Austyn,

My name is Colleen Mushet Skinner, descendant of Robert Forester Mushet and Mary Thomas. I received a copy of a photo last August from that was sent to Susan Sparkes, owner of Forest House Hotel in Coleford. The photo is of a child, named James Williams, on a hobby horse dated 1929. This toy belonged to the Mushets and was passed down through their niece Ann Thomas Williams, daughter of John who was Mary's brother. According to the description, the toy is still in the family and is signed by Austyn Thomas, 20 Oct 2009. I recently stayed at Forest House for several days tracking down family history and was hoping to find the owner of the photo but Mrs. Sparkes was unable to locate the contact information.

If you are the same Austyn then it looks like we might be distant cousins. I am thrilled to learn that something personal has been lovingly cared for and passed down. I would love to exchange information regarding our family histories- I have collected quite a bit over the years. While I was visiting the Forest of Dean I also made trip to Cheltenham and found the grave stone of Mary and Robert Forester Mushet and took pictures of it as well as #10 Sydenham Villa where Mary lived out her life. I have some very old photos from that time as well.

Hope to hear from you,

Colleen