This database contains over 4000 individuals and many have interesting stories to tell. Here are some of the highlights:

  • Barber alias Nynne Introduction provides an overview of the research, findings and origins of this particular line, with some detailed discussion on the origins of the Nynne surname.
  • John Nynne alias Barber is the earliest recorded Barber in our family tree. He is first documented in 1530 when a house and land are transferred to John and Joan Nynde (a variant of Nynne) in Rotherfield, Sussex. John became a churchwarden there in 1531 and it was noted on his burial in 1548 that he was the church's sextant.
  • Descendants Chart for John Nynne alias Barber
  • Thomas Barber of Tonbridge, Kent moved from Rotherfield, Sussex to Tonbridge around 1670 and the Barbers then lived there for the next 170 years. Thomas was the first and he died at the age of 43 years leaving a will which provided the link proving the Rotherfield connection, as it mentions the "Drapers" property.
  • History of the "Drapers" property held by the Barber family for about 200 years from before 1597 to 1787. The 1597 survey map of the Manor of Rotherfield shows the property as owned by "Georg Barbar". This map, and a current Google map of the property, can be seen in the Maps section on the main menu.
  • William and Maria Marchant had a large family in Brighton, Sussex in the late 1800's. Many of their descendants are now researching their families and I have endeavoured to incorporate all the descendant information provided to me (except for living descendants) as a resource for all Marchant reseachers, so if you have anything to add, or note any errors, I would be pleased to hear from you.
  • Descendants Chart for the Marchants of Brighton The Marchants go back to the early days of Brighton, before it became popular as a bathing resort for the middle and upper classes. There is even a connection to Martha Gunn, the most famous of Brighton's bathing women (also known as "dippers"), who was born in the seaside village of Brighthelmstone (Brighton) in 1726. Martha came from an old fishing family (like the Marchants), but when sea-bathing became popular in the 1740s, she found employment as a "dipper" on Brighton's seafront. "To Brighton came he, Came George III's son, To be bathed in the sea, By famed Martha Gunn." (Old English rhyme) - see if you can find Martha (hint: check the GUNN family under the Charts menu, maiden name Killick) and see the Links page for more information on her.
  • Frederick Charles Griffiths died of wounds in World War 1. My grandmother was his sister and she told me how she had the task of telling his fiance as her mother could not do it. After the war the Salvation Army took his mother to France to see his grave. The War Diary of the Royal Sussex Regiment on the day of his death is very descriptive, and talks of a 5am attack during a blizzard ..........
  • George Edward Meek wrote a book called "George Meek, Bath Chairman by Himself" for which the famous author H.G. Wells wrote the preface and generally mentored George, helping him get it published in 1910. George is my 1st cousin 3 times removed, and his book contains wonderful descriptions of his early life with his grandparents (my 3rd x great grandparents). A rare find indeed! Find his grandfather, Benjamin Humphries, to read extracts from the book!
  • Descendants Chart for Benjamin Humphries (includes the Meeks)
  • John Thorpe of Hedgcourt in Surrey was an ironmaster who married the heiress Alice Bowett c1560. Her ancestry can be traced back to Richard, brother of Henry Bowett, Archbishop of York who died in 1423. This is the most wealthy family on the Barber family tree, and the wills left by John, and his children Thomas, Mercy and Giles make very interesting reading, with many bequests left to servants.
  • Elizabeth Barber had an illegitimate child, Alfred, in 1850 while working as a servant for Saul and Sarah Yates. Their son Alfred Yates is the likely father but he died in 1851. Elizabeth emmigrated to New Zealand in 1857 with Saul and Sarah Yates, meeting her future husband on the ship. They married three days after arrival and had a family, but sadly the child Alfred was left behind in England to be raised by his Barber grandparents, never to see his mother again.
  • Descendants Chart for Elizabeth Barber
  • Jane Barber died in 1848 at the age of 24 years but not before she had three children with her husband James Goldsmith. James remarried and emmigrated with his new wife Ann and the children to Victoria, Australia in 1853. They soon moved to the Ballarat goldfields where they became embroiled in the Eureka Rebellion on 3 December 1854. The children created a dynasty of Goldsmiths in Ballarat and many descendants survive today.
  • Descendants Chart for Jane Barber
  • Benjamin Jeffery migrated to New Zealand in 1872 and wrote six letters which still survive, the first of which is written on a sailing ship off Beachy Head in the English Channel. Read about Ben's life in New Zealand and see the transcribed letters. Unfortunately he never married so there are no NZ descendants.
  • Edward Wayte/Waite The Waite/Wayte families in the village of Leigh, Kent (near Tonbridge) are all related, and an Elizabeth Waite from Leigh married into the Barber family in 1749. In my research I have endeavoured to connect all the Waite's of Leigh, starting with Edward Wayte born c1615. Some interesting wills are included. I hope this will be a useful resource for other researchers.
  • Descendants Chart for Edward Wayte
  • Nathaniel Gladman of Ringmer in East Sussex had many descendants which were researched by Rosemary Hales, Bert Parsons, and various other researchers (including myself) in the early 1990s. Rosemary and Bert published a family tree which brought together all the known descendants of Nathaniel Gladman, the earliest Gladman in these East Sussex families. Using their tree, I have attempted to verify and add to their research in order to make it available to others and preserve the large amount of work that was done. The descendants chart for Nathaniel Gladman is presented below, with acknowledgement to everyone who assisted with this work in the 1990s (all of whom were descendants of Nathaniel).
  • Descendants Chart for Nathaniel Gladman
  • William Morris and Eleanor Funnell married in 1846 and had thirteen children. Three of the daughters, Mary, Ruth and Fanny married three brothers Gilbert West, Henry Albert West and Trayton West - quite a rare event!
  • Descendants Chart for the Morris family