(This article includes extracts from the Frank Wappat Biography)
I’ve always believed if you don’t want to know where you came from, then you can’t possibly want to know where you’re going - and I have spent many years researching and tracing my family tree. Although the female line of the family is important, tracing the family tree is done through the male line following the seed of the family.
Unearthing information isn’t easy. One day I asked my dad “what was the name of your paternal grandfather “er Wappat” he replied. Then when I asked him how many brothers and sisters he had he replied “2 brothers and one sister”. In fact research uncovered that there were 15 children born of his parents. “I didn’t mention them because they all died son” was his reply.
With the help of Parish Registers, Census Returns, St Catherines House, Local Libraries and an array of local information, I traced the family to Whorlton in County Durham where the earliest Wappat was born illegitimately to Land owner Ralph Johnson. Ms Wappat never married this local gent and was more likely in service to him. So tracing the Johnson family back with the help of Surtees History of Durham – I established that my early ancestors (the Johnson Family) owned the village and surrounding areas with Christopher Johnson 1581 being buried in the Church in Barnard Castle (a privilege only afforded the rich). So in fact, I’m not really a Wappat at all but Johnson. Money seems to have evaded the Wappat family throughout the generations and no different for the Wappat family of Whorlton. Ralph Johnson’s father left money to his illegitimate grand-children (i.e. the children of Ralph Wappat) but only on condition that his other son (Ralph Wappat’s father) did not have issue lawfully begotten. The Wappat children did not inherit anything. Neverthess, Ralph Wappat was clearly accepted as a member of the Johnson family and was known by all as Ralph Wappat alias Johnson. Indeed such was the common knowledge of Ralph Wappat’s parentage that a doodling Vicar penned the following in the back pages of the Church registers - ‘Ralph Wappat was the natural son of Ralph Johnson’ and locally the children penned a poem about the Johnsons
Ralph Wappat alias Johnson in the meantime became a Yeoman but the place and time of his death is not known, as the incumbent of that period rarely bothered to fill in his Record Books.
Surprisingly during my research I found that there were Wappats still living around the Whorlton/Teesdale area. Ewie Wappat farmed in Gayles and Eric Wappat had retired from farming to live in Richmond. At a surprise party held to celebrate my 30 years in show business, I glanced around the hall and spotted Eric Wappat among the guests. I didn’t get a chance to speak to him, his wife, daughter nor the daughters of Ewie Wappat, Sheila and Jeanette to thank them for attending. Sadly Eric died shortly after, but of all the guests present that evening they were the icing on the cake.
It was through an elderly listener, I discovered that, in 1886, a John William Pearson Wappat had emigrated to Mexico. His grandfather was a cousin of my great great grandfather, William. He had married a Mexican, settled down in Mexico and died there in 1928. There were now at least 100 Mexican Wappat descendants whom I never knew existed and who never knew there were English Wappats related to them.
In 1980 I decided to fly to Mexico to continue to root out my family tree. I had never flown before and had never been outside of England. I travelled alone. I had booked for two weeks, at the Holiday Inn, in Mexico City (for the first night) and the rest of the time in Monterrey, where my Wappat contact lived, (Leonore Wappat). When I got to the hotel I was told there was no reservation and no money had been received from England.
"You no pay - you go!" I was told.
On the plane I had read a report of a prisoner in a Mexican jail who had tried to escape, so they cut off one of his legs to prevent him. I certainly didn’t want to go to jail!
Whilst I took a taxi to the only address I had, my luggage was searched at the hotel. I found Leonore, an old lady who couldn't speak English. Fortunately, a neighbour could - and Leonore's family were sent for. When I shook Leonore’s hands she kept repeating in Spanish – “spiritual, spiritual” then called to her neighbour and said in Spanish “Please tell this man to hold my hand longer – he has the gift of healing. He is helping to ease my arthritis” – how strange that I travel half way across the world and meet a lady who has never seen me before, knows nothing about me – yet picks up the fact that I believe in, and practice, Spiritual healing.
The first family arrival was Edmundo Wappat who, understanding the situation but had never heard of me, drove me to the hotel, had a blazing row with the manager, but had to leave his credit card as security. Calls to England to Thomas Cook confirmed that I had paid but no one seemed to know where my money had gone. Edmundo returned next day after a family conference - and I was whisked off to his cousin Rosaura's house - a huge house built on four split levels into the Chipinque Mountains. Two days later I was whisked off to another cousin Allan's home 600 miles away in the city of Linares.
Mexico is a beautiful country with beautiful people. The Mexican Wappats are centered around, Monterrey and Linares a small developing area back in 1980 to which I have been honoured with the Freedom of their City, it is now a thriving and successful town. Walking through the traditional dusty streets then, I came across a Pharmacia (Chemist). To my amazement, there in the window was Shulton UK’s Old Spice Lime aftershave. I hadn’t seen that since I worked for the Company and to the best of my knowledge it was no longer in production – I bought all of their remaining stock. Using it liberally the next morning. My cousin Rosaura said in broken English – ‘Frank you look very sick’. It never did take much to make me feel ill, and after all, I thought to myself, I have had a traumatic few days so I took to bed early. The following morning whilst in the shower I noticed the water draining away – it was green, glancing in the mirror I saw the colour literally drain from my face – green colour! The Lime Green coloured aftershave had been there so long, the dye had coated my skin. My cousin thought I looked much better after my early night – I didn’t enlighten her.
Meanwhile, as I had been unable to contact anyone in England - and they couldn't contact me – an alarm was raised. Ossie Lowery, my co-Trustee of Byker Mission, couldn't track me down, so he asked his daughter, Susan, to liaise with the BBC. The Manager Geoff Talbot, who had to have details of my whereabouts, failed to trace me and the result was that the lead news item on BBC news next day was - "Frank Wappat, the popular Radio Newcastle broadcaster, is reported missing in Mexico. The British Consul in Mexico City has been asked to help." Getting a telephone line out of Mexico, and especially Linares, was very difficult indeed. Eventually, information was relayed to the BBC in London and, whilst I was sitting in the Catholic Cathedral in Linares praying for help, the servant girl of the family arrived, breathless, at the Church. The only word I understood was "telephone". I followed her back to the house, picked up the 'phone and heard the voice of the Manager Geoff Talbot-
"Where the hell are you?"
"Geoff," I said, "I've just been in Church praying to God for help, and here I am talking to the Devil!" He wasn't amused!
However, I explained what had happened and, a few days later, I received a message saying that Thomas Cook had been paid for a flight home immediately. It took a week before it reached Mexico, and I was safely transported home. By the time it came to go home, I was settled and comfortable in Mexico and didn’t want to leave.
I have returned many times throughout the years and they have been to England, we have built a special bond.
Over the years I researched the family history I amassed a great deal of records, birth, death and marriage certificates and other items of interest.
Thankfully Andrew, my cousin Kenneth’s son shared my enthusiasm for the research and I was happy to hand the family tree and all supporting documents over to him.
