During my upbringing very little contact was had with my Emptage relatives and that which was had was troubled. My father’s father had effectively abandoned my father at a young age and established a new family. Contact was re-established but not satisfactorily. My grandfather’s sister, Auntie Nellie refused to give my father a copy of his father and mother’s wedding day photo. All in all, not good and I effectively turned my back on the Emptages.

So it has been wonderful to find so many smiling and happy Emptage relatives around the world. I first made contact through Ancestry with David Emptage who introduced himself by saying “hello I’m your uncle.” What a tragedy that he died before I could meet him. At the Emptage gathering in Thanet in September 2018 I met many hitherto unknown Emptages and learned much to be proud of in our family’s history which acts as an antidote to my earlier experiences.

I’m more or less retired now. I just work 1 or 2 days a week and will be dividing my time contributing to the Emptage research and gardening, which is my other passion.

I am greatly indebted to Team Emptage for the amazing amount of work they have contributed in charting our family. In reading the introductions to my fellow team members I was happy to note that I was not the only Emptage school boy to have the nickname “Empty Head”. In my case this was shortened to “Empty” and went well into my early work life. It seemed quite normal at the time.

All through my working life I’ve been conscious how unusual our name is and latterly how helpful that is when tracing ancestors. It’s a shame that our ancestors played fast and loose with spelling but here DNA is bridging the divide. Perhaps the unintended byproduct of which has been the unifying of the disparate branches of the family to our enrichment.

Lineage

Henry Emptage 1763-1845 and Susannah Le Brush 1766-1826
Humphrey Emptage 1796-1845 and Isabel Brett c1795-1833
Alfred Burnet Emptage 1831-1875 and Ann P Hopkins 1833-1882
Henry Thomas Emptage 1858-1896 and Malbry Jane Wilson 1869-1952
Edward Lindsey Emptage 1892-1966 and Jessica Simmons
Derrick Emptage 1921