30 Dec 2023

Happy 2024 to all Swinfields

 A very Happy New Year for 2024 to all Swinfields wherever you may be! 

As we end 2023, we think back on what has happened in this past year. Of course, we had to say goodbye to members of our families. I am aware of three Swinfields who all passed away in September. One was Jeanette (nee Morgan) born in 1937, the widow of Derek Swinfield (1935-2021) of Family 3. The other two were William “Bill” Swinfield, born 1946, and Reginald “Reg” Swinfield, my own father, born in early 1925, both of Family 5. 

I wrote about my Dad’s life and career in a Blog of January 2015. Since 2008 he has lived in a care home and has three great-grandchildren, Lexia, Reggie and Vinnie. When he died, he was the oldest Swinfield in the World, then being 98. That mantle, as far as I’m aware, has now passed to Arthur Henry Swinfield of Family 3, who was born in July 1928. If anyone can advise me otherwise, I would love to know. If you would like to add a Blog of the life of any of your recent ancestors, please send me the basic information and I will put in together for you.

Of course, these losses will have been replaced by new members of our family through the babies born during 2023. If there have been any that you know of, again I am always delighted to hear about them. Again, tell me please.

During the second half of this year, I have been revisiting the four main Swinfield pedigrees that I have compiled over the past five decades since I started researching the family’s history in 1972. I have been adding the information about our ancestors and relatives that can be found in the decennial census returns of England and Wales for 1841 to 1921 and in the 1939 Register. This includes addresses where they lived, occupations, relationships, ages, and places of birth. 

1911 census of 40 Parry Street, Leicester, for John Anthony Swinfield (1878-1964) and his family

For 1921, it even tells us who they worked for: 

1921 census of 40 Parry Street, Leicester, for John Anthony Swinfield (1878-1964) and his family


1939 Register for 8 Uppingham Road, Leicester, for John Anthony Swinfield (1878-1964)
and his wife Amelia (Penn) (1878-1953)

Unfortunately, the equivalent censuses for Australia do not exist.

This information for your part of the family can now be seen on the Swinfield family trees on the Ancestry website through these links:

Swinfield Family 1 & 4A   

Swinfield Family 5 & 2

Swinfield Family 3 & 4      

Swinfield Family 12

Once you are on the relevant family tree, "Tree search" for or "find" the deceased person whose information you seek.

Also, there have been suggestions that it’s time for another Swinfield Gathering to take place in England this year. The last one was held at Barwell, Leicestershire, in September 2015. Is it now time to meet again, nine years later? What do you think? Would you like to come along? Let me know your thoughts.    

E-mail: geoffswinfield@gmail.com