I have just read an article by Gillian Rickard in the March issue of the Kent Family History Society Journal in which she makes some interesting statements

"According to study carried out on DNA and the Y chromosome which only men have, Genetic Scientists have been able to show that almost all European men are descended from one of only ten male ancestors. A genetic study of 1007 men across Europe and the Middle East found that 95% could be traced to one of ten family trees or tribes which came into Europe from Siberia, Asia and the Middle East between 6,000 and 40,000 years ago.

Last year Scientist also deduced from a study of 6,000 European women that 99% of Europeans are descended from just seven women who arrived in Europe from Africa at various time during the past 45,000 years."

This information supports that we are all related!

Chris Relf, #29

I found the last issue of The Wolfpack most enjoyable and would like to thank those who produce it. Sadly I always miss the RELF reunion and AGM as it coincides with the Friends of Kent Churches' annual bike ride which I organise locally and in-deed participate in, it being an excellent opportunity to see inside some of our lovely old churches. However one day I will delegate and come to the reunion.

I have two snippets which may be of interest to our members:

One from an autobiography of one G.G. Coulton b. 1858 from Kings Lynn. He remarks on one page "Moreover, we had one other, ROLFE, who deserves interna-tional fame, for his frank autobiography is a precious human document which I am able to verify in every important particular."

This ROLFE was the self-styled 'King of the Poachers' and his book 'I Walked by Night' was edited by Miss Haggard (daughter of Rider Haggard). I have this book so flipped through it and found this interesting comment by ROLFE (who, inciden-tally, remained anonymous throughout) "Then there was a lot of charms the farmer used to believe in for animals. When cows calved, the afterbirth had to be hung on a white thorn bush as it was said to prevent milk fever and other ills. Do not think we used to hear so much of that kind of thing as at the present day. No doubt the feeding of cows on artifichell (sic) food is responsible for some of it, as I believe most of the trubble (sic) is over flush of milk that force the blood to the cow's brain, as I have seen them die nearly mad"

Second, I found in the Red Lion Pub in Charton Green, Dover, on a hanging board giving the past history of the land which originally was a farm - maybe the pub itself was the farmhouse.

In 1726 the farm was sold by Clement Hubbard to Francis RALPH, yeoman, for £240 of legal English and Irish money!

In 1731, following the death of Rachel, his wife, (don't know what happened to Francis), the farm passed to the eldest of the seven children, James.

In 1789 James died and his wife, Sarah, took over. She died shortly after and the farm passed to their two daughters, Ruth and Susan. In 1804 Ruth died and Susan sold out - so ended the RALPH connection.

Margaret Robson, Member #17.

Keith,

I am trying to untangle a mystery concerning Josiah Relfe who died in 1808 in Pasq. Co. NC.

The Casey/Rowe Bible records say Sarah Casse the daughter of Willis and Mary Casse were parents of this particular Sarah and that she married Josiah Relfe and both died in 1808.

My research on the Casey family has traced a Mary Chancy the daughter of a Sarah And Edmund Chancy to Willis Casse the father of Sarah Casse Chancy.

Now the daughter of Sarah & Edmund ,Mary(Polly) Chancy married my Dempsey Casey . Willis Casse mentioned her in his 1824 Will as Mary Casey, which at that time she was married to Dempsey Casey.

The time frame when Edmund Chancy died was plenty of time to have Sarah Casse Chancy married again to Josiah Relfe. I lack documentation to proove this is the same Sarah Casse.

Do you have anything on this particular Josiah Relfe? Who raised his children by Sarah after they died? Sarah's two children by Edmund Chancy(if this is the same Sarah) would have been 8 and 6 in 1808 when the Relfe couple died. There were two children born to that union, Elizabeth & William.

Since I could not come up with a lead through my Casey researchers, I am trying out the Relfe Researchers as I come across one.

Thank you for any help you may be able to offer.

Alicia Jones alicia@brightok.net

Keith,

I am trying to research my family history and in 1862 at Clapham, Surrey a Esther H0~7ARD married a Richard Alfred RELF. The couple had two children Hannah born 1865 and Robert born 1868.

Richard RELF was born 1832 at Brechley, Kent and died in 1871 in Ashford, Kent.

I received a letter from a Mrs R Windiate-Blackmore KFHS ~ember 0379, IRS Member 006 on 11 October 1999 who ta~d me about the International RELF Society and I wondered ifyou could publish the above in the Wolf~ack newsletter. I am today writing to your Secretary for an application form. I am a member of the Kent Family History Society.

Yours sincerely, (Sorry, name misplaced. - Ed.)
10 Nursery Avenue Farndon NEWARK Notts NG24 3SY

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