Sunday, May 22, 2011

Jane Austen & The Hubback Family

Prior to leaving for the United Kingdom and meeting Mrs.Yvonne Barbor, I was meticulously looking for information on A. B. Hubback at the Malaysian National Archives and numerous publications online with regard to his works. Whilst on the internet, I discovered quite by accident, a possible relationship, to Jane Austen. This seemed interesting and as such, I requested from Mrs. Yvonne Barbor is they had kept records of their family tree. Suprisingly, Yvonne's son, Mr. Peter Barbor sent me and electronic file and I had to go and look for a friend who had a copy of The Family Tree Maker by ancestry.com.

Who is Jane Austen? Jane Austen (16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics. Among her renowned works Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1816). Excerpt taken from wikipedia. For more information, please click here.

 Jane Austen

Next, we would have to be introduced to Cassandra Elizabeth Austen, Jane's older sister,born January 9, 1773, two years before her famed sister Jane. In a family of 6 boys, the girls became fast and close friends.Excerpt taken from The Jane Austen Center. For more information, please click here.

And now, let me introduce you to Catherine-Anne Hubback (1818-1877), née Austen, was the eighth child and fourth daughter of (Sir) Francis Austen (1774-1865), one of Jane Austen’s brothers, a successful naval officer who became Admiral of the Fleet and G.C.B. His first wife, Mary Gibson, bore him eleven children. Five years after her death in 1823, he married Martha Lloyd, who had long lived with old Mrs Austen and her unmarried eldest daughter, Cassandra. Born in 1818, Catherine never knew her Aunt Jane. However, Cassandra, Jane Austen’s elder sister, was a frequent visitor, introducing Frank’s children to the works of their Aunt Jane, to the history of her life, and also to her unpublished writings. Excerpt taken from The Jane Austen Center. For more information, please click here.

Ok. So lets recap : Jane Austen [writer] ---> Cassandra Austen [elder sister] ---> Catherine-Anne Austen [niece of Jane & Cassandra]. So how is all this connected to Arthur and Theodore Hubback? Let's explore the relationship which was given to me via Mr. Peter Barbor and ancestry.com;

So it looks like Arthur and Theodore are the nephews of Catherine-Anne Austen? That would make them like related to Jane Austen! Ok, let's just sample a simple test;


Excerpt from The Jane Austen Center : Their first child, Mary, only lived long enough to be baptised and died in 1843. John Henry, the eldest surviving child, was born in 1844, followed by Edward Thomas in 1846 and Charles Austen -- whose second name is yet another indication of the family's cultivation of the Austen-connection -- in 1847.Doesn't the above ancestry file look familiar?

So I will leave this one to you. It appears that A.B. Hubback and T.R. Hubback are the grand nephews of Jane Austen! Now isn't that cool?

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