Neville Chamberlain British PM 1937–40 was my great-grandmothers uncle. And my grandfather said that his mum’s family was Jewish. Was Neville “Adolf’s a pretty alright guy” Chamberlain a Jew?
But it could be possible that it was Neville’s father’s first wife that was Jewish.
Does anyone know?.. I have used the search engines and they’re bringing up Nazi crap.
I am assuming that Chamberlins father’s first wife was not Neville’s mother. You don’t get blood from someone who didn’t contribute genes to your make up. So Neville would not have any Jewish blood. Again assuming it didn’t come from someone else.
Here is his ancestry.
The Chamberlain’s were a Unitarian family. The Unitarians of Birmingham were, to a certain extent by necessity, dangerously inbred. Unitarians were unusual enough to be kept out of the higher levels of society esp. in making marriages.
There was a Birmingham Unitarian family named the Kenrick whose two brothers married their first cousin sisters (the Pagets also Unitarians). Joseph Chamberlain (Neville’s Dad) first wife, Harriet Kenrick, was the daughter of one brother. His second wife, Florence Kenrick, was the daughter of the second.
Nev’s (half-) brother Austen and sister Beatrice was the issue of the first marriage.
Nev, Ida, Hilda, & Ethel were the issue of the second.
(Joesph marries a third time about 20 yrs later, Nev’s Mom dies having kid number 5 who died too)
Joesph loses faith in Unitarianism after losing wife no. 2 and Neville is “culturally” but not “religiously” raised Unitarian.
Too much info? Re OP DEFINITELY wife no. 1 was not Jewish.
Could it be that the Chamberlain married into a Jewish family in your case & that was the part of the family gramps was referring to?
hmm… I don’t know. I’ll ask Grandfather and get back to you.