Thank you for visiting this page, as it contains what we know so far
about our family history. Its amazing how the internet is making it
so easy for relations, no matter how distant, to track each other
down. You can use one of the search engines to do a search, a few
links appear and next thing you know, you're in contact. That's not
an easy thing to do without the internet!
I was originally contacted by someone in Canada on the internet, who
then gave me the email address of another 'Wassell' who lived in
Redhill, ironically, the town in which I live. Maureen Frost who has
been tracing her 'Wassell' ancestors for twenty years has created
quite a database of information and was kind enough to help me trace
my relatives.
The Family Tree
Thank you to Maureen and Alan Frost for their time, effort and
resources in producing the wealth of information that they have been
able to. We can trace our ancestors back twelve generations to 1575.
If your name is Wassell or have Wassell ancestors and you believe
we may be related, or you wish to see if Maureen has information
relating to your Wassell descendants in her database then let me
know.
Samuel Wassall VC
Private Samuel Wassall VC is the brave soldier who won his Victoria
Cross for saving the life of Private Westwood at the battle of
Islandhlwana during the Zulu Wars.
Maureen and Alan Frost, have provided me with a wealth of
information relating to his life and brave act.
How am I related to Samuel Wassall?
To trace Samuel Wassall's line you need to go back eight generations
to John Wassell (baptised 1711 at Old Swinford) who married
Elizabeth Colerake. (see Tree). My line descends from their son
Thomas who married Elizabeth Pardon, whereas Samuel's line descends
from their son Richard who married Hannah Pardon.
Dr Corydon M Wassell
Corydon Wassell was born on the July 4 1884, at Little Rock,
Arkansas. His line of the the wassell family originally came from
Kidderminster, England.
It is through his bravery that he saved the life of 12 men, from
Java, in the earlier stages of World War II.
From where does the name Wassell originate?
There is no exact information as to where the name Wassell
originates. It is believed that the name WASSELL is of Scandinavian
origin, and was derived from 'wassailing' (as in, 'here we come a
wassailing') or Was-Sails (not sure of correct spelling) the names
of the sails on the viking ships. They landed in the north of
England and have over time moved southwards.
How am I related to Dr Corydon M Wassell?
John Wassell (born 1681) who married Elizabeth Russen in 1704 had a
younger brother, Joseph Wassell (born 1683) who married Eleanor
Scriven in 1710. It is from this line that Dr Wassell is descended.
- Motor Cycles were made in Birmingham. Click
here
- A Wassell was a coalman in Great Bridge
- A Wassell owned a plastics business in Brierly Hill which my
Dad visited when he was very young. He was given an egg cup in
the shape of a teddy bear as a present.
- A Wassell road exists in Halesowen.
- Private Samuel Wassall won the Victoria Cross at the battle
of Isandlwana during the Zulu wars when he saved another man's
life. Click here for information
- Dr Corydon Wassell served as a Naval physician during the
second World War based in Java and rescued the lives of twelve
wounded men. Click here for information
- On the Stott side of the family, the Rushton's moved to
Canada and my Dad remembers getting a letter/postcard informing
them that while shooting one day one of their children was
accidentally shot when mistaken for a rabbit.
- George Thomas Wassell owned a radio/electrical shop in
Dudley Road, West Bromwich.
- There was a man known as Uncle Bob who served in the Navy
during the First World War, his ship/submarine was torpedoed or
attacked resulting in the sinking of the ship. The weird
coincidence was that he was personally rescued by his own
brother who was in service on another ship. He gave the greeting
'Hello our kid' (or something similar). This story got into the
newspapers with the headline, 'Brother rescues brother'. (Uncle
Bob doesn't appear to be a relation, although he features as a
friend of the family I believe.)
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