A retired teacher researching his family history uncovered a newspaper article from Aylesbury predating The Bucks Herald. John Austin, immersed in genealogy for over a decade, stumbled upon an 1831 court report in The Times, a year before The Bucks Herald’s inception.
The article details the arrest of Charles Woodman, John’s third great uncle, charged with assault with intent to murder. Woodman, later deported to Australia and executed, had attacked his brother’s wife with a fire poker, as witnessed and reported in the newspaper.
John’s findings not only transcribed historical accounts but also ignited his quest to trace Woodman’s journey from sentencing in the UK to execution in Australia, leveraging archives across continents.
The ancient report’s language and journalistic standards of the time reflect a stark contrast to modern practices, preserving snippets of historical vernacular and societal context. John meticulously condensed his extensive research into a concise document for his family, drawing from census data, electoral rolls, church records, and directories to illuminate their ancestral roots.
