Learn more about sources used in family history research.
Just like a magic trick, our ancestors sometimes have the habit of disappearing into thin air. In this article, I am sharing how I discovered what happened to my third great grandparents, James Rudman, a labourer, and his wife Hannah, née Shepperd. They initially had me flummoxed when I couldn't find any trace of them…
When tracing our ancestors back through the years, all can be going well until we hit the 1700s. Suddenly, sources seem to dry up and it's easy to lose heart. Maybe you have found your ancestors' names in a parish register, but know little about them as people: they remain faceless and anonymous. Perhaps you…
Tracing ancestors in London in the 18th century can be hugely daunting. The parish registers are large and it can be difficult to identify your ancestor amongst all the other candidates in the vicinity who share the same name. In addition, many of our ancestors would have arrived in London from elsewhere, attracted by the…
Tracing the whereabouts of your London ancestors can be challenging, especially when they moved address constantly. Slum clearance and bombing has meant that many streets no longer exist today. Learn how you can pinpoint where they lived by reading my latest blog, "Lost in London"
Back in 1987, when I was a teenager, I paid a trip to London to search the General Registration indexes at St Catherine's House for a record of the marriage of my great great grandparents, James Batchelor, an agricultural labourer, and his wife, Frances Naylor. I knew that the couple had both been born in…
Over the years, I have discovered that many of my ancestors were country folk and l love to visit the villages where they once lived. I usually make a beeline for the church and immediately, my imagination starts to run wild. I envision a large group clustered around the font, as a tiny baby is…
By Pieter Claesz, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4892401 It is a mysterious thing but sometimes, even recent ancestors seem to disappear from the face of the earth in a puff of smoke. After constructing a thorough timeline of their life, suddenly, the trail goes cold. In this article, I will be looking at some of the reasons…
I was first introduced to Bertie, (also known as Bert), when as a child, I saw his name recorded on a local war memorial in the churchyard of St Helen's, Cliffe at Hoo, Kent. Since Bertie and I shared the same surname, I immediately asked my Dad whether we were related. He confirmed that we…
Wills are truly the most wonderful source for family history. They provide unparalleled evidence on relationships, enabling extensive family trees to be constructed. Wills may also lead to you other sources, such as title deeds or manorial records, due to the description of land holdings. They also help you to pinpoint relevant baptisms, marriages and…
A British seaman! A heart of oak! One of the brave tars who fought for, and protected this happy isle / I.M. delin.Rowlandson, Thomas, 1756-1827Published / Created[15 November 1801] Yale University Library https://collections.library.yale.edu/catalog/15813519 Tracing the career of a British seamen, (who was not an officer), before 1853 can be challenging, as until this date, there…
Oast Houses, Sissinghurst, KentImage courtesy of Derek Winterburn via Flickr- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/ The Garden of England, as Kent is often described, is the county of my birth and indeed, my ancestors have been living here since the earliest dates. Kent is known as the Garden of England because historically, it was full of pretty apple, pear,…
A few months ago I was invited to talk with some fellow genealogists and historians on the subject of occupations, and their importance to family history on the new "Really Useful Podcast" produced by the Federation of Family History Societies. We had a really interesting discussion, which you can listen to here: https://www.familyhistoryfederation.com/podcast (Series 1,…
(c) Paintings Collection; Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation Introduction Even if you have only limited expertise or experience, it is often possible to trace your family history back to the early years of the Victorian period without too much difficulty. Speeding through the records of General Registration and census you can make rapid progress.…
You never know when a secret, long buried in the past, will come to light. As a result of the indexing of record sources, you can stumble across information about an ancestor that you would never have looked for ordinarily. This happened to me one day when a new, tantalising, green leaf on Ancestry appeared…
On the broad plateau of the chalk downs of North Wiltshire, you will find the handsome church of All Saints, Yatesbury. Yatesbury, a tiny village of around 150 souls today, lies just north of the current A4 road that runs between Calne and Marlborough. If you decide to pay a visit, and wonder through the…
When you consider the most important relationships in your life, no doubt some of your closest friends come to mind, perhaps even a certain best friend. It's ironic then that as family historians, we may know all about an ancestor's cousins, (some of whom they perhaps never met, or didn't get on with at all),…
After getting over the shock of discovering that his family had emigrated to America in 1849, leaving him behind, [see Left Behind], my quest to discover the identity of George Thomas Powell continued. I had solved the mystery concerning the apparent disappearance of his parents, (William) Benjamin and Mary Powell, but that still didn't change…
The early childhood of George Thomas Powell, my two times great grandfather, is a mystery. I first encounter him in the 1851 census, when he is 12 years old and living with his uncle and aunt, Henry and Sarah Glaysher at the cement mill in West Medina, Northwood. He spent the next forty two years…
Whatever your skills or experience as a family historian, there will always be at least one ancestral line that gives you trouble. For me, it is my Powell line and specifically, my two times great grandfather, George Thomas Powell and the mystery surrounding his birth and early years. It is easy to view a problematic…
Introduction It is rather sobering to think that my grandparents, (all four being born between 1888 and 1897), were part of the first generation to receive free and universal education. Prior to the passing of the 1870 Education Act, schooling had mainly been provided by church schools, the Church of England's National Society and the…
Introduction A person's name is very much bound up with their identity and as a result, they can challenging to trace if it changes. In Part 1 of Chameleon Ancestors, I looked at some of the reasons why an ancestor might appear in the records under a different name. Many people, then as now, hated…
St Mary's Amport, Hampshire cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Anonymous 4452 - geograph.org.uk/p/144743 For most of us, the ancestral homes of our forebears are dotted around in many places. Sometimes they may even be located on a different side of the globe from where we live today. Even if you consider that you have a good grasp of geography, a place…
54 Squadron's A Flight.(pre-27th May 27th 1940 as F/Lt. Pearson was reported missing on that day)L to R: F/ Lt Max Pearson, Sgt Jack Davis, P/O George Couzens, F/Lt James Leathart, F/O George Gribble, P/O Johnny Allen and P/O Alan Deere.http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/DavisJ.htm This year sees the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, the decisive campaign by Fighter…
In my previous blog, The Footman, I discovered that Fanny Basing, the wife of William Basing, was living with her children in Poplar, in the East End of London, in 1881. Fanny was recorded as the head of the household and married, but where was her husband? William Basing, now a butler and valet, may…
Attorney and Client - Copy of Illustration from Bleak House by Charles Dickens It was a time of celebration for genealogists when just a year ago, in the summer of 2019, the price of wills proved from January 1st 1858 in England and Wales, came tumbling down. I had already collected a number of key…
Family history can stir strong emotions, and the life of my Uncle Gordon is close to my heart. Gordon was a pilot in the RAF during World War II in 54 Squadron. He was shot down over France in July 1941, and died as a prisoner of war, aged 23, in Hamburg in April 1942.…
Genealogy Jude 