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I ntroduction Ancestors editor Simon Fowler extols the joys of family history

elcome to our special supplement for beginners. It may only be pocket-sized, but it contains everything you need to start discovering a fascinating new pastime. Family history is a hobby you can pick up or put down when it suits you. After all, your ancestors are not going to disappear – although if you have elderly relatives do talk to them now, before memories fade. Another bonus of taking up family history is that you can choose the aspects you find most interesting. There is no pressure to trace everybody you’re descended from – indeed it’s nearly impossible anyway. Most people just research one side of their family, or a few ancestors who particularly fascinate them. And if one forebear is frustratingly elusive, well there are plenty of others out there for you to find. Family history can lead you into all sorts of byways. A friend of mine has become a world expert on William Cuffey, the 19th-century, black Chartist leader. Another, who wanted to find out what his paper-glazer great-grandfather did, has become enthralled by the history of paper. Don’t say I didn’t warn you that genealogy can take over your life completely! A further big plus is how friendly and helpful fellow family historians are – not to mention all

Most people just research one side of their family.... 1

I ntroduction

The more information you have when you start the better...

Family Bibles usually record births of family members.

those knowledgeable staff in archive offices. If you become lost or confused on your first visit to a record office, the chance is that somebody will be only too pleased to point you in the right direction. Genealogists are a very sociable lot, so you will also receive a warm welcome at local family history society meetings or adult education classes. You should start by working out what you know already about your family and where they came from. Then of course you need to prove everything, at least to your own satisfaction, and not rely on coincidence or conjecture. Naturally, the more information you have when you start, the better – but if you know next to nothing, there’s no need to panic. Many families have a small collection of heirlooms – not necessarily valuable jewellery or portraits, but sometimes simpler items which can trigger memories. Ask around your relations to see what they have. A family Bible is particularly useful because it records the births (and perhaps marriages and deaths) of family members. If you’re lucky it may go back centuries. Unfortunately my family were an irreligious lot, so we don’t have any such relics. On the other hand, we do have a large collection of family snaps of reunions, weddings and holidays. You probably have an album or shoebox tucked away somewhere containing similar pictures. Sort them as well as you can, then ask relations whether they can put names to the faces you don’t recognise.

If you have access to a computer, check out what’s on the internet. Although it’s not quite as simple – or as cheap – as you may have read in the press, there are wonderful resources available, with more seemingly added every week. A word of warning, here: many are badly indexed or, frankly, inaccurate. Ancestors published a guide to over 100 top websites with its last issue, and this booklet also includes a list of the most useful sites. But you don’t have to know how to drive down the electronic superhighway to track your roots. Research might not be so quick, but almost everything is available in books or microfiches at libraries or archives. Family history has given great pleasure to many hundreds of thousands of people. It’s difficult enough to be a challenge, but not so hard that it is impossible to crack. And who knows what you will come up with? You’re unlikely to be related to anybody rich or famous, but that doesn’t matter – most people are just happy to find among their everyday agricultural ancestors a poacher who was hanged for sheep-stealing.

This free web guide came with the October issue of Ancestors.

F irst steps TALK TO RELATIVES

Older relatives are a vital source of information.

egin by talking to the oldest members of your family. My father, for example, has some gripping tales about his great-aunts and uncles, all of whom passed away 60 years ago. Sadly, most researchers find they are the oldest living member of their families. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wish Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d asked granny when she was still alive,â&#x20AC;? is a common lament. Visit them with a tape recorder or notebook, plus a rough sketch of your family tree to check names and dates and fill in any gaps. Like all good interviewers, you need a list of basic questions, but also be prepared just to listen. Senior family members can often remember back to the 1920s, and may possibly have been told of events which happened many years before they were born. But family myths can change in the telling. Take all the stories with a pinch of salt, even though you may find there is a grain of truth at the end.

MEMENTOS Always look through family records to see what could help you. You might find: birth, death and marriage certificates, driving licences, medals, wills; 4

family Bibles; records of burial plots; school records; letters; postcards, and so on. Perhaps the most interesting mementos you will find are photographs. They are valuable because they record the lives of relations, many of whom are no longer with us, and tell you what they looked like. But there can be problems in identifying individuals, places or dates when the photos were taken, so ask around the family when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not sure.

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Basic sources

nce you have established what you have at home, it’s time to start using official records. There are two major sources: birth, marriage and death (BMD) certificates and census records. They contain details about your ancestors, such as who their parents were or what jobs they did – information you may not find elsewhere.

The Family Records Centre (FRC) in London.

BIRTH, MARRIAGE AND DEATH CERTIFICATES

On the ground floor of the FRC is the official collection of birth, marriage and death indexes for England and Wales. The marriage indexes are bound in green, births in red and deaths in black.

ivil (or state) registration began on 1 July 1837, and became compulsory in 1874. The certificates are important because they give the exact date of the event, and include information about other family members, such as occupations and parents’ names. Certificates often give other leads, such as addresses, which can help trace entries in censuses. All English and Welsh certificates are held by the General Register Office (GRO). You can see indexes at the Family Records Centre (FRC) in London, and microfiche copies are widely available at large libraries. They are also available on a variety of websites, such as 1837online or Ancestry.co.uk (see page 22 for details). Each year is covered by four registers. Once you have found the entry you want, note down the name of the district, volume and page number. You will need these to order a copy of a certificate,

which can be done in person at the FRC, or from the GRO by post, phone or online. Birth certificates give the date, child’s name and sex, mother’s name, father’s name and occupation. Other information includes:

n Maiden name of mother, which can help when looking for marriage certificates n When time of birth is given it usually suggests twins or a multiple birth n Illegitimacy is indicated by the absence of either a woman’s married name or the father of the child’s name

Basic sources

Marriage certificates tell you the date, names, ages, occupations, residence at time of marriage, fathersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; names and occupations, and witnesses (who were often friends or relations). Note that:

n If both parties give the same address they were not usually cohabiting but trying save the expense of having banns called in two parishes n The information given may enable you to trace birth certificates for parents n From 1912 registers are cross-referenced by both groom and bride

Death certificates give you the date, name, age (sometimes approximate), and occupation of the deceased, cause of death (not always accurate), and the informant. Although the least informative of the certificates, these are worth having because they give cause of death, this may occasionally be an accident, or even murder, which can be followed up through other sources.

CANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T FIND A NAME? n Because it can take up to six weeks for births to be registered, check later volumes for events which occurred in March, June, September and December.

n Try variants of the name (particularly the surname). n Check the records held by local registrars for their areas. n Look for the entry in a parish register. n If you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t find an exact reference, ensure you have at least an approximate place and time for the event. The more information you have, the easier it is not to waste money ordering the wrong certificates.

Basic sources CENSUS RECORDS

C ADDRESS: If they are not at the address you thought they should be, the chances are they have moved somewhere a few streets away. Do not mistake the number of the schedule with the house number. NAMES: Online census indexes often contain errors. If you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t find your ancestor, try all the variants you can think of, and use wildcards. POSITION IN THE HOUSEHOLD: This column reveals family relationships. Usually family are listed first, then visitors, then the servants. 10

ensuses have been taken every 10 years since 1801, usually in April. The surviving censuses start in 1841 and are available up to 1901: the 1911 census will be released in January 2012. They are a vital source because they show where all the family were at a particular time, and approximately how old they were. In addition, they

contain details about places of birth and occupations. Census records are held by the Family Records Centre, while many local record offices hold copies on microfiche or microform. You can also view them online at www.ancestry.co.uk for a fee. Other websites, such as www.1837online.com, www.thegenealogist.co.uk and www.1901censusonline.com have censuses for certain years. They are easy to use and fully indexed.

WHERE BORN: The place of birth (given from 1851 onwards) will help you locate births in parish registers and birth, marriage and death indexes AGES: Ages are often several years out and can change by more (or less) than 10 years between censuses OCCUPATION: This is normally clear. Employers are listed with the number of people they employed, while information given for farmers include the number of acres held.

O ther records

BIRTH, MARRIAGE AND DEATH RECORDS BEFORE 1837

U St Mary’s church at Worsbrough in South Yorkshire – there has been a church on the site since the 11th century

Page from a nonconformist register. They often contain more detail than their Anglican equivalents.

ntil state registration baptisms, marriages and funerals were only recorded by the church. Church of England parish registers, which continue to be kept today, began in 1538, although few survive before 1601. The further back you go, the more likely they are to be lost, and they can be difficult to read. Old registers are usually kept at county record offices. Duplicate copies, called bishops’ transcripts, were sent to the bishop for the diocese, but now also tend to be found at county record offices. They were often poorly kept, so are not very reliable. Many registers have been indexed and are included in the International Genealogical Index (IGI) found online at www.familysearch.org, or on microfiche at Latter-day Saints (LDS) Family History Centres, the Society of Genealogists (SoG), the Family Records Centre and some local record offices. Catholics and nonconformists kept their own records, but few survive from before the 18th century. Early registers were largely handed over to the government after state registration was

introduced, and can now be seen on microfilm at the FRC and Kew. More recent ones are often with county record offices.

WILLS

ills are useful because they list family members and give indications of wealth. However, before 1900 only about 10 per cent of people had sufficient possessions to make a will. Up till 1733 wills were often written in Latin, but it is fairly easy to pick out key points. Wills were administered by a complicated system of ecclesiastical courts, roughly depending on how rich the person making the will was. The largest and most

Early wills often include instructions for the disposal of the body, as does this will of 1782.

O ther records

important court was the Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PCC), where the wills of both the wealthiest and, increasingly during the 18th and 19th centuries, ordinary people were proved. You can see its records at the Family Records Centre or online (with a full index) at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ documentsonline. Probate on many wills proved in Northern England was handled by the Prerogative Court of York. Most of its records are held by the Borthwick Institute in York. Wills made by poorer people were administered by local courts and are held by local record offices. After 11 January 1858 the state took over responsibility, and wills from this date are held by the Principle Probate Registry. Details are indexed in the National Probate Calendar; copies up to 1943 can be seen at The National Archives, the FRC and some other archives.

NEWSPAPERS

ost local papers date from the mid-Victorian period onwards. They are valuable because they describe almost all local happenings â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from local government proceedings, weddings and funerals to accidents, obituaries and sporting events â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in great detail, usually with lists of participants. 14

It’s also worth reading the advertisements – especially if an ancestor was a tradesman or professional offering services. Trade periodicals can also be helpful. The largest collection is held by the British Library Newspapers. Most local libraries and record offices hold copies of newspapers covering their area.

DIRECTORIES

rom the late 18th century directories were published listing all trades people, local notables, and householders – although not the very poor. The most comprehensive appeared in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The largest collection of directories is held by Guildhall Library, Aldermanbury, London EC2P 2EJ, www.corpoflondon.gov.uk/ Corporation/ leisure_heritage. However, local libraries and record offices usually keep a number of directories for their area. Many have been published on CD by Archive CD Books (www.archivecdbooks.co.uk) and the British Data Archive (www.britishdataarchive.com). There is also a collection of directories online at www.historicaldirectories.org. 15

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O ther records MILITARY RECORDS

f you have soldier, seaman or airman ancestors then you are in luck. There are detailed records at The National Archives which should let you find more about their military service and, sometimes, even what they looked like.

A reader consulting a war diary in the Document Reading Room at The National Archives.

However you need to know they served with the Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force or Royal Marines ■ Approximately when they served ■ Whether your ancestor was an officer or other rank (rating in Royal Navy). Officers are listed in Army Lists, Navy Lists and Air Force Lists, which have been published at least once a year since the mid-18th century. TNA has an almost complete set ■ Whether

It also helps to know: ■ The regiment, naval ships or RAF squadron they served with ■ Their service number You may already have this information on medals, discharge papers or old photographs in your possession. Details of servicemen (and women) who died while in the forces since 1914 can be found at www.cwgc.org. Service records for men and women who have served since the end of 1919 are still with the Ministry of Defence. They can be seen by next of kin on payment of a fee, currently £30. For details 16

go to www.veteransagency.mod.uk. Service museums may also have information (mainly for officers). They are listed at www.mod.uk/ DefenceInternet/DefenceFor/Researchers/ FindHistoricalInformation.htm.

ARMY Pre-1914 here are officers’ records in series WO 76. Soldiers’ documents, for men who survived to receive a pension only, are in series WO 97 – there is an online index (1760-1854) at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue. Monthly muster rolls listing everybody in a regiment can largely be found in WO 12.

First World War Officer service records are in series WO 339 and WO 374, with an index in WO 338. Not all survive

O ther records WHERE TO GO

rchives held by the local record office and the local studies section in your library are two good starting points. The latter may well hold directories, photographs, maps and useful books. They can also put you in touch with your local family history group. The most comprehensive list of archives (which includes many libraries) is online at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk /archon. Details of many local studies libraries are on www.familia.org.uk. Otherwise, check the local telephone directory. If you are uncertain about where to start, or nervous about using archives and libraries, many towns have a Family History Centre, usually attached to a Latter-day Saints Church (Mormon) chapel. Patient volunteers will show you how to read their microfilm and microfiche records, which cover far more than just births, marriages and deaths. You can order copies of records from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City – the world’s largest – for a modest fee. You’ll find a list of these centres at www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/ FHC/ frameset_fhc.asp or call 020 7589 8561. You don’t have to a member of the Church to use the centres, nor will any attempt be made to talk to you about the Mormon faith.

and they are not always terribly informative. About 60 per cent of records of ordinary soldiers have been destroyed; the rest are available on microfilm at Kew. However, every officer and man is recorded on a medal index card. These can be found online at www.nationarchives.gov.uk/ documentsonline. The war diaries in series WO 95 will tell you what each unit was doing day by day. Second World War War diaries are in series WO 171-WO 178. Service records and medal rolls are still with the Ministry of Defence.

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NAVY

ervice records for officers between 1792 and 1925 are in series ADM 196. There were no service records for ratings before 1853. Thereafter they are in ADM 153 and ADM 188 to 1923 or can be researched online at www.nationarchives.gov.uk/ documentsonline. Shipsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; logs generally contain navigational or meteorological information only, so it may be difficult to find much else about a manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career.

ROYAL AIR FORCE

he RAF was formed on 1 April 1918 from the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service. Service records up until the end of 1919 are in AIR 76 (officers) and AIR 79 (other ranks). Detailed operation record books for squadrons are in AIR 1 (WW1) and AIR 27 (1936 onwards).

DH2 planes of 32 Squadron based at Vert Galland during the First World War.

S toring information ou will be surprised how quickly material accumulates as your researches progress, so you will need some method of storing this information, so you can find what you want quickly. A card index can be helpful, and you may like to open a file for every ancestor to keep certificates, extracts from documents or notes about them safe. Don’t forget to note where and when you found the information. This can be done on paper, but there’s also a variety of different software programs – although of course you will still have to type in the data or scan in images – which enable you to draw up family trees and share information with other relatives and researchers. The most popular software is the widely available Family Tree Maker (www.familytreemaker.com), preferably the British edition. A highly regarded alternative is Family Historian (www.family-historian.co.uk). Two free programs which can be downloaded from the internet are: the standard edition of Legacy on www.legacyfamilytree.com; and Personal Ancestral File on www.familysearch.org under the tab “Order/Download Products”.

An alternative to installing specialist software is to store your family tree online at www.pedigreesoft.com or at www.ancestry.co.uk/trees. The basic services are free.

COMMON TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS Ag Lab BMD BT FRC FWK GRO IGI

MI NK NBI

Agricultural labourer Births, marriages and deaths Bishopsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; transcripts Family Records Centre Framework knitter General Register Office International Genealogical Index, a huge, but incomplete, index to baptisms and marriages before 1837 Monumental Inscription Not known National Burial Index, an incomplete index to burials before 1837

Nonconformist Members of churches or chapels other than the Church of England or Catholic church PCC Prerogative Court of Canterbury, the most important probate court before 1858 PRO Public Record Office (now part of TNA) Probate The process of proving an individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s will SoG Society of Genealogists TNA The National Archives

W ebsites

PAY-PER-VIEW SITES

ouâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll either need to buy a voucher for a certain number of units or a subscription for a specific period. Full details of charges are given on each site. www.ancestry.co.uk has many more resources than the others, including all English and Welsh censuses between 1841 and 1901 and indexes to birth, marriage and death records. Take advantage of the free 30-day trial subscription. www.1837online.com provides indexes to BMD records, some censuses, plus lots of military material. www.familyhistoryonline.co.uk includes most of the National Burial Index, plus high quality census indexes. www.genesreunited.com comprises 76 million names submitted by subscribers. The basic service is free. 22

FREE SITES www.cyndislist.com links to 260,000 genealogy websites worldwide. www.genuki.org.uk offers comprehensive information about British and Irish genealogy. www.nationalarchives.gov.uk contains the huge number of resources provided by The National Archives. www.freebmd.org.uk holds indexes to English and Welsh birth, marriage and death certificates. Although incomplete, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easier to use than commercial sites. www.familysearch.org has details of millions of births and marriages before state registration in 1837. It includes the IGI, with extracts from many UK parish registers plus the 1881 census. www.ukbmd.org.uk has links to birth, marriage and death indexes prepared by a number of local registrars. (For more essential sites see the booklet which came free with our October issue)

F urther information FAMILY HISTORY WITHOUT A COMPUTER

hile computers and the internet can make your research much easier, it is quite possible to trace your family without going anywhere near a terminal. And if you do need to do some research online, most libraries have internetlinked computers and often subscribe to the most popular sites, such as ancestry.co.uk. Library staff will show you what to do â&#x20AC;&#x201C; just ask. Birth, marriage and death indexes for England and Wales are on the shelves at the Family Records Centre. Many local history libraries or archives have copies on microfilm, usually up to 1983. The National Archives also has a set of indexes in the microfilm reading room at Kew. A complete set of censuses is available on microfilm at the Family Records Centre, together with detailed indexes to names and streets. Again, local studies libraries and record offices should have copies of films, or occasionally print-outs, for their areas. The International Genealogical Index and its most recent edition, the British Isles Vital Records Index (BIVRI), which is not online in any case, can be viewed on microfiche or CD at many local studies libraries and record offices. 24

Parish registers are generally held by local record offices, although the Family Records Centre has nonChurch of England ones from before 1837. The Society of Genealogists has a pretty complete collection of registers on microfilm or in book form.