Page 267 - Just another English family (Sep 2019)

common ancestors) as is Michael Leslie H. and again as is Derek. The permutations seem endless, but a hierarchy of closeness emerges. However, only by addressing the issue directly – i.e. by interview or survey – can one appreciate whether these various sub-groupings are in contact with each other.
The origins of this grouping are by now well known. Thomas and Elizabeth (née Mitchell) are not around by the time of the 1861 census, but they are the parents of Hannah (1825-?), William (1826-1866) and Samuel (1831-?) who are pivotal figures.
The great grandparents of Derek (b.1933) are James (1844-?) and Eliza (Nettleton) (1845-?). James’s mother was Hannah Soothill (christened in Halifax in 1825). Hannah was the eldest child of Thomas and Elizabeth (née Mitchell). I believe that James was the illegitimate son of Hannah, but a William Soothill (probably her younger brother) is shown on the marriage certificate when James married Eliza in Bradford in 1867. James and Eliza had seven children of whom Colonel (1872-?) is the grandfather of Derek. There is no evidence that Derek has either married or had issue.
William marrying Mary (née Dean) gave rise to those who regard themselves as coming with their origins from Wakefield and Samuel marrying Harriet (née Green), in turn, gave rise to those who regard themselves as coming with their origins from Dewsbury.
William and Mary (née Dean) are shown in the 1861 census as heading a household containing their four children, but only Arthur (1858-1939) has direct links with any contemporary Soothills. Arthur who married Esther in Wakefield in 1881also had four children, but only two – William (1882-1917) and Percy (1887-1957) have direct descendants who continue to call themselves ‘Soothill’. William who married Mary Elizabeth (née Hirst) in Wakefield in 1907 is the grandfather of Michael Leslie H. (b.1945). Michael who married June (née Taylor) in
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