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From: "Suzie Morley" <>
Subject: RE: [HWE] TOUCHARD, TOUCHER, etc.
Date: Sun, 3 Nov 2002 09:42:03 -0000
In-Reply-To: <01cf01c281f3$6baf93e0$5661aecc@Vogel.island.net>


Dear Listers, Having poked my head up above the parapet, I thought you might
like to hear my story - briefly....

I have always promised myself that when I got older (!) and had more time I
would start to research my Maternal Grandfather. Obviously my husband
thought that time had arrived because he bought me some Family Tree software
for Christmas. Family legend had it that my Grandad was born Alfred
TOUCHARD, but changed his name to Alfred JOHNSON when he went into the Army
in 1905. The story being that other people took the mickey out of his name
and called him Poop-hard. Both my Mum and her brother had middle names of
Touchard, but Mums brother died when he was 8 and therefore Mum was the last
Touchard. Earlier this year I persuaded my Mum to 'lend' me all her papers.
I found I had a 'full set' of his Birth, Baptism, Marriage & Death
Certificates. Also some of his Army papers. He was TOUCHARD in his Birth &
Baptism, but JOHNSON in his Army, Marriage and Death Certificates. Why?

Being a Computer Consultant, I started trawling the net, and then finally I
came across an email in the archives from Tessa asking if anyone had any
details of a TOUCHARD who came from Bethnel Green. Exactly the place where
my Grandad was born. Tessa's email was dated about 2 years earlier, so I
thought that there was no chance of getting a reply, but I emailed her
anyway with details of my Grandad, and thought that that was the last I
would hear of it. The next morning there was a reply from Tessa, which
started with the words 'Welcome Cousin'. Tessa's Grandad and mine were
brothers. Tessa was also in contact with decendents from my Grandad's
other brothers - so now I have a whole load of new relatives, who between
them have researched the TOUCHARD line back to about 1708. And the reason
my Grandad changed his name? In the early 1900's his father left them for
another woman. The older brothers who had already left home retained the
TOUCHARD name, but the younger brothers who still lived at home with Mum,
changed thier surnames to her Maiden Name, which was JOHNSON.

I have lots of questions which I will post in seperate emails over the next
few weeks, but I thought I would just like to share with you the elation I
felt when I got Tessa's 'Welcome Cousin' email. Even being relatively new
to Genealogy, it is still possible for those seemingly Impenetrable brick
walls to come crashing down. TTFN

Suzie Morley
Looking for:
GEE/JEE, HOLLAND, KIRKMAN, MORLEY, SPICE In Lincolnshire
ALLISON, BRADLEY in London
TOUCHARD, TUSHAW, TOUCHER, URAND anywhere

-----Original Message-----
From: Andrea Vogel [mailto:]
Sent: 01 November 2002 22:10
To:
Subject: [HWE] TOUCHARD, TOUCHER, etc.

Hi --

This is a response to Suzie <> who happened to mention
her interest in TOUCHARD & TOUCHER earlier today (1 Nov).

This thread: