Genealogy Chat

I find this all very intresting as (according to my late nans reseach. now lost) I am rellated to Nelson via his youngest sister. So that makes him my GGGGGGG Uncle (give or take a grate) My own reseach now has the family line with in 5 miles of where she and Nelson where bourn and only 2/3 genarations away.

I took an interest in Nelson since visiting the site of the battle of Trafalgar in the Costa de la Luz last summer. I thought you might be interested in this piece of recent history about Nelson's Trunk:- A lost hoard of Lady Frances Nelson's piteous letters about her errant husband found in a trunk in Germany two years ago are finally revealing their secrets. And it is Lady Hamilton, who stole the naval hero's heart, who plays the role of villain. Unlike Emma Hamilton she never whipped off her knickers to dance on dining tables - but Lord Nelson's wife, Frances, was not the cold and frigid wife that history has painted her either. Beautiful, scheming, entrancing Emma made sure that the plainer Frances was elbowed out for the rest of Nelson's life. A year after Nelson's death at Trafalgar in 1805 James Harrison's biography of the admiral - (which Emma oversaw) -said this about his marriage: "At the obvious coldness of her ladyship the warmth of [Nelson's] affectionate heart felt a petrifying chill through the inmost recesses of his soul." Thus the idea that Nelson was married to a harridan became gospel. But Colin White, Nelson scholar and director of Trafalgar 200, the festival to mark the battle's bicentenary, argued yesterday Frances had been wronged. Having examined the letters, he is convinced Lady Nelson was always "very warm and loving". The letters reveal her to be "bewildered and hurt" by her husband, who had lost his heart to Lady Hamilton, even though she was married to the British ambassador to Naples. The letters show Frances went to great lengths to win Nelson back. Mr White insists the couple were very happy until Lady Hamilton arrived in 1799. "Contrary to what has often been said of her, Lady Nelson was very pretty and charming - although one of the portraits of her does make her look like a horse." Kathy

As part of the Bicentinary of the battle of Trafalger they plan to publish the name of every sailor who took part in it. So if you think you have some one in your tree who was there it should be out in March.???