About the

Site Author

A number of correspondents have asked who I am. My name is Stephen Pearson, and I have been interested in genealogy since the age of 12 - a period at the time of writing of 27 years. My early interest in family history was fired by stories told by my father who related that his grandfathers family owned a number of Brickworks near to where we lived, and often pointed some of these out as we drove by. Additionally he told me that his grandfather, Edgar 'Percy' Pearson, was the first person to drive a motor car into the nearby town of Stourbridge, Worcestershire. At this time my great grandmother, Ethel, nee Rowley, was still living and still possessed photographs of her husband Percy, who died in 1910, driving these cars.

What of my Shakespeare connection?

Well, I soon discovered that Ethel, who up until this time I had thought of as my grandmother (she lived with my grandfather) was actually my great grandmother. My grandmother turned out to be Marion Lucy Shakespeare, born in Dudley in 1912. I never knew her, although she did not die until I was about 6 years of age, because she and my grandfather had separated (divorce was virtually impossible in those days). She was never spoken about by my father and his sisters [in fact my father may never speak to me again if he reads this - only joking!: he still refuses to speak about his mother but takes great interest in the Shakespeare family history!]

As it turned out my Shakespeare ancestry was my first real genealogical success - having tracked down two of my grandmothers surviving sisters, and one of my fathers cousins (it turned out that I was actually at school with two of her daughters!) the rest of the research was easy due to the unusual names used by my Shakespeare ancestors and very soon I had the lineage back to about 1580. Here I came to a standstill until very recently when I found a marriage in 1581, in a nearby parish, of a couple who are almost certainly my ancestors. One of this couple was a Thomas Shakespeare who would, presumably, have been born about 1560 - probably in Warwickshire. You can read further details about this on the site in the section dealing with the 'Black Country Shakespeares.'

One of my daughters, Emma, is now taking an interest in genealogy, and often accompanies me on research trips. She often helps with typing for the website, together with her sister Kimberley - it is their names you will occasionally see at the foot of pages they have helped compile.

I still live in Dudley, home of my Shakespeare ancestors for over 400 years. Virtually all of my other ancestors also came from this area, and I have very few research interests outside of the locality, which must be very unusual for any family.

Should anyone wish to contact me my e-mail address is easily available by clicking the 'Contact' button on any of the pages on the site. Alternatively, particularly for those wishing to send photocopies etc. of information for the site I have a Post Office Box Number:

PO Box 2483

Dudley

West Midlands

DY2 OYH

(England)

My telephone number is easily obtainable by sending me an e-mail, or writing (sorry, I do not wish to publicise this on the internet) - if you do telephone I can also pass on my home address. Please feel free to contact me by whichever route at any time - I am a nurse, and work shifts, which is why it is not unusual for you to receive e-mails from me which have been sent at midnight or later: I am usually still awake!