Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2018 i Who Do You Think You Are?

We all get stuck in a rut sometimes, going to our usual websites for information and giving up if the record’s not there. I hope that our feature about online parish registers (see page 15) will inspire you to try different sites to grow your family tree this month, or return to some you haven’t used in a while. The growth in online records has been a real boon to family historians, but it doesn’t diminish the value of a visit to an archive. As ‘austerity’ hits services across the country we thought it was time to take stock of what is happening to our local archives (see page 27). Our report uncovers some surprising, but welcome, positivity in the face of cuts. As family historians, we need to show…

The secrets of ancestors who were caught up in the criminal justice system are now easier to explore thanks to a new free website. The Our Criminal Ancestors project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, launched its website ourcriminalancestors.org in April. The project’s principal investigator Dr Helen Johnston of the University of Hull, and co-investigator Dr Heather Shore of Leeds Beckett University, led three free workshops on tracing criminal ancestors – including those who were victims, witnesses and police and prison officers as well as offenders – at the Hull History Centre last year. The website will help family historians carry out their own research and share their ancestors’ stories. “What we are trying to do is create a site that’s free, that’s not behind a paywall,” Dr…

New family history events announced Family historians can look forward to the launch of two major national shows in 2019. Family Tree Live will take place on 26 and 27 April in Alexandra Palace, London, followed by The Genealogy Show at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham on 7 and 8 June. Visitors to both events can expect lectures and workshops, as well as stalls run by family history societies and companies, and the chance to put their queries to experts. TheGenealogist adds Warwickshire parish records The names of more than 1,270,000 individuals are available in new records added to the Warwickshire parish records collection on thegenealogist.co.uk. They include transcriptions and images of baptism, marriage and burial records, and bring the total number of Warwickshire records on TheGenealogist to over…

This month I’m touching on a solemn subject that many family historians encounter. Last year one of my cousins in Canada took his own life. I’d only met him once, but he was a lovely man, a passionate family historian, and full of ideas and projects. But then he was made redundant, could not find work after many months of trying, was increasingly lonely and, I think, had issues about his personal identity. I still have all of his informative, entertaining and sociable emails, and they remind me how much his family and friends have lost. This made me consider another instance in my family history. In April 1898 my great great grandfather committed suicide in a particularly unpleasant way – he drank a highly corrosive liquid in front of…

Bob Le Sueur was 19 years old when the Germans invaded Jersey. In fact, he was swimming in the sea just outside St Helier when the Luftwaffe dropped their first bombs on the town. He made for the shore as fast as he could, scrambling up the beach and taking cover behind some tamarisk bushes as the Heinkels began machine-gunning down the Esplanade. Bob was working as an office boy for the insurance company General Accident, but his superiors had all been evacuated to England. After the bombing raid there was no way of sending replacements, so he was left to run the company single-handed. He soon appointed some new staff – a girl his own age who became the office secretary, and a middle-aged commercial traveller. Between them, they…

The world of family history was shocked by an unprecedented decision from Northamptonshire Archives and Heritage Service in July 2017. The archive announced that it would only offer 12 hours of free access a week, with access available at limited additional times for a charge of £31.50 an hour. Councils prioritise schools and social care over archives The news quickly spread across the internet. Thousands of family historians signed an online petition, while the Archives and Records Association (ARA) and the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA) issued statements criticising the decision. Within a week Northamptonshire County Council backed down and restored free access, but the event raised worrying questions. Central government funding to local councils has fallen by an average of 38 per cent since 2010. Councils…

Digging around in dusty old cupboards can reveal a gem from the past, whether it’s a diary, a family Bible or a photograph collection. Jan Saunders’ treasure trove is an autograph album that was compiled during the First World War in a Red Cross hospital near Birmingham. It’s filled with poems, sketches and ditties contributed by wounded soldiers and their nurses. “The album is a fascinating historical artefact, and it carries the imprint of characters in my family who I never met,” Jan explains. “After my mum passed away in 2008, I realised that I didn’t know much about the extended family. I had to look through Mum’s address books to find aunties’ phone numbers. My passion for family history began at that point.” Hidden history Jan faced a major…

CELIA HERITAGE is the author of Tracing Your Ancestors Through Death Records EMMA JOLLY is a professional genealogist, writer and historical researcher ANTONY MARR is a council member of the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA) PAM ROSS is a member of AGRA based in the West Midlands JAYNE SHRIMPTON is a professional dress historian and portrait specialist STEVEN SMYRL is a member of Accredited Genealogists Ireland ALAN STEWART is a family historian with over 30 years of experience and the author of Grow Your Own Family Tree RUTH SYMES is a historian and the author of Tracing Ancestors Through Letters and Personal Writings PHIL TOMASELLI is a military family history expert and the author of Tracing Your Air Force Ancestors…

Former Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman was reduced to tears when he heard the sad tale of his maternal great grandmother, Mary Jane Nicholas, the wife of Royal Artillery soldier John McKay. John died in 1894, leaving his wife a destitute widow with nine children to look after. Mary had to survive in a one-bedroom tenement house with her entire family after being denied poor relief by the local authorities. Although she initially received the money, it was subsequently refused after the authorities discovered her “misconduct” at having an illegitimate child. We learned Mary’s sad fate by delving into extant Scottish Poor Law relief records. From 1845, relief was administered by parochial boards (previously the local kirks and heritors were responsible). These records are mostly found in local archives, details of…

The Weardale Museum and High House Chapel are open between 1.30pm and 4.30pm on Easter and Bank Holidays and on Wednesday to Sunday in May, June, September and October, and every afternoon in July and August. Entry is £3 for adults, while children can visit for free. You can access the family history resources at the museum, or email ken. heatherington@btinternet.com with research queries. For more information, visit weardalemuseum.co.uk , email dtheatherington@ormail.co.uk or call 01388 517433.…

Usefully, there’s a complete directory of state-level archives at statearchivists.org/connect/resources-state, while the General Land Office Records website (glorecords.blm.gov) offers free access to a wealth of data. Essentially this is a bit like the Land Registry and provides access to Federal land-conveyancing records – including images of more than five million land title records issued from 1788 to the present day. It isn’t likely to be the kind of website you’d start with, but it’s a valuable resource to keep in mind. Ancestry.com is a behemoth where US records are concerned, but to access them with a UK account you will need to upgrade to a Worldwide subscription. Findmypast.co.uk has made inroads, and there’s also the military records site, Fold3 (fold3.com), which has millions of digitised documents through partnerships with…

Many eminent people served as naval reservists. The captain of the Titanic , Edward Smith, was an officer in the RNR. So was the polar explorer Ernest Shackleton, and Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail singlehanded around the globe non-stop. The war poet, Rupert Brooke, was a sub-lieutenant in the RNVR and saw action at Antwerp as part of the RND. However, he died from sepsis on a hospital ship in 1915 after a mosquito bite became infected. He was en route to what would become known as the Gallipoli Campaign. The novelist Erskine Childers ( The Riddle of the Sands ) was an RNVR officer who fought at Gallipoli and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Future prime minister James Callaghan and actor Alec Guinness both joined the…

One individual who benefited from the work of the College of Preceptors was the author HG Wells. Born in Bromley, Kent, in 1866, he attended a commercial academy under headmaster Thomas Morley, a licentiate of the college. Wells was examined by the Preceptors during his time there, and excelled at book-keeping. Later in life Wells reflected that the school had done much to improve his English, but fell short in advancing his knowledge of French. At the age of 14, Wells attended National School at Wookey in Somerset as a pupil-teacher. Later, he failed in work as a draper’s apprentice and as a trainee chemist. But, convinced that teaching was his real vocation, he returned to school and studied at Midhurst Grammar as a pupil-teacher, ultimately gaining a scholarship to…

Born to a Yorkshire stonemason and a laundrywoman in 1899, Rosina Harrison yearned to travel and set about becoming a lady’s maid. Remaining at school until she was 16, she also learned French, then began a five-year dressmaking apprenticeship. Within two years, she secured her first position as young lady’s maid to the teenage daughters of Lady Tufton in London. After four years of service and a spell at home following her father’s death, she became lady’s maid to Lady Cranborne, touring throughout England and Europe. In August 1928, she entered service with the prominent Astor family, firstly as young lady’s maid to the daughter, ‘Miss Wissie’, then as personal maid to Lady Astor herself. Working for one of Britain’s wealthiest women and the first female politician to sit in…

CIVIL BMD RECORDS Civil registration of births, marriages and deaths began in England and Wales in 1837. Quarterly indexes to the records can be accessed via most genealogy subscription sites, as well as freebmd.org.uk. These will provide volumes and page numbers that should be cited when ordering records from the General Register Office (GRO). A full certificate costs £9.25, while a digital version is currently priced £6. The GRO website (www.gro.gov.uk) also offers its own search facility for finding births (up to 1917) and deaths (up to 1957), revealing details absent from third-party indexes such as mother’s maiden name and age at death. Alternatively, civil records can be ordered directly from the local authority in which the event was registered. These may be more accurate than the records held by…

1265 The Battle of Evesham, one of two main battles of the Second Barons’ War, ends in defeat for Simon de Montfort and the barons. 1690 The first issue of Berrow’s Worcester Journal appears in print. Aside from the London Gazette , it remains Britain’s oldest continually published newspaper. 1694 Colonel Thomas Farrington raises Farrington’s Regiment of Foot in London. It will eventually become known as the Worcestershire Regiment. 1751 Worcester Royal Porcelain Works is founded. It wins a Royal Warrant in 1789, and is bought by the Portmeirion Group in 2009. 1756 Dr John Wall publishes a pamphlet on the benefits of Malvern water. This, coupled with other academic endorsements, establishes it as a spa town. 1815 The Worcester and Birmingham Canal is completed, including the Tardebigge Locks –…

Who Do You Think You Are? BBC One Wednesday 6 June As Michelle Keegan puts it, “strong women” are a recurring theme in her family history. This explains why her episode of WDYTYA? is showing on its own, ahead of the main series, as part of the BBC’s ‘Hear Her’ season, which marks the centenary of women gaining the vote in the UK. The actor, the star of BBC One’s military drama Our Girl, first sprang to fame on Coronation Street and she has a strong affinity with her Manchester hometown. On her maternal grandfather’s line of the family, she has forebears in the city, including her great great grandmother, Elizabeth Kirwan. Elizabeth, Michelle discovers, lived in poverty in Manchester at the beginning of the 20th century. She was clearly…

As a boy in Canada, Ivan Watson was captivated by the stories that his grandfather told him about his ancestors back in Britain. The family had inherited a large cache of faded photographs, documents and heirlooms, each painting a vivid picture of life across the Atlantic. But there was always one picture that stood out. George V pinned a medal to Mary’s dress, and Queen Mary gave her a gold watch “I was about 10 years old when my grandfather first opened a suitcase of old photographs and took out a signed portrait of Queen Mary, wife of George V,” Ivan tells Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine. “He then started to tell me about his aunt – also named Mary – who had apparently worked for the queen…

27,347 tithe applotment records for Limerick from 1824 to 1835 added to limerick. rootsireland.ie 2 billion records landmark reached on free family history website familysearch.org 16,895 average number of eighth cousins or closer for an individual born in the UK, according to ancestrydna.co.uk 5 collections of Northumberland registers and records added to findmypast.co.uk 1 million pounds raised to purchase the MacKinnon Collection of historic photographs of Scotland for the nation 1,034 inscription records from Bilhari Cantonment Cemetery in Jabalpur available for free on fibis.org…

During the occupation every islander was required to carry an identity card issued by the authorities, which included a passport photograph. They also completed more detailed registration forms, listing their name, address, date and place of birth, marital status and occupation, and ancillary documents provided information about distinguishing features such as hair and eye colour. In Guernsey these documents are held at the Island Archives (gov.gg/islandarchives), while in Jersey they can be found at the Jersey Archive (jerseyheritage.org). The British government’s records of the occupation, including minutes of the war cabinet meeting at which demilitarisation was agreed in June 1940, are held at The National Archives (TNA) in Kew (discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk), along with correspondence relating to the islands’ recovery after liberation. TNA also has some of the original German naval records…

If you’ve been exclusively researching your family history online, then it’s time to take the next step and go and explore your local archive to dig deeper into your family’s past. This could be your local county record office, or a local history centre or university archive. It could be a local private or business archive, such as the wonderful John Lewis archive in Berkshire or the Ballast Trust in Paisley, with its comprehensive records of the Clyde’s shipbuilding past. Better still, why not see what is being organised near you during the launch week of this year’s Explore Your Archive campaign, which takes place on 17–25 November? There could also be a community archive or heritage group near you focused on a specific aspect of local history and run…

MAJOR ARCHIVES The National Archives Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU 0208 876 3444 nationalarchives.gov.uk TNA is the official archive and publisher for the UK government, and the lead archive for England and Wales. National Records of Scotland General Register House, 2 Princes Street, Edinburgh EH1 3YY 0131 535 1314 nrscotland.gov.uk The National Records of Scotland holds the archives of Scotland. To view its family history records, go to scotlandspeople.gov.uk. You can search indexes for free, but there is a charge to view and download digital images, and to order certificates. Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 2 Titanic Boulevard, Titanic Quarter, Belfast BT3 9HQ 028 9053 4800 proni@communities-ni.gov.uk nidirect.gov.uk/proni PRONI is the main archive for Northern Ireland. OTHER ORGANISATIONS Archives and Records Association Prioryfield House, 20 Canon Street, Taunton, Somerset…

1939 REGISTER Jan traced living relatives of some of the soldiers and nurses who were mentioned in her grandmother’s album by using this resource. The register is available at findmypast.co.uk, myheritage.com and ancestry.co.uk. The records provide household names, dates of birth, and occupations. WW1 WAR DIARIES These provide insight into the daily life of regiments during the war, including the names of transport ships, the dates of arrival in France, battle manoeuvres and officer casualties. You can find out more at The National Archives’ website nationalarchives.gov.uk and ancestry.co.uk. THE LONG, LONG TRAIL You can trace servicemen, battles, units and regiments of the First World War at this comprehensive and well-researched website. You could discover where your ancestor served at key moments during the war. Half of all First World War…

Q Attached are the two sides of a picture postcard showing my wife’s grandfather (standing). The only fact we have about him is that he married her grandmother in October 1911 in Canterbury, Kent. I would appreciate anything you can tell me about the picture. He was apparently from Cork, Ireland, born c1885. Graham Smith A This studio portrait is presented on a postcard mount. Divided-back postcards with separate spaces for message and address, as here, became authorised for postal communication in 1902. Previously, the address occupied the entire postcard back, the message written across the picture. The new and convenient reverse arrangement meant that the image now remained intact, inspiring the use of postcards for portrait photographs. Fashionable by 1906–1907, postcards rapidly became the most popular photographic format of…

Joseph Harris, 1939 – an elusive man! bit.ly/2I6a3Te I am trying to trace Joseph Harris on the 1939 Register but have drawn a blank. He was born on 2 July 1881 in Wigton, Cumberland. This date comes from his death registration, so may be slightly wrong, but the year is correct. He should not be confused with the man named Joseph Leonard G Harris, also born in Wigton in 1885 and married to Sarah. In 1911, Joseph was a jockey/groom in Chilton, Berkshire, but after that he disappears until his death registration back in Wigton in 1969. As ever, your help is much appreciated. phsvm Skin tone descriptions bit.ly/2I3UKu1 In my various researches of mostly convict ancestors, I’ve seen many physical descriptions of skin tone: fair, ruddy, freckled, sallow and…

“Helping to put this information into the public domain has been humbling and rewarding” As we approach the centenary of the end of the First World War, many organisations and individuals are beginning to focus on the legacy of the conflict, looking at its impact and consequences on the lives of citizens and whole communities. At Poole in Dorset the Museum Service was awarded a £50,600 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to launch a major new project, ‘Poole, the First World War and its Legacy’. With a team of volunteers, and partner organisations in the community, staff have been developing an attractive and informative website that provides resources on what the war meant to those who fought, made munitions, nursed soldiers, manned fishing boats – in short, to all…

Reference number This number refers to the Home Office reference, which enables you to locate the associated records. Any number underneath is the specific file. First arrest You can see how active some individuals were by how often they were arrested – Sylvia Pankhurst, unsurprisingly, was arrested several times. Other name(s) Your ancestor may have been known by a different name, or used an alias when arrested. Any alternate names are included here. Place or court Details of where your ancestor had their case heard – such as at Bow Street Magistrates’ Court, or the Central Criminal Court (often abbreviated to “C.C.C.“) – are shown here. Finding out more A search of the Home Office records in TNA’s catalogue at discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk for “HO149245” reveals that Christabel Pankhurst was sentenced to…

ARCHIVES Cambridge University Archives The Triangle Building, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge CB2 8EA cambridgeassessment.org.uk These archives have material relating to the Cambridge Locals since their introduction in 1858. The National Archives Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk TNA holds many documents relating to the history of exams, such as the work of the Taunton Commission on secondary education (1864–1868), which includes references to the College of Preceptors. Oxford University Archives Bodleian Libraries, Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BG bit.ly/oxford-exams The Bodleian has results of the Oxford Locals up to 1955. BOOKS Examinations: An Account of Their Evolution as Administrative Devices in England by Robert J Montgomery (Longmans, Green & Co, 1965) This work explores the development of exams from their beginnings in the 19th century, and includes a useful bibliography. Testing Times:…

BOOKS The Lady’s Maid: My Life in Service by Rosina Harrison (Ebury Press, 2011) The revised version of Rose: My Life in Service (1975) is a fascinating autobiography by a retired lady’s maid Life Below Stairs: In the Victorian and Edwardian Country House by Siân Evans (National Trust Books, 2011) This good general work includes six pages detailing the duties, prospects and perks of a lady’s maid, with illustrations and contemporary quotes. WEBSITES The Duties of a Lady’s Maid  bit.ly/duties-ladys-maid This post on the blog edwardianpromenade.com outlines the qualities and varied duties of a lady’s maid, from repairing accessories and preparing outfits, to exercising her mistress’s pet dog. Mrs Beeton: Duties of the Lady’s-Maid  bit.ly/british-library-maid This section from Mrs Beeton’s original Book of Household Management (1861) discusses the role of…

This year modern marriage took shape with the introduction of strict rules stipulating how old a bride and groom should be, and that they must marry in church. This change in the world of your ancestors had nothing to do with religion; it was intended to thwart the intentions of marriage fixers. The challenge was to deal with ‘irregular’ or ‘clandestine’ marriages. Irregular meant away from the couple’s own parishes, a clandestine marriage was one conducted in secrecy. An attempt had been made to stop these with the Marriage Duty Act of 1695, which penalised priests who conducted marriages without banns having been read in the couple’s own parish church. The rules of the Marriage Duty Act did not apply in the Fleet, a gaol for debtors and bankrupts in…

Midland Ancestors (midland-ancestors.uk ), formerly the Birmingham and Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry, has all sorts of useful information for researchers. This includes indexes and guides for Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire records, plus the separate Worcester Branch website has a useful page on parish records at worcesterbmsgh.co.uk/parish-records. The new county archive website is explorethepast.co.uk. Meanwhile the ‘Search our Records’ page leads to the catalogue and various indexes and guides: worcestershire.gov.uk/info/20189/search_our_records. The additions since our last visit include West Mercia Police records (bit.ly/explore-westmercia-records) and asylum records (bit.ly/explore-mental-health ). The Hive took part in the national schools digitisation project, so lots of Worcestershire school admission registers (to 1914) can be searched via findmypast.co.uk. Plus the Malvern Family History Society has been indexing pre-1837 parish registers for its area, and these are…

British Widows of the First World War: the Forgotten Legion by Andrea Hetherington Pen & Sword, 240 pages, £19.99 I approached this book with the somewhat romantic notion that a widow of the First World War would be held in high esteem by the Government and society in general. A couple of chapters in and I could see how very wrong my preconception was! Upon learning of their husband’s death, many widows had to deal with unthinkable bureaucracy while crippled with profound grief. During the war and even in the years following its end they were still being held to moral account, the shadow of the War Office hanging over their lives. Many found their pensions were subject to forfeit after investigations by the police, government officials and the Church…

When my uncle got a DNA test for Christmas, I was extremely sceptical as to what this could tell us. I thought that he was wasting his time and money. My maternal grandparents being keen family historians, much of my maternal tree was mapped out, as far as could be reasonably ascertained, before I reached an age to get involved, while my mother –also a keen family historian – had taken care of much of my father’s side. Sure, there were big mysterious areas kicking around, but how much could be gleaned from DNA? Once my mother and father and grandmother had their DNA done too, I started to get into it. There were oddities in the results in terms of areas and connections to people. Some DNA links were…

The names of the men from the parish of St Luke’s, Deptford, who served in the First World War are being sought for a restored Roll of Honour. The original war memorial, which has been lost, listed 1,532 men, of whom 147 had been killed in the fighting. Researcher Jackie Sellars has identified approximately 800 of the names, including 113 of those who died, as well as a list of the roads in the parish at the time where they might have been recorded as living. If you have an ancestor who may have been commemorated on the war memorial, please contact Jackie by emailing jackie@tommoco49.plus.com. The organisers aim to install the new Roll of Honour, accompanied by a Book of Remembrance, at the nearby church of St Nicholas in…

The question has haunted us for almost 80 years: what would life have been like if Britain had been invaded by the Nazis, and its people – like those all over Europe – had found themselves under occupation? A possible answer lies right on our doorstep, in the experiences of the 50,000 Channel Islanders who spent five years under the Third Reich, after the islands were seized in 1940. The British forces didn’t even attempt to stop it. Although Churchill thought it was “repugnant” to allow the Wehrmacht to take the islands without putting up a fight, his war cabinet were adamant: to defend them would mean risking the mainland. On 19 June the prime minister reluctantly gave the order to demilitarise them. The troops stationed in the islands would…

ARCHIVES Island Archives St Barnabas, Cornet Street, St Peter Port, Guernsey GY1 1LF 01481 724512 gov.gg/islandarchives The Archives houses identity registration forms, court records, government documents, diaries and photographs. Jersey Archive Clarence Road, St Helier, Jersey JE2 4JY 01534 833300 bit.ly/jersey-archive Jersey Archive holds similar material, as well as footage of the occupation. Priaulx Library Candie Road, St Peter Port, Guernsey GY1 1UG 01481 721998 priaulxlibrary.co.uk You can find newspapers, photos and diaries at Guernsey’s research library. Société Jersiaise 7 Pier Road, St Helier, Jersey JE2 4XW 01534 730538 societe-jersiaise.org The society’s library holds a German survey of the island, maps and cuttings. MUSEUMS German Occupation Museum Les Houards, Forest, Guernsey GY8 0BG 01481 238205 germanoccupationmuseum.co.uk This gem has occupation artefacts, maps, models and domestic dioramas. Jersey War Tunnels Les…

123 accredited archive services in the United Kingdom (Source: TNA) £10 million archive expenditure cut between 2013 and 2017 (Source: CIPFA) 3.1 hours – the mean length of a trip to a UK archive (Source: ARA) 1.6 million increase in archive visitor numbers (Source: CIPFA) 130 full-time archive jobs lost between 2013 and 2017 (Source: CIPFA) 99 percentage of archive visitors in a recent survey who said that they enjoyed their trip and that it improved their knowledge (Source: ARA)…

QI am struggling to find out more about my Irish great grandfather, John Connolly. Apart from the details on his death and marriage certificates, all I know is that John apparently came from Dublin, bringing cattle to York Market and then by train to Newcastle if he didn’t sell. We have always believed that his father was called Peter, and that his grandmother was one of the first midwives in Dublin to be recognised by professional certification. According to family stories, she smoked a pipe and cycled around the city. I think her name was Mary Connolly (née Haughton) but I have no proof. Where do I go from here? Sadly, I don’t have any older relatives who can help me. Sally Hare A England and Wales are set to…

The Weardale Museum in the village of Ireshopeburn, Co Durham, holds a collection of images of letters written by or to emigrants who left the area in search of a better life overseas. These include two written by James Vickers, who sailed to America with his wife Sally and her parents to join relatives already out there. One was written from Quebec on 13 July 1818, and one from his final destination in Pennsylvania on 12 April 1819. The letters reveal struggle and tragedy, with the second one noting “the same night we got here Salleys Father died being only eight days sick… and never had the pleasure of seeing his familey all together”. However, James is optimistic about their new lives: “This is a free Countery what we work…

“Ellis Island was the gateway to the USA for most immigrants between 1892 and 1954, although it was perhaps more of a barrier for screening out undesirables than the welcoming image of the Statue of Liberty might suggest. For family historians, the most useful feature of libertyellisfoundation.org is the easily searchable database of passengers who passed through Ellis Island, as well as a database of emigrants’ ships that includes their manifests – allowing you to learn who else might have been travelling with your ancestor. “The website also offers you an opportunity to find out more about the often bewildering and sometimes frightening experiences of a new arrival. You can listen to first-hand accounts recorded as part of an oral history project that began in 1973, and explore a gallery…

Officer’s name The name is given with all middle names in full if applicable, rather than initials. Note that nicknames such as ‘Jack’ are not used. Rank column John started as temporary sub-lieutenant, a rank commonly given to merchant navy officers, and rose to lieutenant. Wife’s name This was nearly always recorded if applicable, as well as their home address. The date shown is when these details were added to the record. Details of duties Jack took ships along the south coast and to the Mediterranean, where he was responsible for refuelling in the role of coaling officer. Awards At Gibraltar, Jack acted as French translator and was subsequently awarded the Order of Nichan Iftikhar by the Bey of Tunis. Assessments Comments from named commanding officers reveal that Jack was…

BOOKS The Royal Navy’s Reserves in War & Peace, 1903–2003 by Stephen Howarth (Leo Cooper, 2003) Stephen Howarth’s account of naval reservists in the 20th century is highly illustrated. Tracing Your Seafaring Ancestors by Simon Wills (Pen and Sword, 2016) This guide explains how to interpret photographs of maritime ancestors, including naval reservists. MUSEUMS AND ARCHIVES Fleet Air Arm Museum RNAS Yeovilton, Ilchester, Somerset BA22 8HT fleetairarm.com The Fleet Air Arm Museum holds engagement papers signed when men enlisted in the RNVR; this is especially useful if their service records are missing from TNA. Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and the National Museum of the Royal Navy Victory Gate, HM Naval Base, Portsmouth PO1 3LJ historicdockyard.co.uk Visitors can explore the full history of the Royal Navy. WEBSITES Imperial War Museums…

Foreign travel, glamour, mixing in high society – no wonder so many girls wanted to be lady’s maids. By the 17th century, domestic service was a major source of female employment. An adolescent girl with little formal education might become a regular kitchen, laundry or house maid, but the position of personal lady’s maid in a high-ranking or wealthy household was an exceptional role to which few could aspire. Early details are scarce, but from the 1800s more historical evidence survives, revealing much about the lives of ancestors who followed this interesting career. Dedicated lady’s maids worked mainly in prestigious houses with many staff, while in more modest residences a trusted housemaid usually assumed some of the duties of a lady’s maid. The mistress of a fashionable, elite household was…

How long have you been researching family history? A long time. I started when I was in my 20s, and I’m now 65! On my father’s side, I was particularly lucky in having two spinster great aunts who had kept all of the important photographs and documents, and could tell me stories about the past. The house was so old and quirky you could only enter one of the bedrooms by ladder What did you uncover before hitting your brick wall? I had managed to trace my mother’s paternal line back to my great great grandfather, George Fletcher, who was born in 1851. We had some photographs of him living at the family cottage in Cox Green near Maidenhead, Berkshire. Apparently the house was so old and quirky that you…

When we last visited Worcestershire in August 2012, the brand new home for the county archives, The Hive, was on the cusp of opening its doors for the first time. And today, alongside all the kinds of resources you might expect from a county record office, sit some unique documents, underused sources and esoteric ephemera. There’s a will here, dating from 1820, in which a man requests that following his death a surgeon remove his head from his body, to guarantee that he is not buried alive. In the quarter sessions collections there’s the strange case of the woman accused of stealing acorns, and despite pleading guilty, being found not guilty. “We have evidence of a wife sale in All Saints parish registers,” is another example given by Lisa Snook,…

Beside the Seaside: a History of Yorkshire’s Seaside Resorts by John Heywood Pen & Sword, 180 pages, £15.99 As Brits prepare to hit the beaches this summer, John Heywood provides a brief but fascinating history of the popular seaside resorts of God’s own country. He traces their story from the 17th century to the boom in Victorian holiday-making, the impact of the two world wars and the present day. Atlas of the European Campaign: 1944–45 by Steven J Zaloga Osprey, 279 pages, £40 This weighty and handsomely bound atlas would make a perfect present for a Second World War buff. In 127 maps, each accompanied by Zaloga’s explanations, the atlas lays out the battles that led from the D-Day landings in June 1944 to the surrender of Germany in May…

EAST East Coast Heritage Day 16 June ASTRA BUILDING, LOWESTOFT  bit.ly/east-coast-heritage sfhsfairs@suffolkfhs.co.uk This Suffolk Family History Society event will allow you to learn more about local heritage and history, with stalls by local groups, two talks, a photographic exhibition and a presentation by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Free entry. Talks £2 each for nonmembers, or £3 for both. LONDON Following the Money 9 June SOCIETY OF GENEALOGISTS, CLERKENWELL  bit.ly/sog-money 0207 553 3290 This event consists of two talks – ‘Financial Records for Family Historians’ by Dr Gwyneth Wilkie, and ‘Wills and Probate Records for Family Historians’ by Else Churchill. £20. FIBIS AGM and Open Lecture Meeting 16 June UNION JACK CLUB, LAMBETH  bit.ly/fibis-agm events@fibis.org The Families in British India Society presents its annual general meeting, with a surgery for…

Norfolk Record Office Family historians with forebears in Norfolk can find records for them by using the online resources available from the county’s record office. The catalogue is free to search, and it’s easy to do following the steps below. 1 Go to Norfolk Record Office’s homepage at archives.norfolk.gov.uk. Click on the ‘Getting started: Family and local history’ panel on the left-hand side of the page, which will take you to the page shown here. 2 Click the NROCAT link in the centre of the page. NROCAT’s homepage will show you all of the search options for the catalogue. Try a simple query: click ‘Quick Search’ at the top of the list and enter your ancestor’s name, eg “edward dixon”, in the search field. A list of relevant hits will…