October marks the 210th anniversary of the death of the great British military hero, Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, who was mortally wounded during his final victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
We recently spoke with MyHeritage user David Bullock – from Bath, England – after he discovered an unexpected connection with Nelson that blew him away.
When he began tracing his roots in February 2014, David, a graphic designer, never imagined the roller coaster of emotions his journey would become.
In just nine months, he has discovered dozens of relatives, including his biological mother and siblings. His extensive family history research revealed an even more exciting detail — he is a descendant of prominent figures in British history, including Admiral Horatio Nelson and William the Conqueror.
When my wife Ana, who was helping to search in the next room, excitedly asked if I had seen my family tree, I said, “Yes. I am looking at it right now. My grandfather was a chemist.” She replied, “er… you may want to see this.” She had gone a little further back and discovered that Horatio Nelson was my fourth great-grandfather. To say that I was astonished is an understatement.
Born in 1963 to a couple of art students in London, who were not yet ready to be parents, David was adopted at just six weeks old. He always knew he was adopted, but had very little information about his biological parents. Last February, on a whim, he ordered his birth certificate to find out more about his past. The document included his biological mother’s name and, fortunately, her surname is unique.
Her name was Ray Vanda Style. I searched for her online and, within hours, I found her marriage certificate and address. Her family tree was also online, and I was delighted to learn that my grandfather was a chemist at King’s College, London. But then my wife pointed out something even more interesting – that Horatio Nelson is in my family tree!
David was so excited he that he couldn’t control his emotions. He sat down immediately and sent an email to his biological mother, thanking her for giving him a chance for a better life.
I wrote that I would like to meet her but understood that if she decided, at this point in her life, not to do so.
Just a few days later, he received an email from his mother.
“I’d love to meet, but let’s talk on the phone instead of meeting just yet.”
Just one week after locating his birth certificate, David was on the phone with his biological mother.
It was surreal and normal at the same time; we talked as if we’ve known each other for many years.
Over the weekend, David went to Plymouth and met his biological mother and her son – David’s half-brother – for the first time.
He was immediately drawn into the world of genealogical research from a desire to discover information about his biological family. He was quickly able to connect to a distant family tree. He managed to trace his biological father but, to his dismay, discovered that he had lived in London and died in 1998.
David discovered that he was a distant descendant of Horatio Nelson while he was looking for another living descendant of the Admiral.
I started to map all the information I found on the descendants of Nelson. From hundreds of names, I reduced the list to 31 living descendants of the famous Battle of Trafalgar.
David was pleased to find that his half-sister, Lily Style, with whom he has also connected, knew about their famous family lineage. They joined forces, shared their research and gathered more information about the family.
As an adopted child, I always fantasized about exotic family connections but, as I got older, I realized that I had to break free from fantasies and accept reality. Today, I can say that my fantasy has become reality. I discovered that I had very well-respected and famous family members. I am David Bullock, a descendant of Lord Nelson. It is an amazing feeling.
David has built an extensive family tree on MyHeritage and keeps adding to it. The more information they add to the tree, the more smart matches they receive. Their family tree is now a forest!
Did you enjoy David’s story? Do you have a story to share about your genealogical research? We would like to read it! Please email us at stories@myheritage.com.
stafford-ames Morse
October 25, 2015
Great story. Now we need to get our young people interested in genealogy. Lets get the schools involved in promoting this great past time, for young and old…