Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2016 i Who Do You Think You Are?

There’s nothing I like more during these winter evenings than settling down with my laptop to scour the internet for new records and add more names to my tree. What some people might not realise is that the data online is only the tip of the iceberg. There’s so much more in archives and museums around the country. On page 18 we give you 25 good reasons to wrap up warm and venture out to do some hands-on research. You won’t be disappointed! Records come in all shapes and sizes and this month we hear from a family historian who inherited the journals of his grandfather, revealing a passion for cars. These chronicled everything to do with the motors he’d owned and in the process provided an amazing insight into…

Info omitted from birth certificate bit.ly/1jYni79 I bought a birth certificate from the General Register Office (GRO). It is that of my grandmother, Lydia Amelia Forrest, born 12 May 1875 in Gibraltar, where her father served with the Army. It so happens that a second cousin sent me copies of loads of certificates, including one for this same grandmother. However, on that certificate, they have put the full name and country of origin of my great grandmother and the country of origin of my great grandfather. I emailed the GRO to ask why they omitted some information, only to get an email telling me that I should have brought this to their attention within a timespan of three months. The problem is that it was only by chance that I…

‘A young man spoke up and (using quite strong language) cast serious aspersions on the mental state of his ancestors’ Pounds, shillings and pence Those of us old enough to remember the pre-decimal age have the upper hand over younger family historians We’ve made extensive use of probate inventories in the local history class I’ve been teaching for adult students, revealing the marvellous detail about household goods, farm equipment, luxury items, livestock, debts owed and due, and other fascinating details about people in our area in the second half of the 17th century. During these explorations into the lifestyles of our Stuart forebears we’ve been thinking about the valuations of the property and the sum totals of the estates of the deceased, looking at how some individuals were conspicuously wealthy…

• Beaulieu National Motor Museum New Forest, Hampshire, SO42 7ZN beaulieu.co.uk Here you can discover the story of motoring in Britain from its pioneering origins to the present day. There are more than 250 vehicles on display. • Lakeland Motor Museum Windermere, Cumbria lakelandmotormuseum.co.uk This museum holds a huge collection of vintage, veteran and classic cars and automobilia representing over 100 years of motoring heritage. • British Motor Museum Gaydon, Warwickshire CV35 0BJ 01926 641188 britishmotormuseum.co.uk With a grand reopening on 13 February after a multi-million-pound redevelopment, this archive will boast the world’s largest collection of historic British cars and other related material. • Classic British Cars: The Golden Age of the British Car, by Graham Robson and Michael Ware (Southwater, 2015) This book covers the first century of the…

After the clashes at Lexington and Concord sparked the American War of Independence on 19 April 1775, the British army was besieged in Boston for the next 11 months. Finally, on 17 March 1776, General William Howe embarked his troops and retreated to Nova Scotia, to await reinforcements and strike a decisive blow at New York, the city at the southern tip of Manhattan that both sides considered the greatest strategic prize in North America. By controlling the Hudson River, which stretches 315 miles from Fort Ticonderoga in the north to New York City in the south, the British hoped to divide New England from the Mid-Atlantic and southern colonies, and quell the American rebellion. In the summer of 1776, while the Americans declared independence, Howe and his brother, Admiral…

PAUL BLAKE co-wrote Discover Your Roots and is a fellow of the Society of Genealogists (SoG). ELSE CHURCHILL is the Genealogist at the Society of Genealogists (SoG) in London. CLIVE EMSLEY is a historian, criminologist, research director and lecturer at the Open University. PETER HIGGINBOTHAM is the author of Voices from the Workhouse (The History Press, 2012) SARA KHAN is the lead researcher on the Who Do You Think You Are? BBC television series. JOHN MCGEE is a member of the Association of Scottish Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (ASGRA). PHIL TOMASELLI is a military family history expert and the author of Tracing Your Air Force Ancestors. ALISON TOPLIS writes on the history of clothing and is an honorary fellow at the University of Wolverhampton.…

Gareth Malone, the choirmaster on popular BBC TV series The Choir, wished to learn more about the lives of his musical ancestors in his episode. One of these was his great great grandfather, Edmund Payne, a well-known actor and performer from around the beginning of the 20th century. There were many records available for Edmund as he had a very successful career including performing for George V in the Coronation Gala held in June 1911. We were able to locate film footage of one of his performances, A Gaiety Duet (1909), which is held at the British Film Archive. This archive can be searched for free at collections-search.bfi.org.uk/ web. It is possible to search by your ancestor’s name, too. A recording of Edmund Payne performing a comedy song was also located…

Name and number of lodge The place of meeting is shown on the opposite page. John Lane’s Masonic Records shows that Eccleston Lodge was constituted on 16 August 1876 and met initially at Grosvenor Hall, Ebury Square, Pimlico, and from 1881 at the Criterion hotel in Piccadilly. Names Surname and Christian names of the freemason. Address Often only the street name is recorded. Master Mason date The date of the certificate a man receives when he becomes a Master Mason. Three degrees These three columns show the dates of passing through the three degrees: Initiating or Joining, Passing and Raising. Age The man’s age at initiation. Profession Most members were in the professions or involved in trade. Membership The right-hand page records the years a man has paid for his…

NEWSPAPERS Newspapers are rich sources of information about resurrectionists but bear in mind that reports tend to be sensationalised. Find out whether there were any cases of bodysnatching in the area in which your ancestors lived by searching the British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk). These newspapers are also available on Findmypast (findmypast.co.uk). CONTEMPORARY SOURCES The 19th-century biographies of eminent surgeons reveal their connections with resurrectionists and even their direct involvement in bodysnatching as medical students. Many are available for free on Google Books (books.google.co.uk). Try The Life of Sir Astley Cooper by Bransby Blake Cooper and A Sketch of the Life and Writings of Robert Knox, the Anatomist by Henry Lonsdale. Another fantastic resource is The Diary of a Resurrectionist, 1811-1812, which includes a later account of resurrection men in London.…

In the 18th century, iron making was badly affected by rapidly diminishing supplies of charcoal for the furnaces. Coal introduced too many impurities, so the answer, found by Abraham Darby, was to use ‘coke’ – a purer substance made from coal – as a fuel. Darby used it in his furnace at Coalbrookdale in Shropshire, but the high-carbon cast iron produced by these multiplying coke furnaces meant the supply of wrought iron was under threat. Henry Cort had taken over a company that provided ironwork to Portsmouth’s naval dockyard and was also interested in an ironworks near Farnham, Hampshire. It was here that he found out how to convert the pig iron from the coke furnaces into wrought iron. Instead of building a furnace where the fuel came into contact…

1911 CENSUS Robert broke through his brick wall using this census. His ancestor’s change of location and occupation had previously made the research difficult. In this instance, Robert used thegenealogist.co.uk. MARITIME HISTORY ARCHIVE This has documents relating to maritime activities in Labrador, Newfoundland, the North Atlantic and elsewhere. For more details, visit mun.ca/mha. MERCANTILE NAVY LIST A list of mercantile vessels was published yearly from 1849 to 1977. From 1857, it contained all British-registered vessels afloat at the time, with port of registry and official number. Visit crewlist.org.uk for details.…

With a strong local culture and even a distinctive dialect, Aberdonians have a lot of history and enthusiasm to share Although it has been a main economic hub of the north-east of Scotland for centuries, the discovery of North Sea oil in the 1970s has made the 'Granite City' of Aberdeen famous the world over as the energy capital of Europe. Among the great and the good to have come from the city are the singer Annie Lennox (who appeared in series nine of Who Do You Think You Are? ), the writer Lord Byron, and the naturalist William MacGillivray. With a strong local culture, and its own distinctive dialect of the Scots language, Doric, Aberdonians have a lot of history and enthusiasm to share with those following an interest…

Why doesn’t the code that’s printed in the magazine work correctly? Each bonus content code applies only to the issue of the magazine in which it’s printed. Make sure that you’ve clicked on the red ‘View content’ button next to the cover of the correct issue. Why isn’t the code box appearing? If nothing happens when you click the red ‘View content’ button, it’s possible that firewall or virus-checking software is stopping the website from running JavaScript. You can check to see if this is the case by temporarily halting these programs and then reloading the website. Why is the data only available for a period of six months? Due to the terms and conditions agreed with some of the firms that provide the bonus content for our magazine, we…

Back to the ’60s Call The Midwife January BBC One Following an upbeat Christmas special, the East End midwives are back for a fifth series of adventures in baby wrangling. However, despite the series reaching the early 1960s, don’t expect too many drastic changes as yet. “I think there was an expectation that the minute we hit 1960 the nuns were going to start wearing miniskirts and every tenement block would sport a psychedelic mural,” says series creator Heidi Thomas. “So far, we’ve managed a bit of Billy Fury on the jukebox and a couple of pairs of geometric curtains!” Nonetheless, one of the overarching themes in the series is the gradual arrival of modernity, not least in the introduction of the combined oral contraceptive pill, which was first used…

Essex Archives Online (Seax) If you have Essex ancestors you should visit the county’s online archive at seax.essexcc.gov.uk/EssexAncestors.aspx to investigate the record office’s digital collections, which includes examples of probate records. 1 Go to the website’s homepage and click on the “New Search” option in the menu at the top of the page. Here, we’re searching for the probate record of Christopher Simpson who died in the 1630s. 2 In the ‘Search Criteria’ box on the search page, enter the name Christopher Simpson plus the phrase “AND” and “will”. In the ‘Date Range’ box alongside it, enter the dates 1630 and 1640, then press ‘Search’. All relevant hits will appear. 3 In this example, there is only one result. To view the record you will have to log in or…

Identity card find On reading the article on the 1939 Register in your December issue, Sarah Williams mentioned in the last paragraph that some people may still have their identity card lurking in their family. I have my card issued to me on 15 June 1948, having been born the previous year – 6 February, 1947. The card was valid until 6 February, 1963. David Knott, by email Editor replies: Many thanks for sending that in David. I’m sure that will ring a lot of bells with many of our other readers! Family Tree Maker I’m writing in about the decision by Ancestry regarding Family Tree Maker. At the moment my tree is on Ancestry, and is private because of some of the information it contains. With time on my…

198,000 Portsmouth electoral records dating back to 1835 have been made available to explore online at findmypast.co.uk £1 million has been set aside in the UK Chancellor’s Autumn Statement to fund the Bentley Priory Museum, which tells the story of the Battle of Britain 251 years after it was first erected, Cumbria’s historic Pooley Bridge was destroyed in floods on 6 December 150,000 cremation records from Honor Oak Crematorium, South London, have been added to deceased online.com 43 episodes of Welsh genealogy series Coming Home have now aired on BBC Wales, the most recent featured athlete Iwan Thomas…

1889 The first car manufacturers in the world begin production – Panhard & Levassor (1889) followed by Peugeot in (1891). 1894 Parisian magazine Le Petit Journal organises what is considered the world’s first motoring competition, from Paris to Rouen. A total of 102 competitors paid the 10-franc entrance fee. 1896 This year sees the passing of the Locomotives on Highways Act, which sees the speed limit of 4mph in rural areas and 2mph in towns increase to 14mph. 1897 The Royal Automobile Association is founded to provide roadside assistance and motoring services. Four years later uniformed patrols are set up. 1902 The 8th Earl De La Warr hosts Britain’s first automobile races on 19 May at Bexhillon-Sea. The event is organised by the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland…

GENERAL SOCIETY OF MAYFLOWER DESCENDENTS Anyone who arrived in Plymouth as a passenger on the Mayflower is considered a Pilgrim, and proven lineage qualifies you to join this society (themayflower society.org) and take advantage of its facilities, including an extensive library. The society also publishes books on Pilgrims, which are available to buy. PUBLISHED HISTORIES If you have an ancestor connected to a significant historical event then you may well find that there are published histories about it available. Archive.org and Google Books (books.google.co.uk) are good places to start. FAMILYSEARCH.ORG The world’s largest genealogy organisation offers free access to an online collection of family history records, resources and services detailing the lives of many millions of our ancestors, and now operates in partnership with Ancestry, FindMyPast and MyHeritage.…

“An invaluable resource is ‘Ships of the Old Navy’ at ageofnelson.org/ MichaelPhillips. The Age of Nelson website is run by Patrick Marioné, who rescued this A-Z catalogue of ships of the Royal Navy (1650s to 1840s), fearing it would become lost after the death of its originator, Michael Phillips. The information is variable, sometimes detailed, sometimes scanty, but it can set you on the right track and save much time. Jane Austen was familiar with the navy and in 1808 visited a warship being built at the Northam yard on the River Itchen. This website enabled us to work out that the ship she visited was the third-rate warship of 74 guns HMS Conquestador, launched two years later. By then, Jane Austen was living at Chawton, Hampshire, where she wrote her…

Personal and physical details This can also include things like the boy’s educational standard. If the birth was illegitimate, it might provide a lead to workhouse infirmary records. Parental details This information, along with comments on the child’s character, may provide links to their own court proceedings. Photograph When included, this may help identify the boy in other old family photographs. Previous character Details of previous character and offences may give you a link to court records. Offence Details of the boy’s offence, which is useful to trace court proceedings, and newspaper reports. Conduct after discharge This may include addresses, employment, military service, further offences, emigration and death, providing leads to other sources.…

WEBSITES Children’s Homes childrenshomes.org.uk Includes historical information, pictures, addresses and more for thousands of establishments and the organisations that ran them. Barnardo’s barnardos.org.uk A history of Barnardo’s, with a directory of its former homes. Hidden Lives Revealed hiddenlives.org.uk The Children’s Society’s extensive online archive, with articles, photos and sample case files. The Workhouse workhouses.org.uk Has information on the children’s institutions run by each Poor Law Union and their surviving records. The National Archives discovery.national  archives.gov.uk The National Archives’ catalogue of records held by itself and other archives. The British Newspaper Archive www.britishnewspaper  archive.co.uk A collection of local newspapers where even small or short-lived homes often featured. BOOKS Tracing Your Ancestors’ Childhood, by Sue Wilkes (Pen and Sword, 2013). How to Research Childhoods Spent in Former Children’s Homes, Orphanages, Cottage Homes…

‘Reading the human stories is essential and I guarantee that you will be intensely moved’ The American Air Museum, part of Imperial War Museum Duxford in Cambridgeshire, houses the finest collection of US military aircraft outside North America. It is also the UK’s best-preserved Second World War fighter station, home to the US Eighth Air Force’s 78th Fighter Group from 1943 to 1945. The museum, long a mecca for anybody interested in military aviation in the 20th century, is reopening in March after an exciting redevelopment project and focuses on the story of the transatlantic military collaboration between the UK and the US in the Second World War. But it is not just about the planes. A key area of its work concerns the many thousands of people involved in…

The Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths blacksmithscompany.org This website provides a history of the organisation dating back to the medieval period. Many of its records are held at London’s Guildhall Library (see bit.ly/1l9qA8z). Working Class Movement Library wcml.org.uk/our-collection/ working-lives/blacksmiths Located in Salford, this library has records relating to members of blacksmiths’ unions dating back to 1920. University of Leicester Trade Directories bit.ly/1l9pFos This free resource provides digitised copies of trade directories, often listing local blacksmiths. National Directory of Blacksmiths ukblacksmiths.com Although this website lists blacksmiths working today, it is valuable for finding details of old forges still in use. British Artist Blacksmith Association baba.org.uk This provides similar information to the above, but together they offer a very complete survey.…

1136 David I establishes the burgh of New Aberdeen. An 1179 charter granted by William the Lion is the earliest known to survive confirming the arrangement. 1308 Robert the Bruce destroys Aberdeen Castle. A password used by the king – 'Bon Accord' – is later incorporated into the city‘s coat of arms. 1336 The city is burned to the ground by the English King Edward III, as part of a failed campaign to install Edward Balliol as king. 1495 King's College is established by William Elphinstone, Bishop of Aberdeen, on behalf of King James IV, in order to educate local parishioners. 1644 The Battle of Aberdeen is fought on 12 September at Two Mile Cross between Royalists and Covenanters. The city is later ransacked by the successful Royalists. 1784 Following…

Making History Tuesday 9 February RADIO 4 This year marks the centenary of the introduction of the Nissen hut. If that doesn’t sound too exciting, the magazine show Making History has a knack for bringing such unpromising stories to vivid life. Quick to assemble, the metal huts came into their own during the Second World War, when there was a pressing need for temporary buildings for all kinds of reasons. Other items in the series, presented by Helen Castor and Tom Holland, focus on the life of the woman who founded the women’s police force, the histories of anger, touch, crying and boredom, and Victorian jokes, some of which are still employed in WDYTYA? Magazine. Crossing The Border Sunday 24 January RADIO 3 We tend to think of social history…

‘The family history group that I help run is reliant upon Family Tree Maker’ Ancestry to retire Family Tree Maker The genealogy company will cease supporting the popular family history package from the end of 2016 due to the “declining desktop software market” Genealogy giant Ancestry has decided to retire its Family Tree Maker desktop software. The PC and Mac package, which enables users to store and manage their family tree data, was removed from sale on Thursday 31 December. In a statement released on Tuesday 8 December, the genealogy company said it had made the “tough decision” due to the “declining desktop software market and the impact this has on being able to provide new content, product enhancements and the support that our users need”. Ancestry claimed it would…

VALENTINE JOKES A Western Morning News reporter who yesterday made certain inquiries regarding the buying of Valentines made several interesting discoveries. Yesterday, of course, was St Valentine’s Day. Although it was impossible to state if an abnormal number of lovers’ greetings were sent through the post, it was ascertained at Messrs. E. Battershill’s, Plymouth, that more had been sold. During the last several years, it was stated, Valentines had enjoyed a return to popularity. Nor was this year an exception. This shop could have sold more, but so great was the demand that they sold out. Valentines of the better type were being sold this year, it was understood, and the comic, sometimes common , card was not so much in demand. Our informant, however, had no great opinion of…

Prepare for an archive trip a week or so in advance, in case the records you want to see need to be ordered from off-site storage. The directory at discovery.nationalarchives.gov. uk/find-an-archive lists contact details, opening hours and web addresses for most UK archives. The Advanced Search on TNA’s Discovery catalogue (discovery.nationalarchives.gov. uk/advanced-search) lets you search for documents at other archives by keyword, but also check the archive’s website for a separate online catalogue. Some material held by specialist institutions can be searched using archiveshub.ac.uk and www.aim25.ac.uk. Catalogues provide summary descriptions of documents, but some are more detailed than others. If a name isn’t found using an online catalogue, it won’t necessarily mean the archive doesn’t hold information about that individual – think laterally about search terms, and try using place names too.…

We usually imagine the British army during the First World War as hidebound and afraid of new technology, yet it ended the war as one of the most mechanised armies in the world. Some, at least, of the thanks for this is due to the work of enthusiastic private motorists, who went on to form the Motor Volunteer Corps during the war itself. Motoring enthusiasts were always keen to promote their hobby and, in 1909, Automobile Association members donated their time and more than 100 motor cars to carry 600 soldiers from London to Hastings to prove that men could be transported safely to counter foreign invasion. It was judged a huge success. In 1912, two volunteers designed and built the first mobile catering vehicle for the army. Hot soup…

‘David discovered his wife and children were directly descended from one of the original Pilgrims who crossed the Atlantic’ Remarkable coincidences are common in family history, but for Dr David Mervin – an Emeritus Reader in Politics at the University of Warwick – to find out he was related to one of America’s most iconic figures through his wife must rank as one of the most astonishing. “It’s funny, although I started off researching my own family, in many ways the real discoveries came when I set out to find my wife’s ancestors.” David’s interest in family history began soon after his father’s death in 1998. Just before he died, David’s father had completed a memoir of his life and, as David read through it, he found an unusual omission.…

Some inmates broke down and ended up in an asylum My ancestor served time in Pentonville Prison. What were living conditions like there for him? Q My ancestor William Blythe was sentenced to 10 years’ penal servitude for his part in the manslaughter of a policeman during an altercation over poaching. He was sent to Pentonville Prison in 1880. I’ve read a lot about the separation system at Pentonville but was that still in operation in 1880? I’d love to know more about the conditions he experienced. Susan O’Hagan, by email A Pentonville Prison was opened in 1842. It was seen by most prison reformers as a model institution for the new way in which it dealt with serious criminals. Each convict spent the first 18 months of a sentence…

Since Bridget was born in a barracks, her father must have been a soldier of some character Q In 1911, Bridget Teresa (Margaret) Sheehan was a servant in East Molesey, Surrey. Her birthplace is given as Birr Barracks, King’s County (Resident), Ireland. Her marriage certificate shows her father as Denis Sheehan, army pensioner. Can you help me to find out more? John Killick, by email A The 1911 census shows Bridget was born in Birr Barracks, King’s County, Ireland. This was the original name of County Offaly, which was renamed after Irish independence. Bridget was aged 27 so must have been born in 1883 or 1884. Service records for pre-First World War soldiers are at findmypast.co.uk. A search for Denis Sheehan brings up a couple of dozen possibilities, including the…

‘An inquiry found that ignorance, incompetence and misfortune were to blame’ Finding messages penned by our ancestors can be highly rewarding. Even if it’s merely a postcard, being able to read a document written in someone’s own words can help you get a sense of their thoughts and feelings – something you simply don’t get from a census return or certificate. Through personal correspondence, you actually have the ability to unravel a forebear’s personal relationships and discover what truly mattered to them. For this month’s Gem from the Archive we head north of the border to Falkirk Archives, where one intensely moving collection of letters has been selected by Archives Assistant Margaret McLeish. Which document have you chosen? I’ve chosen an item in our archive collections that I find very…

You can explore tagged blog entries that detail some of Findmypast’s naval material via blog.findmypast.co.uk/tag/ royal-navy. Generated through partnerships with The National Archives, a great deal of the material covers the 20th century, but there are datasets that reach further back to the 19th century. Other commercial websites with important collections include Ancestry (ancestry.co.uk/cs/uk/military), which has the likes of Naval Medal and Award Rolls (1793-1972) and Naval Officer and Rating Service Records (1802-1919). The latter includes musters and pay registers. Although our experts this month have already highlighted ageofnelson.org, it’s also worth mentioning that it has two useful databases of Royal Navy officers in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars (1793-1815) and the seamen and marines who fought at the Battle of Trafalgar. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the…

Modern freemasonry began in the late 17th century. The origins of the society were probably in the craft guilds of medieval times and it is generally accepted that there was some connection with stonemasons, but no absolute proof. The first recorded ‘making’ of a freemason appears in the diary of Elias Ashmole, which marks him becoming a mason on 16 October 1646. Organised freemasonry was formalised on 24 June 1717 when four London lodges met at the Goose and Gridiron Ale House, in St Paul’s Churchyard, and formed the first Grand Lodge, later known as the ‘Moderns’. The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) was established in 1813 with the union of two rival Grand Lodges, the ‘Antients’, founded in 1751, and the Moderns. The United Grand Lodge of England…

Born in 1784, Henry Warburton was the son of a timber merchant. He was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was known as a “scholar and a man of science”. After university, he worked in the timber trade. In 1809, he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society and his passion for science and politics influenced the rest of his life. Warburton was first elected as an MP in 1826 as a radical for Bridport. He was a hard-working politician who campaigned on various causes including bankruptcy and the Anti-Corn Law League. But it was as a spokesman for medical reformers that Warburton made his mark. In 1828, he persuaded the House of Commons to establish a select committee on anatomy, which investigated the supply of…

How long have you been researching your family tree? I have been researching my own family for more than 20 years. I knew my grandmothers as I grew up, but lost my grandfathers at a very young age. Also, my extended family had scattered and lost touch over the years. What had you discovered before you hit your brick wall? I relocated to St Neots in Cambridgeshire nine years ago and was keen to discover if I had any roots there. I was so pleased to discover Edward Parker (my first cousin three times removed) in the 1851 census living in the hamlet of Prickwillow, near Ely, in Cambridgeshire. The settlement derives its name from the long thin skewers, or ‘prickets’ of willow that were used to cover the roofs…

The fashion for 'leg o' mutton' or 'gigot' sleeves was at its most extreme this year, with large shoulder puffs on women‘s garments. Skirts flared from narrow waists and hair was waved, frizzed and gathered in a knot at the back, a wide-brimmed hat often placed on top. The lounge suit was worn by men informally, sometimes in checked material, the frock coat used for more formal day wear and in the city. Short, neat hair was fashionable and moustaches were popular. The large ‘leg o’ mutton’ sleeves are very evident here on the jackets and blouses of the women cyclists. Shoes had pointed toes and high heels, showing no concession to the practicalities of cycling. Veils were worn with hats to protect the face from grime and dust when…

The civil registration records of births, marriages and deaths from Aberdeenshire are available on ScotlandsPeople (scotlandspeople.gov.uk), along with pre-1855 Church of Scotland registers, censuses, valuation records and wills from 1657-1925. Aberdeenshire‘s Episcopal Church records are not digitised, but some transcribed collections are available on Ancestry at search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=5835, along with some Roman Catholic registers and other holdings. ScotlandsPlaces (scotlandsplaces.gov.uk) also hosts many regional holdings, including the burgh registers from 1398-1511, Ordnance Survey Name Books from 1865-1871, tax rolls from the 17th to 19th centuries, reports from the Land Ownership Commission from 1872-1873, and Medical Officer of Health Reports for the county from 1891. For an overview of each parish in Aberdeenshire in the 1790s and again in the 1830s, the first two Statistical Accounts of Scotland collections have been published and…

‘I couldn’t believe that this staunch pacifist was training to carry out bombing raids’ As a child, all that Janet Denny had of her father was a photograph – ‘the hero on the mantelpiece’. This was Samuel James Gaywood, or Jim as he was known to the family. “I didn’t want to ask questions about him in case it upset Mum,” Janet explains. “All I knew was that he was killed during the Second World War on the day I was born.” Throughout childhood, Janet conjured up a recurring fantasy about her father. “In the dead of night, I’d hear a knock on the door and would run downstairs while everyone else slept. Dad would be standing there carrying a suitcase full of chocolate and holding a puppy or some…