Introduction to the site
I am Robert Zaple, married with 2 children, retired mechanical engineer in Newton Abbot in the UK.
My family has been in Torquay for 200 years but will inevitably have connections with other Zaples elsewhere. If you share my surname I hope you will find this site interesting and would be delighted if you could extend the work with your information, records and stories. You can contact me here.
As far as we can tell, the first Zaples appeared in Plymouth during the 18th century and my line moved to Torquay in the early 1800s. The earliest document supporting this records the baptism of my Great Great Great Grandfather in 1792. Incidentally the name itself may well be a variant of Zappel (click here).
Thanks should go to my Father & Brother who initially researched and passed on to me data collated from civic & census records and also information kindly contributed by others. We have made every effort to ensure it is accurate but where there is any doubt I have noted to that effect nevertheless any corrections would be welcome.
Important Note
All the details contained in this website are available in the public domain. Birth certificates, addresses etc as well as some hereditary details are available online and in the public records. If personal information such as this (ie Mothers maiden name) is still required by your bank or building society as a sole means of identification, discuss it with them with a view to using something else. Most will do so these days. This is an issue which extends beyond this website and it's wise to be aware of it.
Finally, learning HTML was a means to an end and although the site could be improved, it does look and perform pretty much as I intended it to. I hope you enjoy it.
Rob Zaple 2008
Latest news
November 2021
Thanks to Martin Ashford who sent me information relating to his parents, my Uncle & Aunt Colin and Sheila.
January 2019
Thanks again to Honor Obrien who has sent me information expanding on our knowledge of the Zaple family and in particular some scanned documents which are great in confirming details. I'm slowly working through and incorporating this information.
July 2017
Thanks to Dan Tidball who sent me information & documents related to Violet Ethel Pearce.
January 2017
And thanks too to John Essery of Virginia who's descended from Blanche Zaple and provided me with birth & marriage certificates. Thanks John, you've prompted me to download and add links to many documents in particular the 1911 census returns which have confirmed and added many details and names.
Thanks to Karl Zaple & sister Karen Bancroft for information relating to their father Arthur Stephen Zaple BEM. It's not clear how he's connected to the rest of the family tree at the moment so any further information would be useful. Also, how did he earn his BEM ? Come on guys, let us know.
Thanks to Nick Fear who sent me photos of a WW1 trench lighter which seems to have belonged to Sgt Albert Edward Zaple. Many thanks to Nick for that.
Very good news. The oldest Zaple on our site- Henry, born around 1740 has been researched and information kindly provided by Richard Rossington. It seems the rumours of his being German were true. Check it out here.
Also the link has at last been made between Harry Zaple (born 1879) and the main body of the family tree. Thanks again Richard.
Also this month, I've been contacted by Matt Sears who is collecting data from the archive of the Torquay Times newspaper for his website which is to be called 'Torquinians'. he kindly sent me articles from the archive which add colour to the lives of our predecessors. One example here shows what my Great Grandfather was up to in the 1800s.
Big thanks to Malcolm Grant Zaple for sending me information relating to George Osborne Zaple whose children I had on the site but without links. Those links have now been made and more data added.
Thanks to Ron Zaple of Plymouth for the information relating to his family & relatives decended from Harry Samuel & Elizabeth Zaple.
Also to Andy Zaple for contacting us from Australia and providing more information.
And also to Alan & Honor Obrien for their extensive information and documents relating to the decendants of William Henry Zaple.
I have added a further 60 entries to the record, provided to me by Mr Atkinson of Paignton who says that they are the decendants of Harry & Emily Zaple in the 1800s.
