N - Norman Smyth Langdon

Norman was born in Brompton Ralph, Somerset in 1887. He was the eldest child of George Washington Langdon and Annie nee Smyth.

Norman’s father was born in 1855 in Chicago, Illinois. His grandparents Robert Langdon and Harriet nee Yeandle, were briefly in America before returning to farm in England. They left England shortly after their marriage in 1855 and made their way to Illinois and later Minnesota. George was their only biological child. In about 1863 they took in and adopted Wilbur Norman Crawford. His mother had died leaving five very young children including baby Wilbur. He was raised as part of the Langdon family and returned with them to England when he was about fourteen, in the late 1870s. Wilbur would later discover his true identity and reconnect with his birth family when he returned to live in America.

When the family returned from America they went back to Brompton Ralph. George at this time was in his early twenties working with his father on the family farm. He married Annie in Stogumber in 1886 and welcomed first Norman and then three years later another son Ronald.

In the 1890’s both brothers relocated to Kent and continued to farm there. Norman married in 1926 but did not have children. He died in 1945 aged fifty-eight.

I am related in a couple of ways to Norman. His two times great grandparents Robert Norman and Jane Venn are also my four times great grandparents. In the same way his four times great grandparents Thomas Davys and Jane Helling are also my six times great grandparents. Confused? Imagine trying to keep this all straight in your head!

Do you have Yeandle, Davys, Norman, Langdon in your family? Maybe we can share information. Please get in contact if you are keen.