Introduction

The worldwide KEARVELL Family is indebted to Gordon Kearvell of Slough England and Mary Voyle (nee Kearvell) of New Zealand, the architects of the two main branches of the original Family Tree put together in the 1970/80s. Their careful research, in an era without the quick communication of the Internet, connected our name back to the marriage of Francis Kervil (Unk-1715) and Elizabeth Cupin (1671-1707) at Bosham in West Sussex England on 16 December 1693.

The use of the Internet has enabled me to widen the number of family contacts, since 2000,  in order to update the marvellous early work done by Mary and Gordon. I have received enthusiastic responses from England, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA and even Mexico!

 

From a Tree with a few hundred names we now have a comprehensive Tree with 1000+ names. The only known gaps are with the details of some of the descendants of Edward and Alice Kearvell, who emigrated to Adelaide in South Australia in about 1892.

In compiling a Family history you never know what you may find. For me the greatest discovery has been a late 19th century photograph of my great-grandfather John, a Shipwright Journeyman from Bosham.

One of the nicest comments I have received comes from New Zealand. I was contacted by three sibling Kearvells who had our name but knew of no others except a "Granny Annie" from Eastbourne England who had sent them Christmas presents about 40 years ago. After some investigations I was able to identify "Annie", connect the three siblings to our Tree, give them information about their father and advise them of three half-siblings in New Zealand. The comment was ...."when we contacted you we knew only three Kearvells, but now we have a family of over 800!"

The spelling of our surname has seen many variations recorded over the years from KERVIL in 1693 to the modern-day KEARVELL, first recorded in Parish records in 1752 (although it appears in 1724 in the Bishops Transcripts). The Bosham Vicar at that time (1731-1771) was Richard Lawson and perhaps we have him or, more likely, his Parish Clerk, Thomas Sherlock, to thank for the origins of our present spelling.

 

All the research work has proved that everyone in the world with the surname of KEARVELL is related!

John Kearvell (1859-1908)

Please enjoy!

Annie Caroline Kearvell

(1893-1971)

p.s. If you have family News, Photographs, Stories or Information please let me now so that they can be shared with the Family worldwide

Mike Kearvell

Wantage Oxon

U K