The Fordham family
This page tells the story of my paternal line, the Fordham family. The family name itself is derived from one of three English villages of the same name, one in Cambridgeshire, one in Essex and one in Dorset. The village name comes from Anglo Saxon english meaning ford (the shallow point of a river where you can cross) and hamm meaning a pasture or meadow. I have traced my branch of the Fordhams to the village of Hadstock approximately 20 miles from the Cambridgeshire village of Fordham.
Family legend
One family legend (and almostly definitely unprovable) I received from my father
was that one of our Fordham ancestors was second in command to 11th
century Anglo Saxon resistance leader Hereward the Wake who fought
against the Normans after their conquest of England in 1066. However
unlikely I enjoy the fact that Hereward and his follows were the source
of many of the later stories of Robin Hood and his Merry Men - which
would make my ancestor the equivalent of Little John! The fact that
Hereward the Wake held his last stand in the marshlands of the Isle of
Ely, less than 10 miles from the Cambridgeshire village of Fordham makes
the story even more tantalising. True or not it makes for an excellent
story.
The family in Hadstock
While I have been unable to trace the Fordham family to the village of Fordham itself on the 31st August 1760 Mr John Fordham married Miss Jane Purkiss in the nearby village of Hadstock and started producing children. John and Jane were my 7 x great grandparents.
They had children including my 6 x great grandfather Samuel Fordham who married Hannah Barker.
They in turn had children including my 5 x great grandfather Stephen Fordham who married Ann Marsh.
And they had children including my 4 x great grandfathe William Fordham who married Martha Casbolt.
Leaving Hadstock
After several generations of Fordhams had lived in Hadstock my 3 x Great Grandfather Charles married Elizabeth Howell and moved from Hadstock to London where he worked on the docks and later for a London brewery. This started one of the London branch of the Fordham family.
His son Albert Sr., my 2 x Great Grandfather, left London and joined the Royal Navy where he became an Engine Stoker on coal powered ships and married Helena Miller.
His son, Albert Jr.,my Great Grandfather, followed his father's military leaning and served as a Royal Marine. He married Violet Potter. and moved to the Medway Towns in Kent starting a new branch of the Fordham family.
Biography Pages
Albert Edward Charles Fordham (1900 - 1981)
Albert Edward Fordham (1878 - 1950)
This page tells the story of my paternal line, the Fordham family. The family name itself is derived from one of three English villages of the same name, one in Cambridgeshire, one in Essex and one in Dorset. The village name comes from Anglo Saxon english meaning ford (the shallow point of a river where you can cross) and hamm meaning a pasture or meadow. I have traced my branch of the Fordhams to the village of Hadstock approximately 20 miles from the Cambridgeshire village of Fordham.
Family legend
One family legend (and almostly definitely unprovable) I received from my father
was that one of our Fordham ancestors was second in command to 11th
century Anglo Saxon resistance leader Hereward the Wake who fought
against the Normans after their conquest of England in 1066. However
unlikely I enjoy the fact that Hereward and his follows were the source
of many of the later stories of Robin Hood and his Merry Men - which
would make my ancestor the equivalent of Little John! The fact that
Hereward the Wake held his last stand in the marshlands of the Isle of
Ely, less than 10 miles from the Cambridgeshire village of Fordham makes
the story even more tantalising. True or not it makes for an excellent
story.The family in Hadstock
While I have been unable to trace the Fordham family to the village of Fordham itself on the 31st August 1760 Mr John Fordham married Miss Jane Purkiss in the nearby village of Hadstock and started producing children. John and Jane were my 7 x great grandparents.
They had children including my 6 x great grandfather Samuel Fordham who married Hannah Barker.
They in turn had children including my 5 x great grandfather Stephen Fordham who married Ann Marsh.
And they had children including my 4 x great grandfathe William Fordham who married Martha Casbolt.
Leaving Hadstock
After several generations of Fordhams had lived in Hadstock my 3 x Great Grandfather Charles married Elizabeth Howell and moved from Hadstock to London where he worked on the docks and later for a London brewery. This started one of the London branch of the Fordham family.
His son Albert Sr., my 2 x Great Grandfather, left London and joined the Royal Navy where he became an Engine Stoker on coal powered ships and married Helena Miller.
His son, Albert Jr.,my Great Grandfather, followed his father's military leaning and served as a Royal Marine. He married Violet Potter. and moved to the Medway Towns in Kent starting a new branch of the Fordham family.
Biography Pages
Albert Edward Charles Fordham (1900 - 1981)
Albert Edward Fordham (1878 - 1950)
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