My family tree through the ages
John Jacob was one of the first English consuls to the Order of St John in Malta. He petitioned the Grandmaster to increase the consular duty in Malta which, given English trade, must have been lucrative. He is one of my maternal 8 x great-grandfathers.
Carmelo was a Valletta-born trader who lived a long life, outliving both his wife and his son.
He is one of my paternal 3 x great-grandfathers.
The Parteca family is a short-lived one in Maltese genealogy. Giovanna was one of the last few instances of a surname which no longer exists.
Valletta-born, she settled in the then-growing seaside town of Sliema to avoid the overcrowding in the capital city.
She is one of my paternal great-grandmothers.
There is more than one Giuseppe Borg in my family tree – this is the quintessential generic Maltese name, after all. It makes research harder because everything needs to be triple-checked. This Giuseppe ran a wine shop in Valletta next to the popular Victoria Gate.
He is one of my paternal great-grandfathers.
Anthony M. Darmenia (1915 – 1986) was a 20th-century Maltese pharmacist who pioneered the profession in the Maltese islands. He completed part of his education in the UK, thanks to a British Council scholarship.
This article explains all I know about his scholarship, and his time in the UK.
Father to the Viking Rollo, Ragnvild conquered Scotland, had ugly children, and was an Earl in Norway.
At the end of the 10th century, Frankish nobility faced a constant Viking threat. Here I explain the importance of the battle of Chartres and its connection to my family
Robert, also known as Rollo or Rolf or Hrolf, was a Norwegian viking who ravaged the Loire valley. They called him “Hrolf the Walker” because he was so big no horse could carry him. So he walked everywhere.
Paolo Darmenia worked with the British Forces at their arsenal in Malta. Valletta-born, he lived in St Julians and Sliema.