Sunday 29 January 2017

The Mysterious Alexander Feaviour

The only confirmed photograph of my great-great grandfather.
My great-great grandfather, Alexander Edward Feaviour, was born on June 7, 1882 in Harleston, Norfolk. He was the youngest child of Robert Feaviour and Emma Whitney.

His daughter, Maizee, was my great grandmother. I knew Maizee well, as she died when I was twelve years old. I visited her many times with my grandmother. But I never asked her anything about family history at the time.

It was only years later when I was given a copy of her family history, researched by my great aunt and uncle, that I discovered her rich and interesting background.

Maizee never knew her father. He died only two weeks before she was born. He had problems with his heart, something that she would inherit and still pops up in the family today.

It seems that her father was never discussed while she was growing up. She knew so little that there were stories that he was french, to go along with the french sounding surname. But surely a simple chat with her mother would reveal that he was a native of Norfolk? The family has been traced back to the 1600s and have all been English so far.

My theory is that her step-father, by all accounts a cruel man, stopped any talk of him whatsoever.

When my great aunt and uncle decided to look into the family history, they discovered just how interesting the Feaviours were.