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Dant
I have been involved with Family History for more than
forty years. I began my research with the Dant family
and have more
information about this line than any of the others. The surname has
varied little over the centuries and the earliest recorded incidence I
have found is from a will written in 1505 by a “William Dant of Great
Lynton in the County of Cambridgeshire”.
My direct ancestors appear to have
originated in East Anglia in the 17th century. From 1860 until 1928 my
father’s family operated a ferry across the River Cam in Cambridge. His
great Grandfather skippered a steam tug towing freight barges along the
Cam and the Ouse. The previous five generations were all watermen, based
in St Ives Cambs, transporting goods from King’s Lynn at a time when
roads were almost non existent. This part of
my research was helped by the excellent parish records
preserved by All Saint’s Church in St Ives.
At some point in the
17th century an enterprising Dant sailed for America. It is possible,
though I have been unable to prove it, that a Thomas Dante, baptised in
Peterborough in
1643 is the same Thomas recorded in the Maryland land records in 1680.
He travelled as an indentured servant in 1669, had completed his period
of service by 1674 and then bought 50 acres of land. Apart from his
name, another significant clue is “Peterborough”, his choice of title
for his plantation.
In France there is also a Jean Dant
recorded in 1662 in the village of Germondans. He may have been a
Catholic refugee from England but his origins remain a mystery despite
years of extensive research by his ancestor, Evelyne Duvoisin-Dant.
Over the years I have been delighted to
find many distant relatives in Canada and the USA as well as previously
unknown cousins in the UK. They have all generously provided
information, about their lines,
which has helped to widen this tree and I am grateful for their
assistance.
To view Dant records click on the
heading at top of the page on the left.
Ainsworth
I have also researched my husband's
family and he too has connections in Canada. I have had particular
difficulties tracing his ancestry due to the fact that many of his
family migrated into the London area during the late 18th Century and
there is no record of their origins. Fortunately several other family
history researchers have allowed me to incorporate data from their
records thus widening the scope.
Harold Howells from Formby and Betty
Steggalls from Harrow have been supplying a wealth of information about
the Hope family since 1996.
The Ainsworth line was complicated
by the frequent variation in spelling and it wasn't until Rob Cottrell
offered me access to his files, which resulted from extensive research
into church records, that progress became possible.
In 1998 I made contact with Clare
Westbury living in Calgary, Canada who was also searching for the
Watkins family of Hayes. We discovered that my husband and Clare were
related not only through the Watkins line but also through the vast Peek
family in Isleworth. Much of the information included in the
Ainsworth records on this web site results from our co-operation
My files
contain a wealth of assorted material, wills, certificates, obituaries
etc which are not included in this website but which I am happy to share
with any interested family members.
To view Ainsworth Records click on the
heading at the top of the page on the left.
Records collated using Calico Pie software and Trees generated with GedHtree
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