My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org

4 MY LIFEostrich's head with a horseshoe in its mouth, and thiscrest belongs, according to Burke's " Peerage," toCraigie-Wallace, one of the branches of the patriot'sfamily.Of my mother's family I have somewhat fullerdetails, though not going any further back. Herfather was John Greenell, of Hertford, who died therein 1824, at the age of 79. He had two daughters,Martha and Mary Anne, my mother. Their motherdied when the two girls were two and three yearsold. Mr. Greenell married a second time, and hiswidow lived till 1828. My mother's grandfather, whodied in1797, aged 80, was for many years an alderman,and twice Mayor of Hertford (in 1773 and 1779),as stated in the records of the borough. He wasburied in St. Andrew's churchyard.There is also in the same churchyard a familytomb, in which my father and my sister Eliza areburied, but which belonged to a brother of mymother's grandfather, William Greenell, as shown bythe inscription.I will now say a few words about my father's earlylife, and the various family troubles which, thoughapparently very disadvantageous to his children, mayyet have been on the whole, as is so often the case,benefits in disguise.My father, Thomas Vere Wallace, was twelveyears old when his father died, but his stepmotherlived twenty-one years after her husband, and I thinkit not improbable that she may have resided in Marylebonenear William Greenell the architect, and thatmy father went to school there. The only thing Iremember his telling us about his school was that his