Innholdsfortegnelse for Novemeber 2022 i Family Tree UK

Every issue of Family Tree is a delight to work on and I’d be hardpressed to choose a favourite piece, yet an article that has particularly captured my imagination this issue is Mike Maskrey’s on medieval research. Now if you’ve not ‘got that far back’ don’t panic – Icertainly haven’t either. Nevertheless his account gives remarkable insights to the daily lives, work and community of a town and its people in the 15th century. It gives hints as to useful records to track down, and provides a vibrant case study, showing what might be accomplished when we dig deeper and further into the records. VIDEO CONTENT TAP HERE to watch Helen Tovey’s welcome & introduction Closer in time, David Annal’s article also struck a chord, with his exhortation reminding us…

Now available to consumers in 89 countries and territories on five continents, the expansion more than doubles the number of markets where people can access AncestryDNA. The list of new markets where AncestryDNA is available for purchase includes: • Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saba, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, US Virgin Islands • Pacific Islands: Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands • South America: Argentina, Guyana • Europe: Portugal, Latvia, Iceland, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Monaco, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Serbia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro • Asia:…

The Archives and Records Association instituted the ARA Excellence Awards to recognise excellence and contributions by individuals and teams in the record keeping sector. The work of the sector is described as being ‘vital in supporting democracy and human rights’, and in preserving and sharing the heritage of the UK and Ireland. To celebrate the achievements of record keeping professionals and their contribution to society, ARA has four special awards: Distinguished Service Award (DSA), Record Keeper of the Year, Record Keeping Service of the Year and New Professional of the Year Award. In 2022 over 750 votes were cast by the public resulting in the following awards being made: • Record keeping service of the Year – Barnsley Archives and Local Studies (Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council) • Record keeper of…

ESSENTIAL SEARCH SKILLS TO MASTER We’ve all experienced it. We’re researching a new family and we’re working back generation-bygeneration, looking for details of each ancestor’s birth, marriage and death so we can begin to tell the stories of their lives. It’s all going swimmingly and then suddenly we run into a brick wall. Our search for Mary’s origins or for a record of Thomas’s birth fails to turn up anything promising. We may try a different search and quickly solve the problem but what if we don’t? What if, years later, we’re still looking and we still can’t find what we’re looking for? The classic family history brick wall Birth records are vital to our research: an essential component in our ongoing pursuit of our ancestors, providing the crucial evidence…

Since its beginning in 1976, the society has aimed to become a centre of excellence by encouraging Cornish family history research. Covid-19 and the enforced lockdowns over the past two years have affected everyone and we found ourselves having to close our library, arrange for our secretary to work from home, and learn to use Zoom so that we could continue to hold our executive meetings. Thankfully, we are now able to operate normally. Our library in Truro is now open to the public again and having initially put an appointment system in place, we are gradually relaxing this and welcoming some visitors without prior booking. Overseas visitors who are keen to research their Cornish roots are now able to travel to Cornwall again and get help from our library…

Exceeding the record of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria’s reign of 63 years, seven months and two days, Queen Elizabeth II’s reign had lasted precisely seven years longer, at 70 years, seven months and two days. The longest reigning male British monarch was George III with 59 years and 96 days, while as James VI of Scotland, James mustered 57 years and 246 days. King Charles III already enters the regnal record books on account of being the longest-serving heir apparent, and on his coronation he will be the oldest British monarch to be crowned (being currently 73 years old). The previous holder of the record of oldest monarch on accession had been King William VI, who come to the throne age 64 in 1830. The youngest monarch to ascend the…

Included in the release are some interesting memorials that allow researchers to see details about ancestors who have been immortalised on gravestones. These inscriptions can provide useful information about the deceased, and often other family members too. The headstone records released cover various burial places and include, at Mells St Andrew, Somerset, Siegfried Sasson, Ronald Arbuthnot Knox, a translator of the Bible, and some members of the Bonham Carter family and the Asquith family. In St Peter’s Churchyard, Bournemouth, is the grave of Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein. She was the widow of the Romantic poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley, who was cremated in Italy – though some of his remains are reputedly also interred in this grave, having been buried along with their son Sir Percy Florence Shelley. The…

Even if your forebears were not particularly associated with the sea, bear in mind that the Merchant Navy and Royal Navy employed people with all sorts of skills from civilian life including carpenters, engineers, clerks, stewards, cooks, doctors and accountants amongst many others. The Royal Navy also enlisted many civilians from various walks of life via press gangs in the 18th century, and by voluntary and compulsory enlistment during the two world wars. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, large numbers of crewmen in the Merchant Navy were British subjects from Empire nations outside the UK such as India, Hong Kong and the Caribbean as well as non-British subjects. Contemporary accounts note that there were some roles that were more likely to be filled by men from certain regions…

Making DNA work FOR YOU 'Could you help me find my grandfather?' SHEILA WRITES: Dear Karen Could you help me find my grandfather? My father (James Thomas Unwin born 1903 West Bromwich) was illegitimate. James was born to Eliza Unwin but by 1911 he was living with her sister Ann who brought him up as her own. When we were small we thought Ann and her husband were James’ parents. My sisters and I have been told that Eliza met a man named Thomas Roberts who she refused to marry when she found out she was pregnant so Thomas moved to America. I don’t know if I believe this but when I took a DNA test I did see someone called Roberts on my match list who comes from West…

ONSITE EVENTS Exploring your ancestors’ parish church and churchyard, 30 November Celia Heritage will take members of Doncaster FHS on a trip round a parish church and churchyard, helping participants to learn, observe and appreciate many different aspects of the sacred place which was the centre of our ancestors’ lives in so many different ways for so many centuries. She will also take a look at the types of graves you can expect your ancestors to have been buried in.Venue: Castle Park, Doncaster. Member-only hybrid event, runs 7.30pm-9pm. Find out how to join the society at https://doncasterfhs.co.uk/membership/ Glean: early 20th-century women film makers and photographers in Scotland, 12 November 2022 - 12 March 2023 An exhibition presenting the work of fourteen pioneering women photographers and filmmakers working in Scotland during…

The study aims to help researchers understand if genetics impact Long COVID symptoms and recovery through the analysis of genetic data. The long-term hope is this will help researchers to identify new treatment options in the future. Eligible participants will receive a free at-home Sano DNA test as part of the study and will have full access to, and control of, their DNA data via the Sano Genetics platform. To take part, you need to sign up to the Sano Genetics platform if you’re happy with the terms and conditions, and then answer a series of question to find out whether you are eligible to take part.  Find out more at https://sanogenetics.com/study/gold…

Together, the British Newspaper Archive and the British Library are committed to releasing a total of five million free pages over five years, which can be accessed online on the British Newspaper Archive website and on Findmypast. Much of this content has been made available as part of several major digitisation projects based at the British Library: 19th Century Newspapers; Heritage Made Digital, which seeks to transform digital access to the British Library’s rare and early collections; and the Living with Machines research project, a collaboration between the British Library, The Alan Turing Institute and five partner universities, and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) via UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Strategic Priorities Fund.  These free pages, covering the years 1699-1900 across 244 titles, increase the accessibility…

Pensioner David Grant from Brixham, Devon, was restoring an antique desk in his loft when he discovered the trove belonging to Armourer Serjeant Edward Webb, who fought in one of the most celebrated episodes of bravery ever recorded on the battlefield. Serjeant Webb was among a twodeep line of around 500 infantry from the 93rd (Sutherland Highlanders) Regiment, who stood firm against a force of around 2,500 Russian cavalrymen during the Crimean War (1853-56) in an episode immortalised by historians as ‘the thin red line incident’. His medals were hidden behind a panel in a Victorian writing slope activated by a spring mechanism concealed in a crack in the wood grain, which Mr Grant discovered while brushing away cobwebs. Serjeant Webb’s photo was found along with the medals, a lock…

The Mascury family of mediaeval Nottingham lived and worked in the town c.1400- 1530. The evidence from the Nottingham Borough Records and Court Rolls suggests that they were a well-respected, wealthy family of butchers with at least four generations of the family engaged in the family business. For over 100 years, the family flourished, accumulating wealth from the various butcher’s shops, market stalls, slaughterhouses, and tenements they owned. Then, in c.1530, the family disappeared. The last entry in the borough records dates from 1524. There are no more entries for the Mascurys in Nottingham in the late mediaeval period after this date. Research into the individual members of the family, some of whom are mentioned frequently in the mediaeval records of the town, has disclosed much about family life in…

USING A DIGI TAL PENCIL John Smith shares the ways in which he uses his tablet and digital pencil. He writes: Thanks very much for launching your series on gadgets and other aids for family historians; I’m looking forward to taking full advantage of other readers’ suggestions! For my part I’d certainly recommend the benefits of using a digital pencil with a tablet to take notes and sketch family trees. The default note app that came with my tablet is fine for my needs, especially now I’ve realised that new notes can be opened with lines or grids already in place and titles can be changed and sorted (see right). Ways in which John uses his digital pencil A combination of Covid and caring responsibilities has meant I’ve used my…

Missing without a trace c.WW1... QI’m trying to find the date and place of death of my Grandfather Frederick James Greetham born 1878 in Clapham Surrey. I have information about him up until the 1911 Census but after that nothing, except on my mother’s marriage certificate he is listed as deceased. Doris married Horace Dowdell Gray in 1928 in Reigate, Surrey. I have been through military records and war grave records but found nothing. His wife Ethel was in a psychiatric hospital and the two children Doris and Gwen were both at a special school (Doris being my mother). My mother never spoke about her parents not even to my two brothers, and I found out a little while ago that Ethel died in 1950 when I was 10 years…