Hello Shane, 

Please do add my interest in an upcoming Oliver reunion day, it would be great to hear stories about the Oliver family. i have scanned through a few of the topics discussed on this website and there are some very intriguing stories floating around, especially with regards to my turkey stealing great great great grandfather :)

I have been trying to find a link between Solomon and the likes of Josiah (1675) and have been somewhat unsuccessful but will endeavour to keep trying. It would be good to know that we can track our family back over 400 years!

Anne, did I read somewhere that you now reside in Essex? We live on the Hertfordshire/Essex border and my father, Robert b.1949, has expressed interest in meeting some cousins possibly before the Oliver Family History Day. If you'd like to arrange something, it would be good to hear back from you.

Dominic

ps. I found a picture of my grandfather, Seymour b.1913, when visiting his old house in Stonesfield, not sure if you have it already but thought I'd send it in just in case you didn't 

Hi Anne and Dominic,

I've previously mentioned the sporting prowess within your branch and the long and rich history of involvement in sport in Combe.

If you've not seen the below pages before I think they might be of interested:

Old Combe Cricket Team Photographs

https://www.flickr.com/photos/46391556@N05/albums/72157623080678527

Old Combe Football Team Photographs

https://www.flickr.com/photos/46391556@N05/albums/72157623080463023

Picking out those of particular interest, I'm pretty sure I am correct in identifying the following (but let me know if you think I might be wrong on any!):

William, 1929:

Allan, 1929:

William 1934/35:

Seymour 1934/35:

Seymour and Herbie, 1948:

Herbie, circa 1960s:

Michael (son of Allan), circa 1960's:

Hope you enjoy those!

Shane

Hi Anne,

Nice to hear from you again, and really nice to see those new photographs, thank you for sharing them, you can certainly still see it's William can't you.

It's very nice to be able to add your fathers picture to the tree diagram also, completing images for the full group of cousins, thank you for sharing your wedding photograph, a lovely picture and he looks like a very proud Father.

I'm not sure if your already aware but I learned late last year that your Fathers half-siblings had both passed away within the preceding year, Herbie in November 2014 and Isabel in June 2015:

http://oliverfamilyhistory.activeboard.com/t61681583/herbert-herbie-oliver-passed-6112014/

http://oliverfamilyhistory.activeboard.com/t61681561/isabel-hannah-mary-rawlings-nee-oliver-passed-22062015/

Again, I'm not sure if you're aware, Herbie did not marry but Isabel does have a daughter, interestingly, also called Anne! I have never had any contact with Anne myself.

OK, thanks again for sharing those images.

Shane

Hi Dominic,

Great to read your posts, firstly thanks for taking the time to join here and thank you for the additional information and photographs that we can add to the tree diagram, I have added your Father and your Uncle per the below.

Interestingly I did have a telephone conversation with your Uncle just a year or so after I first started looking into the Oliver Family History, it must have been late 2009 or early 2010 and in hindsight I think it might have been a little too close to the death of his Father, your Grandfather Seymour, as I recall Anthony was very kind but very preoccupied with others things and too preoccupied really at the time to discuss family history in any great detail, so it's really nice to make this connection now.

Your branch of the tree certainly is not one that has been overlooked through the years, your fathers cousins Michael and Ann have attended each of the Oliver Family History days, the rich sporting history from within the family has also been enjoyed regularly, the discovery that many buildings in Coombe (if not all it seems!) have at one point in time been worked on by the Oliver Builders and then various snippets from local newspapers just to name a few, including:

Witney Gazette, 8 December 1933, listing the winning entrants in the Witney & District Music Festival : 'Among entrants who had been studying the violin for more than 2 years, an S.A. Oliver was judged 'first class'.

Perhaps you have seen this picture (also included in the website Gallery area), a very nice one showing your Grandfather and his siblings:

You asked whether there is further information stretching back beyond William Edgar, I would certainly recommend taking a look at the following page of the website:

http://www.oliverfamilyhistory.co.uk/v4/stories/albert-oliver-stonesfield-family-photograph.htm

Here you will see an amazing photograph of your Great Grandfather William and his siblings, plus, your Great Great Grandfather Albert and Great Great Grandmother Hannah!

I think Albert was one of the most respected of men in Stonesfield in the late 1800's/early 1900's as he held the role of Trustee of the Stonesfield Friendly Society for many years, this following item on the website provides a little background to this and shows Albert's own signature:

http://www.oliverfamilyhistory.co.uk/v4/stories/albert-oliver-stonesfield-friendly-society.htm

Albert and his family and the lines that descend have been a very interesting area to have discovered with many descendants having attended the Oliver History Days or having offered up stories and photographs.

Albert also had a sister Prudence Oliver, and her family line has been a topic of recent discussion here on the message board, perhaps your Father will be familiar with the Griffin Builders from Stonesfield?

http://oliverfamilyhistory.activeboard.com/t59809142/prudence-oliver-ellis-griffin-protestant-house-and-more-and-/

So, then to move back another generation we reach Solomon Oliver, your Great Great Great Grandfather, born 1802.

The life of Solomon Oliver includes possibly one of the most fascinating discoveries of all, an episode that incorporates a story of love and lost love, crime and punishment, heartache through family loss, and then what I think is ultimately a happy ending, but also I really believe the episode had a complete and profound effect of the integrity, industriousness and entrepreneurialism of Solomon's children and the lives of the families that then descend.

Here are a couple of snippets from the various records to give you a flavour of how the story begins:

I am planning (and have been for a while unfortunately!) to put the whole story into an item for the website - I'm herewith giving myself another prod!

I have updated the tree diagram to also include Albert and Solomon.

Well, I hope that adds a little more to the picture for now and hope we can share more in the future and I definitely hope you would be able to come along to a future Oliver Family History Day, that would be brilliant.

Well, thanks once again for now,

Shane

Hello Shane and Anne,

I have just discovered this website and I must say that it has interested me greatly. I saw this thread and had to have a look.

William Edgar Oliver was my great grandfather!

Seymour Albert Johnston Oliver was my grandfather.

He had 2 sons with Nora Palmer, Robert Seymour (b.March 1949 - my father) and Anthony James (b.April 1955)

My dad got married and had a son, James Wesley Seymour (b.Oct 1977) before divorcing and re-marrying my mum Linda Jacqueline (Jacqui) in 1985

I have an older sister, Bethany Victoria Jane (b.Feb 1986) and myself, Dominic Robert Johnston (b.Jan 1987)

I have attached a photograph taken on my 18th birthday, (left to right) Robert, James, Anthony and Myself (Dominic).... please excuse the quality of the photo, it is the only one I have that has all of the Oliver Boys in it, sorry

I hope this makes sense and you can add this leg of the family to the tree.

look forward to hearing from you soon.

Dominic Oliver

Hi Again Anne,

Here is one of the sporting photo's that I mentioned previously, circa 1935'ish.

Back Row include Allan (third from left) and Seymour (fifth from left), front row includes Herbert (far left, your Dads half brother it would appear) and William (far right, your Grandfather of course).

Not sure if you will have seen this before?

Thanks!
Shane