HUGO DE GROOT

"Shun this tomb, ye who do not burn with love of knowledge and liberty". The epitaph of ancestor, Hugo de Groot (1583-1645). Jurist and Philosopher, his book 'Concerning War and Peace' is regarded
as the founding work on international law as practised today.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=10287

Its a Double Whammy today.

'Happy Birthday'

to Maria'

and

'Happy Wedding Anniversary'!

Tim & Maria

PETER HOUGHTON

(Cousin to Annette and the late Houghton brothers: Adrian, Christopher & Jonathan)

86th Birthday

on

Monday 3 May

in Sydney Australia

We all hope you had a

"G'day mate"

[Annette was going to try and telephone you last year when I visited her in September. Did she ever get around to it?]

28 April 28 April 28 April 28 April


SAM & INDIA'S

SECOND BIRTHDAY

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!


28 April 28 April 28 April 28 April

23 April

Happy Birthday Kate

13 APRIL 2010

CONGRATULATIONS

ON THE WEDDING

OF

KARLA & ALEX

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ERN

Please welcome

Ern Unwin

(son to Abigail (Houghton) and Joe Unwin).

Ern arrived on

Easter Saturday, 3 April 2010.

Congratulations to Mum and Dad.

Lets hope they call his brother "Eric".

I suppose if its a sister she could be an "Erica"

MINISTERING AND DEMENTIA

Many of us will have to deal with the scourge of dementia. I recently read an article written on ministering to dementia patients. A passage that stood out for me was this:

"...I may not be able to affirm you, to remember who you are or whether you visited me. But you have brought Christ to me. If I enjoy your visit, why must I remember it? Why must I remember who you are? Is this just to satisfy your own need for identity? So please allow Christ to work through you. Let me live in the present. If I forget a pleasant memory, it does not mean it was not important for me. .’

No matter the outward appearance of a person's mental state, we should always assume that although 'the lights are out, there may still be someone at home'.

If you want to read the whole article, see it on my friend's blog by clicking the following link: Communion & Dementia.

HENRY VAVASOR SAUNDERS DAVIDS

I have recently been doing some research on this ancestor. I have not got far, but I thought I would post what I have. I will add more information as it comes to hand.

Born 6 September 1852, Colchester, Essex
Died 30 June 1921, Devonport, Devon
Married Brigitte Constance Henriette de Groot

British Consul, Batavia 14 December 1896 to 1 April 1902 when he retired.

THE LONDON GAZETTE, 11 OCTOBER, 1921. page 8011

The above link is an article covering the death and execution of the will. Note his addresses are listd as:

Hillier House
Hillier Road
Guildford
Surrey and,

North Corner
Saltash
Cornwall

Google Earth shows Hillier Almshouses which appear to be sheltered accommodation for elderly ladies now. Its not clear if this was the location of Henry's home described in the Gazette. I found no "North Corner" in or around Saltash.

The solicitors acting for the estate were:
Foyer, White, Borrett & Black
26 Essex Street
Strand
London WC2

WEDDING ANNOUNCEMENTS

13 April 2010 Karla Janette Tandy to Alex Willows
21 August 2010 Dorian Carlos Knight to Allyson Oates

2010 !!

Can you believe it?
2010 !!

A
VERY
HAPPY, HEALTHY
PROSPEROUS (WELL WE KNOW THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN)
HOUGHTON
NEW YEAR !

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

A very merry Christmas to all the Houghtons out there - wherever you are.

Lets make a resolution to expand the Blog membership in 2010.

Happy Christmas

Hi Everyone!

We hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2010!

Joe and I are spending Christmas Eve at home in Bristol, will be our first Christmas here so we are looking forward to lighting the fire and snuggling up in front of the Christmas tree this evening. Today, I'm going to visit the church where we married to say a prayer and light a candle to remember my dear Dad and to say thanks for everything we've been blessed with this year. The baby bump is growing, due April 8th, and Joe and I are very excited about our new arrival. We have discovered from the scan that bump is a boy! Tomorrow we're off to see our families in Hampshire and eventually Devon on the 30th so hopefullly we will see lots of you soon.

Nic-hope you have a great time in the Phillipines, thinking of you too!

Anyway, hope you all have a peaceful and joyous time!

Abi xx

SKYPE CONFERENCE CALL

I would like to try a family Skype conference call over the Christmas holiday.
Let me know if you are interested.

www.skype.com

+++++

GRAHAM RAWLINGS'

BIRTHDAY
TODAY!

+++++

Graham officially became a member of the Houghton ''Bumble'' when he married Sally on 26 September this year

***

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS

TO

AUNT MARGARET

IN

PORTSMOUTH
21 November

***

It's a boy!

Hello all! We hope everyone is keeping well. Joe and I had our second scan of the baby last week and discovered we are expecting a baby boy! We are very excited and looking forward to his arrival, due on April 7th. All was well according to the scan pictures and we were very lucky to get some great photos to take away with us. Our new house is lovely and we are settling in nicely! Our new address is 99 Furber Road, St George, Bristol BS5 8PT. Mobile numbers remain the same. Take care and hope to see some of you at Christmas or sooner! x

VISIT TO SOLVA

During my recent visit to UK I was able to make a journey to S W Wales and visit with Uncle Peter and Aunt Annette in their beautiful home in Solva for a few days. They were perfect hosts. Aunt Annette and I took a few walks and chatted at length about family. We even paid a visit to the archive in Haverfordwest to try and learn more about the Davids family to which we are linked. We also took a look at St Davids Cathedral. Its an impressive structure for such a small place and in its day must have been of extreme importance.
Uncle Peter's art is displayed in every room of their house.
Aunt Annette had only recently had her arm out of plaster. She fell over and broke her arm. Yes, it was an alcohol related accident, but only in that she fell over a case of wine that had been left on the living room floor.
We attended the local church on the Sunday where Aunt Annette was able to play the organ for the first time since her accident.
I spent a delightful few days in Solva. The walks, the talks or just sitting in the conservatory enjoying a pot of tea and the views over the sea, nodding or waving to the walkers that periodically walk past on their way along the coastal path.

WEDDINGS GALORE

Also married on 26 September was Christian Hatton (son of Annette Houghton) in Oxford. Christian shares the exact same birthday as Nic and now shares a wedding anniversary with Sally.

SALLY JEANNE GETS HITCHED

The Houghton Beach Party welcomes Graham Rawlings and his family.
Sally and Graham were married in Woodbury Salterton on Sally's birthday, Saturday 26 September 2009. They held a reception at The Digger's Rest pub.

The photos may be seen at:
http://gallery.me.com/COOKSFARMER#100030&bgcolor=black&view=grid