Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2020 i Family Tree UK

A toast to the ancestors, to family history & to you Well it’s been quite a year hasn’t it, and there can’t be a single one among us who isn’t pleased and relieved to have family history to escape to. Despite its Covid-related trials and tribulations – events cancelled, archives closed, family meetings too few and far between – there have been some silver linings to the 2020 cloud too, with perhaps (hopefully for you) more time to research, and numerous new talks and meetings online to take in and enjoy with fellow family history enthusiasts from around the globe. These are things that I am looking forward to us carrying on into the next year. So, as ever, let’s raise a glass to our ancestors and our dear families…

Explore 12,000 Kent records - spotlighting ancestors at birth and death FindMyPast’s recent record update comprises birth and baptism records covering several major parishes in the county of Kent Over 7,000 parish baptisms covering Sutton-at-Hone, Woolwich and St Mary Cray have been added to the FindMyPast’s Kent collection. You can explore these transcripts and images of original church registers to discovernew Kent family milestones. The records have been provided in association with Canterbury Cathedral Archives, Kent County Council, Medway Archives, the North West Kent Family History Society and Val Brown. If your ancestor was laid to rest in Kent you can discover where and when they were buried, with over 5,000 new burials from the parishes of Eltham and Thames & Medway. The new additions complement FindMyPast’s Kent coverage which…

GENEALOGY AND IDENTITY DO YOU NOW KNOW WHO YOU ARE? Are you more than a TICK IN A BOX? Chris Paton reflects on his changing sense of identity, thanks to family history. Read on and consider how family history might have changed how you see yourself too Many of us carrying out our family history research will have started for a particular reason. For some of us it might have been to try to fill in a perceived gap within the received knowledge of our family, whether through the vague curiosity of just wanting to know, or as a means to resolve a huge chasm in the story, for example, if an adopted child. For others the interest might be for the hope of finding some ‘lost money’ or a…

CONFRONTING THE PAST INVESTIGATING THE SLAVE TRADE Searching the Legacies of British Slave-ownership database Search the website for biographical information about slave owners, and details and whereabouts of the plantations, and so learn more about the legacies of colonial slavery, the land and wealth involved, the owners – and the background to the lives of enslaved people STEP 1: Go to www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/ and search on your names of interest STEP 2: The search results list provides information about number of enslaved people owned, their monetary value and the plantation STEP 3: The advanced search both allows you to search more precisely and gives an overview of the sort of information you may find listed STEP 4: An example of a search result, showing the amount that the owner, Ann Molineux…

SUBSCRIPTION OFFER Give the gift of GENEALOGY this Christmas Or treat yourself, you deserve it, with these special subscription offers Offer 1 Oxford Dictionary of English surnames bookPay just £10.99 a quarter and receive this book for FREE Offer 2 Pay just £3.99 a month with this rolling subscription and save big on the cover price! Offer 3 Receive 6 issues for just £19.99– No commitment, one-off payment. Perfect as a gift! Subscribe today! 3 EASY WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE: SUBSCRIPTION FORM FOR UK SUBSCRIBERS, please return your completed form to our simple freepost address: Family Tree subscriptions, FREEPOST: WARNERS GROUP (FTRE) FOR EUROPE & THE REST OF THE WORLD, please return your form to: Family Tree subscriptions, Warners Group Publications Plc, The Maltings, West Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 9PH, UK Complete th he enclosed form…

IT’S TIME TO UNLOCK THE STORY OF YOUR GENES TASK OF THE MONTH A big thank you to John Cooper for suggesting our task of the month. After watching a YouTube video on grouping matches he felt it was something all our readers would find useful. I agree! When we first receive our Ancestry DNA results we have a long list of cousins but often we recognise very few, if any. Ancestry brought out a handy way of grouping our matches so that we can get working on how they relate to us. Below is a screenshot of an Ancestry DNA match list. None of the matches were known to me before testing. I’ve attached a tree to these DNA results so you can see I’m getting ‘common ancestor’ hints…

IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS How did you do? Discover how you got on with last issue’s challenges. Family Tree Academy tutor David Annal gives the answers below Last month we showed you three documents – none of which were written in English and set you some challenges. How did you get on? Document A Thomas Bull, baptism, Sardinian Chapel, London I What was the name of Thomas’s godmother? Roman Catholic baptismal registers usually record the names of two godparents or sponsors. Here the words ‘Patrini fuere’ can be translated as ‘The godparents/sponsors were’. Thomas’s godfather was Michael Moynihan and his godmother was Catharine Lynch. II Where was Thomas’s mother born? Charles and Catherine Bull were living at an address in Abbey Place in the parish of St George, Bloomsbury on the…

EAST YORKSHIRE FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY Spotlight on… East Yorkshire Family History Society Barbara Watkinson showcases the work of a society with more than forty years of history and an impressive publication programme, including over 300 monumental inscription projects completed and available to researchers The East Yorkshire Family History Society (EYFHS) came about as a result of discussions between Tom Harrison and John Markham. By using publicity on local radio and newspapers it brought 50 interested people to the reference library in Beverley on 1 February 1977. The meetings are still held in Beverley on the first Tuesday of each month at the Cricket Club Pavilion, Recreation Lane. By the autumn of that year, when the society`s first journal The Banyan Tree was produced, there were over 100 members and talks and…

ALL ABOUT FAMILY HISTORY NEWS 8 MILLION WELSH PARISH RECORDS ON ANCESTRY, MYHERITAGE & THEGENEALOGIST Explore more than four centuries of Welsh baptisms, marriages and burials in the parish registers & discover the details for 14.5 million individual ancestors The Welsh parish registers collection, newly available on Ancestry, MyHeritage and TheGenealogist, comprises registers for about 500 parishes digitised by the National Libary of Wales (NLW) and the Welsh County Archivists group, spanning 1538 to 1994. The vast collection of 8 million parish records includes the details for 14.5 million individuals and covers all 13 historic counties of Wales: Anglesey, Brecknockshire, Caernarfonshire, Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Glamorgan, Merionethshire, Monmouthshire, Montgomeryshire, Pembrokeshire and Radnorshire. Rhona Murray, Content Acquisition Manager at Ancestry comments: “The release of these records marks the first time that…

Over 2 million names included on new RAF release from TheGenealogist TheGenealogist has released 71 new Air Force Lists with over 2 million searchable names, as well as 385 extra war memorials listing over 31,000 names The launch of this resource gives access to 71 new Air Force Lists from 1919 to 1945 with over 2 million searchable names. Air Force Lists are useful for family history researchers to see what the officer’s rank was in different years and, by looking at the letters written after his name in the list, they can tell you what medals your ancestor had been awarded. These join a large run of similar Army and Navy Lists and other military records on TheGenealogist. With 3,400 new photos in the latest War Memorials release, these…

NEWS UK AGE 90+ POPULATION NOW AT ITS LARGEST EVER: NEW ONS DATA A birth spike after World War I is now reflected in new figures released by the ONS, showing data for men and women aged 90 and over around the UK This annual mid-year population estimate from the Office for National Statistics compares population by age, sex and UK country. Key findings released in September show that: There were more than 600,000 people aged 90 years and over in 2019, increasing by 3.6% compared with 2018, from 584,024 to 605,181. There were just over twice as many women as men aged 90 years and over in 2019. The number of people alive at almost every age from 90 years and above was higher in 2019 than in 2018,…

BITE-SIZE FAMILY HISTORY 60-MINUTE RESEARCH The lunch hour genealogist Being busy doesn’t mean you have to neglect your favourite hobby, you can still learn in your lunch break! It’s time to tuck into Rachel Bellerby’s genealogy treats Know-how in under 100 words! MRCA This common abbreviation means ‘most recent common ancestor’ and is a really good way of connecting with someone who’s contacted you about an online tree or DNA match. If the two of you are related, you just need to work backwards along both of your branches to work out who your most recent shared ancestor is. For example if your first shared ancestor is your great-great grandparent then you are third cousins. Use our handy relationship calculator http://familytr.ee/shared to help you. Project of the month! Make a…

DIGGING DEEPER TRACING BRANCHES Twiglets Diarist Gill Shaw charts the rollercoaster ride of researching her family history From Melbourne sunshine to Manchester drizzle, and I’m down to the last but one of my great-grandfather Mark John Leah’s siblings. With any luck Ernest Albert Leah will be an easy nut to crack especially if, like MJ himself, he likes to use both his forenames. On my benchmark 1881 Census in Openshaw, Ernest is a boy of nine and the first in the family to be born outside Cheshire. A quick search and here’s the BMD entry: born Chorlton, June quarter 1871, he must have been just a month or so off his 10th birthday when that census was taken. On to 1891 then, and 19-year-old Ernest A Leah, a cab driver,…

IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS Your Family Tree Academy End of Year Challenges Now it’s time to put your skills to the test. • This page from the 1891 Census records the inhabitants of six houses in Queen’s Road, Watford. We’ve set some questions relating to the members of each household. • The census is just the starting point and you’ll need to look at other sources to find all of the answers. Hackney family 4 Queen’s Road I What is the full GRO reference for the birth of Daisy Mabel Hackney? II What was Jessey’s maiden surname? III When and where was Florence Bates baptised? Sturman family 6 Queen’s Road IV What was George Sturman’s mother called? V Where was Mary Ann living at the time of the 1911 census? VI…

EASY WAYS TO KEEP GREAT NOTES MY WHEN? WHERE? WHY? WHAT? WHAT NEXT? NOTES It’s so important to write down your family history findings, so that you can grow your research, without wasting time or getting in a muddle. The research log and blank family tree layouts on these pages are to help you jot down your discoveries as you go Use these resources as a place to record your work in progress. We hope you find the research log useful for keeping your thoughts straight, and the mini blank family trees handy for jotting down new ancestors’ details while you are gathering information in a research session. MY FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH LOG Feel free to make scans or photocopies of these pages for your own family history use. ©…

DIARY DATES DISCOVER LEARNING EXPERIENCES TO ENJOY FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN SOFA! Join in with events from the family history WEBINARS & ONLINE TALKS Throughout December 1 December, searching for your Welsh ancestors Gill Thomas explains the many difference resources for findings your Welsh ancestors and exploring their lives over the centuries. Talk hosted by The Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies. Runs 2pm-4pm. £10. Book at http://familytr.ee/welshfamily 2 December, Introduction to family history Norfolk Record Office presents a one-hour introduction to tracing your family tree, with tips on accessing and using census records, civil registration and parish registers to trace your ancestors. The free workshop also includes a voucher to receive half price access to an in-person workshop once Norfolk Record Office…

NEWS Explore over 1.5 million individuals with Norfolk parish record release These records include high quality images to complement the transcripts, making them a valuable resource for those with ancestors from this area. The fully searchable records of church registers from parishes in Norfolk include records that reach back to the mid 16th century, so that you can find the names of forebears, their parents’ forenames, the father’s occupation (where noted), and the parish where the event took place in. This latest addition brings the total number of individuals in the parish records for Norfolk on TheGenealogist to over 11.5 million. These new parish records are available as part of the Diamond Subscription at TheGenealogist.…

ALL ABOUT FAMILY HISTORY Heritage Index reveals English towns with ‘heritage potential’ Places as diverse as a seaside resort in Essex and a former mill town in Lancashire are among those with the most untapped ‘heritage potential’, a new ranking reveals The RSA Heritage Index 2020, in collaboration with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, looks at which places have the most ‘heritage potential’, suggesting that they could use their heritage assets, especially to promote a post-Covid recovery in their local areas. The report argues that heritage does not need solely to focus on traditional, built assets, and that heritage also constitutes shared experience, local histories and ‘intangible’ heritage. In the context of new movements to rethink the history of England and the UK, the report calls for a new, inclusive…

42.2 million indexed Norway church records released by MyHeritage MyHeritage has announced the release of more than 42.2 million historic church records for Norway, covering the years 1815 to 1938 The records, which were digitised in collaboration with the National Archives of Norway (Arkivverket), consist of 42.2 million indexed records and high quality scans of the original documents. The records include births & baptisms, marriages, and deaths & burials. This new release doubles the number of Norwegian historical records on MyHeritage. Each of these record sets contains valuable clues that could help you extend your family tree. The birth and baptism records include both birthdate and baptism date, whether the child was legitimate or illegitimate, and the names of godparents and witnesses. The marriage records include place of residence and…

IT’S TIME TO UNLOCK THE STORY OF YOUR GENES Your DNA Workshop DNA discover your story Welcome to the DNA Workshop! In every issue of Family Tree, DNA adviser Karen Evans will be helping you gen up on your genes, so you can: • Learn practical skills with the DNA case studies • Discover the latest tools, books, blogs and must-have kit to take your DNA learning further. It’s time to unlock the story of your genes… NA is as fascinating as it is complicated. In the DNA Workshop we’ll aim to give you practical advice in understandable wording. So, whether you’ve taken a test, or are simply curious to learn more, read on! Let’s jump right in with a case study. DNA CASE STUDY Reader Pauline writes: I have…

RESEARCHING AT HOME Join The Family Tree Academy & become a skilled family historian The Family Tree Academy is specially created to help you discover more about the records, resources and research skills you need to become the best genealogist you can be! Read on to find out how to join in with Family Tree Academy challenges How does it work? 1. Tackle research case studies 2. Learn about a broad range of records 3. Take your research to the next level. Who can join? The Family Tree Academy monthly challenges are available FREE to all readers of Family Tree. How do I get started? • Simply turn to page 46 to start learning about our document of the month: wills. • On page 50 you will find the answers…

DISCOVER RESEARCH SOLUTIONS YOUR FAMILY MYSTERIES SOLVED Your questions answered With our experts Jayne Shrimpton, David Annal, David Frost and Mary Evans Multiple marriages … & no divorce Q My great-grandmother, Sarah Maskell, born 1856 in Wollaston, Stourbridge, had been married to Daniel James (born 1851, Tividale, died 1916, possibly Wolverhampton). The marriage took place in Tudhoe, Durham, in 1874. They had four children that I know of: Elijah Alexander; Charlotte Elizabeth; Ernest John; and Thomas B (Benjamin?). They seem to have separated c1881-82. Sarah then met my great-grandfather William (Alfred?) Lamb. Their first child, William Benjamin, was born in Staffordshire; my grandfather, Thomas Athol, was born in 1900 in Tudhoe, Durham. Daniel went on to marry twice more, claiming he was a widower, marrying Eliza Wilkes in 1892 and Fannie…

SHARING YOUR VIEWS HAVE YOUR SAY Your LETTERS Medical heroes, memorial inscriptions & more Contact tracing 117 years ago In Sudan, in late July of 1903, a case of smallpox was found in the town of Omdurman, across the river from Khartoum where the Blue and White Nile meet. Within hours, this case was followed by two more, both children. After confirming that first case, Dr. John B. Christopherson, one of only four British physicians at that time in Sudan and head of the newly formed Sudan Medical Service, pressed his staff, Dr. Hasan Zaki, an Egyptian, and several Syrian and Sudanese medical workers into action. They traced the infection to visitors from another town, they limited the movement of troops and workers, inspecting, vaccinating and quarantining suspects, all in the…