My Family History

Genealogy or Family History?
Genealogy, the study of pedigree differs from family history. The genealogist is concerned with ancestral descent and establishing family relationships.
The family historian aims to produce a well documented narrative history of interest to family members and future generations. The study of family history actually puts the ‘flesh on the bones’ and includes the historical circumstances and geographical situations surrounding the family.

How Far Back?
In England and Wales you should be able to trace your family roots with comparative ease back to 1837 when civil registration of births, marriages and deaths began. Getting back beyond 1837 normally relies mainly on the use of parish registers – with luck, and allied to other types of records, these might enable you to trace your family back to the 16th century. Beyond this can be extremely difficult, unless you can tie into a well documented pedigree, e.g. a famous person or a great land-owning family.

How to Begin?
Note the names of your close family and draw a rough family tree, starting with yourself at the bottom. If you are only able to go back as far as your grandparents, you are doing all right, particularly if you can fill in most or all of the birth, marriage and death dates. A great many people will not be able to get this far back at first so, if you are one of them, don’t let it bother you. The British love of red tape produced great record keepers!

Write down the names of all older relatives who are still left in the family; such relatives can be a mine of information. They may have birth, marriage and death certificates, in which case, borrowing copies of these will save you time and money.

Perhaps they will also have family bibles containing family history information going back many years, or photo albums or other documents that could help. You may find a relative has already started researching part of your family tree and will be willing to share this information with you. It will pay to contact them, either in person or by phone, letter or e-mail as soon as possible.

Visit your local library and see if they have a selection of books on how to trace your family tree.
Locate your nearest family history society. Even if your family does not originate locally, you will find meeting fellow family historians helpful, and listening to talks by knowledgeable speakers a bonus. If your family origins are further away, joining that local society could prove useful. The Federation of Family History Societies publishes a list of county societies on its web site www.ffhs.org. Each society publishes its own periodical, and virtually all produce a list of members’ interests. Membership fees are quite reasonable.

Article Source: http://www.familyhistoryarticles.com

Chalmers Cursley has been a family historian for 25 years. He is a member of the Society of Genealogists and the Guild of One-Name Studies. Please visit his Web Site and his Blog.

An announcement from the National Archives about the 1911 census reads: 

The National Archives is delighted to announce that ScotlandOnline will partner the UK government´s official archive in the forthcoming project to put the 1911 census for England and Wales online.

The 1911 census (document references RG 14 and RG 78) is huge  – it currently occupies 2 kilometres of shelving at The National Archives.  Comprising over eight million householder schedules and a further 38,000 enumerators´ summary books, it details information relating to approximately 35 million people then living in England and Wales.

Once digitised the census will take up an equally large ½ a petabyte of computer memory or, physically, 800 data tapes. The digital scanning alone in preparation for digitisation will create 18 million images – 14 times the number of images created in advance of the 1901 census being launched online in 2002.

Census records are invaluable in helping us trace our ancestors, and access to them can help those seeking to trace their family tree.  From 2009 there will be a phased release of the information in the 1911 census starting with the major conurbations. This will include images and transcription data, but with sensitive data redacted in line with the Information Commissioner´s recent ruling.   From 3 January 2012 the public will have full access to the entire 1911 census, including the information not accessible in 2009. Researchers anywhere in the world will be able to search across the fields of the census by name, address or The National Archives reference,  and download high-resolution digital images.

You can read the remainder of the article here….

According to the Times Online genealogy has become a national obsession with more than 3 million people using the National Archives to research their family history. 

The article that focuses on the TV program Who Do You Think You Are? discusses the happiness and the heartbreaks of tracing your family roots.  It’s not uncommon for some people to discover illegitimacy, bigamy, adoption, previously unknown relatives and even criminals in their family.  But it seems there are others who are disappointed if they fail to find some dark secret…

The article reminded me of my own search for my 3rd great grandmother Eliza Page.  Eliza arrived in Australia with her husband Thomas Sayer in December of 1852.  Sadly less than four years later she was dead; murdered in Horsham, Victoria by John Ross a neighbour.

You can read more about the article by John Naish here:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8123-2434913,00.html

Seed scientists from the Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst Place, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew´s garden in West Sussex, have germinated 200 year old seeds discovered in The National Archives.

Earlier this year Roelof van Gelder, a guest researcher from the Royal Dutch Library, found 32 different species of seeds in 40 small packets stored in a red leather-bound notebook within files held at The National Archives. 

The seeds are thought to have been collected by a Dutch Merchant, Jan Teerlink, during a trip to the Cape of Good Hope in 1804. [more...]

Source: The National Archives, 20th Sept, 2006