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ON THE CONNECTION BETWEEN

THE SPURGEON AND JERMY FAMILIES

OF NORFOLK

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     This is an account of genealogical searches made by the author and his wife during 1981-83. A first draft written in 1984 was revised for a later version - completed in September 1989 - following discovery of additional information. This has now been placed here - on this Website.




P R E F A C E


      The following account records our gradual progress towards resolving a long-standing mystery concerning certain ancestors of my wife. It does so in the approximate order that various aspects of the search unfolded. Successive steps had to be guided by a number of emerging hypotheses which, in retrospect, may now appear rather naive. We were entering unknown territory and had to grope our way like innocents abroad. It was our first experience at genealogical research.

      The eventual solutions to the many ‘sub-plots’ encountered along the way could no doubt have been recorded more succinctly and with an aura of greater competence than the journal-like way chosen. In particular, much more is now understood about the true Jermy family (eg see their separate entry on this same Website). But it seemed that to record our efforts in terms of the more limited knowledge we had at the time better reflected the reality, the problems and ultimately the rewards of genealogy.

      The following analysis of this family mystery is divided into 4 major Parts - which are best read in sequence, at least initially. These are:

Part One - The Spurgeons - c1900-1700: Specific to General

Part Two - The Jermys - c1600-1800: General to Specific

Part Three - The Link Between the Spurgeons and Jermys

Part Four - On the Origin of These Jermys: Four Theories

Return to John Millman's Jermyn Homepage

Return to John Millman's Genealogy Homepage