Ooooo, this is fun speculation. I'm coming to this right after I've spent a little time considering my grandmother's fictionalization of her family history, so I'm wondering how certain you are that the family account sought for accuracy. Do you have multiple sources that confirm the kids could speak English when they arrived, for example? Or did they have a few phrases and a facility? I would see how in some families the responsibility of milking a couple cows as part of regular day labor could become "ran the dairy." Or could there be more intrigue—an illicit relationship that complicates the children's paternity and gives them special privilege on the big estate? How common was the study of English then?
Digging into local records might help. Since you don’t read the language, that might require hiring a genealogist or historian to help. But there wouldn’t be many men who match the “minor nobleman” description. There may be records on him. Deeds and wills etc can be surprisingly detailed, especially when a lot of property was involved. Or maybe someone can trace his descendants, to see if they know anything? What a fascinating puzzle.
Ooooo, this is fun speculation. I'm coming to this right after I've spent a little time considering my grandmother's fictionalization of her family history, so I'm wondering how certain you are that the family account sought for accuracy. Do you have multiple sources that confirm the kids could speak English when they arrived, for example? Or did they have a few phrases and a facility? I would see how in some families the responsibility of milking a couple cows as part of regular day labor could become "ran the dairy." Or could there be more intrigue—an illicit relationship that complicates the children's paternity and gives them special privilege on the big estate? How common was the study of English then?
Digging into local records might help. Since you don’t read the language, that might require hiring a genealogist or historian to help. But there wouldn’t be many men who match the “minor nobleman” description. There may be records on him. Deeds and wills etc can be surprisingly detailed, especially when a lot of property was involved. Or maybe someone can trace his descendants, to see if they know anything? What a fascinating puzzle.