Douglas Copeland and Jonathan visiting Rob Copeland, Doug's father's first cousin, in 1986.  Rob showed us the sites in Beckenham connected with the family.   

This was one of the first visits I made to research my family history.  Later trips and research information is written up in the News area of this site, or as individual pages.

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An illustration page from Tom and Agnes Stovell's family Bible.  
Over many years of research I have been fortunate in obtaining copies of old family documents and photographs and have included these throughout this site.  This one shows my grandmother and her brothers and sisters listed in the front of  their parents' family bible 

Jane Tonkin Banks, nee Banks - but with who ?  
My Great Great Grandmother JaneTonkin nee Banks married Joseph Banks, a distant cousin, in Plymouth in 1845.  He was a ship builder and sail maker. She had four daughters - Bessie, Annie, Emeline and Ellen - born between 1846 (Bessie) and 1856 (Ellen) and if this is a photo of Jane and those daughters then it would date from around 1874.  However recent collaborative research suggests that the photo is far earlier, not just because of the style of dress but also because of the seeming ages of the five sitters.  It is far more likely to be a photo of Jane Tonkin Banks, believed to be standing on the left of the picture and her four sisters -  Anne, Mary Louisa, Elizabeth (Lissa) and Louisa, all the daughters of Baker and Elizabeth Banks.  We are attempting to accurately date the picture, the original of which was now thought to be an ambrotype on glass, but possibly a daguerreotype, which in itself would suggest the 1850s.  More information will be posted when we have it.