Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2023 i Family Tree UK

Who do I mean? Where would we be without ‘who’? Well of course – where would we be without our ancestors? They’re the backdrop to our lives, aren’t they? They occupy our thoughts (waking and sleeping), they puzzle and delight us, sometimes break our hearts, and certainly sometimes frustrate us when they refuse to be found ‘where they should be’. But also where would we be without all the rest of us alive on the planet today – without the wonderful genealogy community? From Karen Evans sharing her DNA know-how (see page 54 for some really useful DNA insights!); to Greg Clarke and Mags Gaulden explaining WikiTree and the global endeavour of a millionplus volunteer family history enthusiasts to work together to build a well-sourced online family tree (see page…

With exclusive access to the 1921 Census of England and Wales and access to FindMyPast’s archive of over 70 million historical newspaper pages, the new three-month Premium subscription is available for £59.99. Any existing subscribers who wish to upgrade can do so on a pro-rata basis. Coming soon: Don’t miss the Family Tree new user guide to Findmypast packed with practical tips by Mary McKee in the December issue. Ancestry has announced the launch of Know Your Pet DNA, an at home DNA test that reveals your pet’s breed mix, traits, and matches. Find out more at https://petdna.ancestry.com/products…

Centuries will not Suffice: a history of the Lithuanian holocaust by Prit Buttar Most of us are, sadly, only too familiar with the Jewish holocaust but perhaps less aware of the fact that well before the creation of the death camps in which millions of people met their end, the Nazi regime’s killing machine was already underway in Lithuania. In Centuries will not Suffice, author Prit Buttar takes a respectful and sensitive look at this aspect of the holocaust, looking at the atrocities from the perspective of both the victims and perpetrators. Of course, the narrative is at times, extremely difficult to read and to take in; human behaviour at its very lowest point. Thankfully, there is a glimmer of humanity through the author’s portrayal of the heroic actions of…

YOUR ANCESTORS' FANS! Ilike to think that family history research has moved on significantly from the days when the aim of most researchers was simply to fill in as many names as they could on their pedigree chart. They might enhance the pedigree with the occasional date of birth, death or marriage while the particularly adventurous would include some places associated with their ancestors, or even an occupation or two. Nowadays, there’s – quite rightly! – much more emphasis on the ‘family’ aspect of family history. We now want to understand more about our ancestors lives and, in order to do that, we’ve had to learn a lot of new skills. Thoughts on the wider family The first step on this particular journey is to extend our research to include…

This column explains all the recognised methods of dating old family photos and we now scrutinise our ancestors’ appearance as they posed before the camera. Clothes, accessories and hairstyles are key fashion features, and whilst we should consider all the available photo-dating clues (covered previously) dress details, when correctly identified, provide an accurate time frame. They can be pivotal, especially if other evidence is scarce or hard to interpret. Here we continue looking at men’s neckwear, now focusing on the 1890s to 1930s, when shirt collars and neckties were still important for a respectable male image. Subtle differences in their size and shape all assist with dating photographs from the late-19th and 20th centuries. • During the 1890s and turn of the 1900s various styles of neckwear were fashionable concurrently,…

I’d like to identify the soldiers in these photographs I have two photographs belonging to my late parents’ effects, neither of which have any information on their reverse, but must have been important to them. Photo 1 is two soldiers who might be father and son. Photo 2 is a man in uniform, who I wonder might be the same young man seated in Photo 1. I’m trying to determine the identity of the soldiers to be able to fit them to my family tree (regiment, dates, ages, locations etc). I do know that my grandfather, born 1886, was in the 2nd Battalion, Manchester Regiment from 1904-07, then again briefly 1914-15. Most of my ancestors were from Lancashire. James Rigby Photo No.1 The Kings Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) The…

EDITORIAL Editor -Helen Tovey helen.t@family-tree.co.uk Deputy Editor -Rachel Bellerby rachelb@warnersgroup.co.uk Editorial 01778 395050 editorial@family-tree.co.uk DESIGN Senior Designer -Nathan Ward nathanw@warnersgroup.co.uk Designers Rajneet Gill rajneet.gill@warnersgroup.co.uk Mary Ward maryw@warnersgroup.co.uk Unsolicited material: We regret that we cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage to material sent to us for possible publication. It is advisable to send copies rather than originals. Any items sent for review will be disposed of at our discretion, unless a specific request for its return with a postage paid, addressed envelope is enclosed for this purpose. Images sent in for Q&A pages may be used on our social media streams. Family Tree is available on audio CD for the visually impaired. Contact National Talking Newspapers and Magazines on 01435 866102; www.tnauk.org.uk © 2023 Family Tree/Warners Group Publications…

Rachel Bellerby reports on the latest genealogy news. Got a story to share? Email editorial@family-tree.co.uk The awards aim to ‘recognise excellence and contributions by individuals and teams’ in the record keeping sector. 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 2023 over 1,000 votes were cast by the public resulting in the following awards being made: • Record Keeping Service of the Year – Jersey Archives • Record Keeper of the Year – Louise Neilson for her work at Lothian Health Services Archive • New Professional of the Year – Fran Horner for her work at Heritage…

Brent Seales, computer science professor at the University of Kentucky, discusses his work, spanning two decades, of rescuing ancient text such as the carbonized scrolls of Herculaneum. There are more than 1,800 Herculaneum scrolls in existence and they are part of the only library from antiquity. Until the work of experts such as Professor Seales, reading such scolls was almost impossible. Find out more about the project to decipher the scrolls in this six-minute explanatory video at: www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=Z_L1oN8y7Bs (With thanks to Wayne Shepheard for drawing our attention to this recording)…

In part 1 (FT September), we identified the three types of ‘sources’ and three types of ‘information’. In part 2 (FT October), we did a deep dive into ‘evidence’, defining exactly what we mean by it and describing the three different types of genealogical evidence. This month it’s the turn of proof: • What is it? • Is there just one valid definition of proof or are there many? • How do we decide when an accumulation of evidence reaches a threshold that we can reliably call proof? • How can we assess whether other researchers’ conclusions qualify as sufficiently proven? A definition of proof How do we define what ‘proof ’ means in genealogical terms? Let’s start with a dictionary definition: ‘A fact or piece of information that shows…

I’m peering, digitally speaking, over a towering pile of old newspapers. With luck, I might emerge by Christmas. But what treasures! I never dreamt there’d be quite as many mentions of my 2x great-aunt in the press as this… Last time, a search for ‘Catherine Mary Riboldi’ in Findmypast’s newspaper collections turned up the main plot of Catherine’s adoption by the Vicomte de Brimont – and of the probate case and legal challenges after his death, which eventually adjudicated in favour of our teenage heiress. But I’ve been trawling through the 50 or so other accounts, and not only have they added more spice to the dish, but some go right back to the start of the story. From the The Croydon Express of 2 June 1883, under the heading…

Like many family and social historians, I am frequently diverted by an interesting snippet. By exploring further, I find my knowledge of my ancestors’ lives much enriched. This particular tale emerged while researching one of the ‘Women of Note’ in Bradford’s Undercliffe Cemetery and since many of my Bradfordian ancestors would have witnessed this event, my interest was piqued! The scene was the 1868 General Election, the first following the Second Reform Act which became law in August 1867. By enfranchising all male householders living in a borough constituency, plus various other men meeting certain financial criteria, the electorate increased by around 1.5 million – almost double the previous number. First-time voters (who included my great-great-grandfather PC Thomas Bottomley) thronged to the polls, making it an exciting affair, reported widely…

Iremember when computer genealogy was widely regarded as tantamount to supping with the devil, and social media as merely funny cat pictures and peoples’ dinners. Having participated in newsgroups in the ’90s, sharing email discussions on a myriad of topics internationally, including family history, I slid seamlessly into Facebook and Twitter, as I still like to call it. Frowned upon by those who don’t trust Zuckerburg, and now Musk, I like social media. Used sensibly and selectively, it’s wonderful for family historians. Even more so for me in recent weeks. Growing up in Coventry, I expected my origins would be in that ancient city. At school I did projects on its medieval past, and at university wrote a thesis on my former primary school. I was shocked and fascinated to…

‘Sharing Memories: Uncovering your Family History through Storytelling’ is the theme of the Register of Qualified Genealogists’ (RQG) 2024 conference, a full day in-person event to be held at The Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, LS10 1LT on 20 April (www. qualifiedgenealogists.org/2024-Conference). The RQG welcome both members and non-members to this one day in-person event where the fascinating world of ‘family history through storytelling’ will be delved into. Speakers so far include Professor Alison Light and Michael Tobias (President of the JGSGB). In addition to lectures, the programme will cover skills workshops to help you uncover and tell the untold tales of your ancestors and learn how to bring their stories to life. The RQG call for papers will be open until 19 November. To find out further details and submit…

What would happen if there was only one single family tree – in the world? We would all be able to find our ancestors and only look once. Sounds like genealogy in a perfect world – or at least in the 21st century, right? Introducing WikiTree WikiTree has been working to create a global family tree since 2008. A truly global family tree, with one profile per person who ever lived, within the genealogical timeframe (back to around the time we started using surnames). WikiTree does this by creating a collaborative community for genealogists who work together on shared ancestors. It’s a robust community built upon a 9-point honour code and a system to help those who struggle to become better genealogists and at the same time better WikiTreers (a…

When my mother passed away aged 90 in June 2022, I was faced with the unenviable task of clearing her house in order that it could be sold, a sad end to a life long lived and the chattels life had accumulated. Knowing mum’s circumstances I never expected to find a Rembrandt in the attic, but I was keen to retain anything of sentimental value. It was whilst rooting about in a wardrobe I discovered an old biscuit tin, which I had little expectation of, yet it revealed a time capsule of letters and documents taking me back to the granddad I never knew. Introducing Edward O’Hagan (“Granddad”) Edward O’Hagan was born on 8 December 1869 at 77 Arlington Street, Salford, his father James O’Hagan (flax dresser), his mother Ellen…

What is epigenetics? Epigenetics – or the study of changes in gene expression not caused by alterations in DNA sequences – is becoming of increasing interest to today’s family historians. Moving away from traditional genealogy, epigenetics may add a new dimension by exploring the potential transgenerational transfer of trauma and the impact of historical events on our genes. This revelation opens up research possibilities, as families seek to comprehend their heritage better and understand the complexities that shape their identities. It also offers an area for family historians to work more closely with psychologists. However, the subject is not without controversy and there are arguments over whether it is scientifically accurate for the term epigenetics to be used at all in the area of human psychology. Although the word ‘epigenesis’…