The Family Tree

St Mary's Church, Ely. © Andrew Martin.
St. Mary's Church, Ely. © Andrew Martin.

The Cross family of Cambridgeshire

My research into the Cross family has been by far one of my most puzzling and international. The reasons behind the puzzlement has been down to the sheer quantity of Cross name bearers in one place, Ely in Cambridgeshire.

My connection with the family comes via my maternal Great Great Grandmother, Mary Ann Cross, a shopkeeper. Her parents were George Cross and Vine Taylor of St. John's Place, Ely near St. Mary's Church. This part was particularly easy to trace but it soon became confusing after the late Pamela McClymont of Australia wrote to me (she was the founder of the Cross Name Family History Society) with hundreds of Cross ancestors suddenly appearing "overnight".

Her dedication to the surname and collecting worldwide instances of it provided me with a wealth of information, leaving me to use her research as the basis for mine. She compiled the "Who's Who : Cross Family (Volume One)" book containing information on all connected names and sent me a copy. Despite being over in Australia many thousands of miles away from the Cambridge Record Office (and me being no more than about 2 miles from it) she provided me with her research notes that she had extracted from this record office (via a third-party, no doubt). She led me back to my Gt. Gt. Gt. Gt. Gt. Gt. Gt. Grandfather John Cross and his wives; first Thomazin and secondly Elizabeth Scott. My ancestry is via the latter, Elizabeth.

My research has since crossed back over the territory that she once crossed as i weave the maternal branches back into the Cross family history. Meanwhile, my purchases of family history CD-ROMs and continuing research at Cambridge Record Office sees me expanding further on her work.

Further Information