Cemetery

The bones of a soldier with leprosy who may have died in battle have been found in a medieval Italian cemetery, along with skeletons of men who survived blows to the head with battle-axes and maces.

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Cemetery Love

OK so its not the kind of thing I normally blog about but this story is making the rounds and I just thought it was cute. And it is taking place in a cemetery so its sort of on topic.

A deer has been standing watch for several days over a female goose nesting in a Buffalo city cemetery. For at least four days, the buck has stood guard near the nest of a Canada goose as she sits on her eggs inside a large urn at Forest Lawn cemetery, home to the remains of rock icon Rick James and President Millard Fillmore.

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Free Access to Civil War Records on Ancestry!

Ancestry is giving away free access to their Civil War Records.Civil War Records

Death Registration Years in Canada

Registration of Deaths in Canada is the responsibility of each province or territory. Even after Civil Registration of Vital Statistics began, many people did not comply with the law as they were suspicious as to why the Government wanted this information.

Genealogists will find that the information provided on a death registration varied over time. For example in Ontario, parents' names of the deceased individual were not required before the early 1900s.

Following is a list of provinces and territories of Canada and the official year of the start of mandatory Death Registrations:

Alberta 1870
British Columbia 1872
Manitoba 1882
New Brunswick 1888
Newfoundland & Labrador 1892
Northwest Territories 1925
Nova Scotia 1864
Nunavut before 1999 see NorthWest Territories
Ontario 1869
Prince Edward Island 1906
Quebec registered in church from the early 17th century
Saskatchewan 1905
Yukon 1898

For other death records see http://ancestorsatrest.com