Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2023 i Who Do You Think You Are?

For those of us who have been doing family history for many years, it can seem relatively simple to start a new branch on a family tree, but it’s important to remember that talk of BMDs and parish records is confusing for many beginners. I hope that FamilySearch’s new ‘Guided Research’ tool (see page 14) will help newbies take those important first steps. There’s also plenty in the article to inspire experienced researchers (and turn to page 52 to find out how to uncover ‘hidden’ records on FamilySearch). I suspect that most people will find Methodists somewhere in their family tree. I have whole swathes of them myself, so I was fascinated by John Lenton’s ‘Focus On’ article on page 29. It has given me some leads to follow up,…

Find out more about the life of a 19th-century cavalryman TERRY CASTLE: SOME MORTIFICATIONS OF FAMILY HISTORY 10 March a Conway Hall, London w tinyurl.com/event-brite-terry-castle This event in a series of winter lectures from the London Review of Books sees US literary scholar Terry Castle reflect on the life of her distant cousin Henry Francis Finn, who led a cavalry charge at the “grotesquely lopsided and horrific” Battle of Omdurman in Sudan on 2 September 1898. £10 in person, £5 online.…

we all rely very heavily on surnames when we’re doing our family history research - indeed,it would be impossible without them - and they are a fascinating area of study in their own right. In my own ancestry I have some unhelpfully familiar ones. In Manchester 180 years ago I had forebears with the surnames Dean, Brown and Johnson, and finding the right people in these lines is a considerable challenge. Take Elizabeth Johnson, for instance: born sometime between 1808 and 1812, somewhere in Manchester… there are dozens of possible candidates, and no obvious way of telling which one was my 4x great grandmother. But then there are names that are rare and unusual, and in theory this makes things a whole lot easier. In theory… but not always in…

The four-engined aircraft tried to get home and away at high speed, whilst slightly losing height. I slowly got closer, until I could make it out with my bare eyes. I gradually lost some height and positioned myself 100 to 150 metres beneath my target. It now hung over us, as large as a barn door. I put my sights on the fuselage and with the Schrage Musik I fired through the whole length of it. Our target dived down steeply and crashed onto the ground in the area of the mouth of the River Scheldt. We saw how it exploded on impact, with a huge detonation and a sheet of flames.” This account by Luftwaffe pilot Oberleutnant Gottfried Hanneck, which appears in Legend of the Lancasters by Martin Bowman…

Hugh Bourne was born at Ford Hayes Farm in the hills above Stoke-on-Trent in the Potteries. He read John Wesley's sermons early, and was converted in 1799 at a Wesleyan Methodist ‘love feast’, where worshippers came together to celebrate their faith. The family moved to Bemersley Farm nearby and Bourne preached his first sermon outside in 1801. He made his living as a timber dealer and carpenter, and did a lot of work for Methodism in and outside his circuit. Bourne had read about the outdoor camp meetings in the USA and wanted to hold one on Mow Cop, the hill that dominated his local skyline. This he did successfully in 1807, but the Wesleyan Methodist Conference were concerned that the Government would see camp meetings as revolutionary so made…

BOOKS A Methodist in the Family? Philip Thornborow Methodist Church, 2014 This valuable guide to records and terminology can be borrowed for free from the Internet Archive at tinyurl.com/arch-meth-fam. United Methodist Ministers and Their Circuits Oliver A Beckerlegge Epworth, 1968 This title covers all United Methodist ministers and their 19th-century predecessors. LIBRARIES ENGLESEA BROOK CHAPEL & MUSEUM a Englesea Brook, Crewe, Cheshire CW2 5QW t 01270 820836 e enquiries@engleseabrook.org.uk w engleseabrook.org.uk The museum and its library are dedicated to the history of Primitive Methodism. The building opens for visitors in March. Its website includes a register of burials in the Englesea Brook graveyard (1841-1920). WESLEY HISTORICAL I SOCIETY LIBRARY a Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History, Oxford Brookes University, Harcourt Hill, Oxford 0X2 9AT t 01865 488319 e admin.ocmch@brookes.ac.uk…

DERBYSHIRE WAR MEMORIALS w derbyshirewarmemorials.com This county site has details of more than 1,900 memorials and some 30,000 names. IN FROM THE COLD w infromthecoid.org This project works to add the names of casualties omitted from the lists supplied to the CWGC. IRISH WAR MEMORIALS w irishwarmemorials.ie This growing database is based on cross-conflict memorials in the Republic and Northern Ireland. NATIONAL MEMORIAL ARBORETUM w thenma.org.uk This centre of remembrance is in Staffordshire. NOTTINGHAMSHIRE GREAT WAR ROLL OF HONOUR w secure.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/rollofhonour The database from this excellent local project holds names collected from 677 memorials. SCOTTISH NATIONAL WAR MEMORIAL w snwm.org If you can’t visit the memorial in Edinburgh in person, there’s an online database of casualties from the world wars and conflicts since 1945. SHEFFIELD WW1 WAR MEMORIALS w sheffieldwwlmemorials.co.uk…

Take your research further BOOKS Land Girls and Their Impact Ann Kramer Pen & Sword, 2008 Kramer's title can be borrowed for free from the Internet Archive at tinyurl.com/arch-kramer. The Women's Land Army: A Portrait Gill Clarke Sansom, 2008 This heavily illustrated volume accompanied an exhibition in a gallery. WEBSITES THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES w tinyurl.com/tna-guide-wla TNA's oniine guide explains how to research relations who were intheWLA. WOMEN’S LAND ARMY & TIMBER CORPS w womenslandarmy.co.uk Cherish's website is the national online archive commemorating the work of the WLA and Timber Corps, and includes profiles of a number of Land Girls in addition to historian Stuart Antrobus’ advice for interpreting Index Cards (tinyurl.com/wla-cards). WW2 PEOPLE’S WAR w tinyurl.com/bbc-land-girls Read memories of Land Girls at this BBC website.…

QA distant cousin in Australia recently contacted me, and we have discovered an anomaly on a branch of our family trees. We both agree on the individuals going back to a William Woollcott born in 1769/1770. My research took me to a baptism on 25 February 1770 in Exeter, the father being a John Woollcott. My cousin believes that William was baptised on 11 November 1769 at St Marylebone, London, with his father also called William. This has thrown a spanner in the works, as our ancestors are now different beyond this point. I have also come across two indentures, both in London. One says William Woollcott, son of William, and the other William, son of John. Are either or them relevant? Bob Shaw A Separating two individuals who have…

ARCHIVE HIGHLAND ARCHIVE CENTRE a Bught Road, Inverness IV3 5RZ t 01349 781130 e archives@highlifehighland.com w highlifehighland.com/highland-archive-centre The centre has material related to crofting communities. BOOKS A Croft in the Hills Katharine Stewart Birlinn, 2014 Earlier editions of this first-hand account of life in a postwar croft can be borrowed for free from the Internet Archive(tinyurl.com/arch-croft-hills ). The Making of the Crofting Community James Hunter Birlinn, 2018 You can also borrow the 1976 first edition of this classic history from the Internet Archive via tinyurl.com/arch-crofting. WEBSITES SCOTLANDSPEOPLE w tinyurl.com/sp-hies This helpful guide provides more information on the records of the Highland and Island Emigration Society, which are available digitally on ScotlandsPeople. STATISTICAL ACCOUNTS OF SCOTLAND w tinyurl.com/stat-acc The ‘Old’(1791-1799) and ‘New' (1834-1845) Statistical Accounts contain parish reports, including details of crofts.…

WESTERN ISLES RECORDS w hebrideanconnections.com Search material relating to the Western Isles' history, genealogy, archaeology, culture and traditions. EMIGRATION RECORDS w tinyurl.com/sp-hies ScotiandsPeople offers free access to the records of the Highland and Island Emigration Society, which helped thousands make a new life in Australia in the mid-19th century. SCHOOL LOGBOOKS w tinyurl.com/tne-volumes Volumes from Tasglann nan Eilean Include school logbooks and Stornoway Poor Law material. DIRECTORIES w digital.nls.uk/directories This National Library of Scotland website provides free access to a vast range of directories listing residents, their professions and their addresses. ARCHIVAL HIGHLIGHTS w ambaile.org.uk On the website Am Baileyou can search material from archives across the Highlands, including images, audiovisual material and documents.…

Many of our ancestors would have sought poor relief from the local parish if they.faced destitution. The 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act created the Victorian workhouse system that’s familiar to most of us. Before then, parishes were responsible for administering aid to their paupers. Each pauper was the responsibility of the parish where they were ‘settled’. However, the parish of Kirkby Lonsdale, Westmorland, also provided aid for itinerant vagrants who passed through the town. Their precious details are recorded in a book held by Kendal Archive Centre, as archivist Anthony Hughes explains. COULD YOU DESCRIBE THE DOCUMENT? The vagrants’ book was compiled by Stephen Garnett, who was the, overseer of the poor for the parish of Kirkby Lonsdale in the south of Westmorland. The book lists itinerant people passing through…

NO PLACE LIKE HOME No Place Like Home sees celebrities return to the areas where they were born and raised. For presenter Fern Britton, this means heading to Chalfont St Giles, while journalist Victoria Derbyshire uncovers Greater Manchester's industrial past and actor Ben Miller returns to Nantwich. A trio of earlier episodes featuring Jay Blades of Repair Shop fame are also on My5, while actor Amanda Abbington, presenter JJ Chalmers and former footballer Chris Kamara star in three new episodes likely to air later in the year.…

A yacht drifts by lighthouses and inlets on the coast of southern Norway and Denmark in 1912. On board are two men, Walter and Hugh Archer, who appear to be cruising the waters at their leisure. In reality, they are British spies who’ve been recruited to monitor German naval activity. Both of the men are relations of Andrew Bradley, who began researching his tree in earnest during the lockdown of spring 2020. “I knew that my great great grandfather Walter Edward Archer was very successful in his career as an inspector of fisheries,” Andrew explains. “He was also a specialist on the sex life of the salmon! I had no idea that he was linked to the Secret Intelligence Service, which would later become known as MI6.” Andrew began his…

Ancestry adds North Yorkshire parish records Family history website Ancestry (ancestry.co.uk) has added parish records from North Yorkshire. The sets are 'North Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1558-1812’ (2,678,402 records); ‘North Yorkshire, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1921’ (1,432,220 records); ‘North Yorkshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1937’ (791,373 records); and ‘North Yorkshire, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813-1995’ (411,099 records). Parish records can establish your ancestors’ dates and places of birth, marriage and death, as well as additional details such as the names of their parents and any spouses. The records were added in partnership with North Yorkshire County Record Office. They include digitised images and transcriptions that can be searched. They include the details of many famous historic…

Birth, marriage and death records are key sources that form the foundation of accurate family history. If you are new to the hobby then you may feel bewildered by all of the advice and different records that are available online. The first question most novice family historians ask is, “Where do I start?” However, the answer to this is not the same for everyone. The best place to start searching depends on when and where your relation lived and died. The date range for the search, indexes and the images available online also affect the search priority. The website FamilySearch (famiiysearch.org) holds billions of genealogical records from around the world, and is completely free to use although you need to create an account to access some of the collections. There…

ACCESSIBLE FROM HOME ABSTRACTS OF COPY WILLS, COMMISSARY COURT OF LONDON [LONDON DIVISION], REGISTERED WILLS, 1750-1857 Index has information about testators and beneficiaries in London, Middlesex, Essex and Hertfordshire (16,796 images). ADMISSION REGISTERS TO THE LIVERPOOL WORKHOUSE, BROWN LOW HILL, 1869-1902 Details include name, gender, age, religion, trade and marital status (11,000 images) ENGLAND, ESSEX BISHOP'S TRANSCRIPTS, 1779-1892 Christening, marriage and burial records for various parishes and years (40,634 images). ENGLAND, NORFOLK POOR LAW UNION RECORDS, 1796-1900 A wide variety of records (133,793 images). WALES, WEST GLAMORGAN, ELECTORAL REGISTERS, 1839-1925 One of the website's countless collections of electoral registers (34,817 indexed images). ACCESSIBLE FROM A FAMILYSEARCH CENTER/AFFILIATE LIBRARY ABERCORN PAPERS Leases, deeds, accounts, maps and rentals relating to estates in Tyrone, Donegal, Londonderry, Scotland and Essex cl6101920 (about 165,000 images).…

These websites helped Marcel understand how Geoffrey died DUTCH STUDY GROUP AIR WAR 1939-1945 w studiegroepluchtoorlog.nl If you're researching relatives who were shot down in the Netherlands during the Second World War, this website holds the Loss Register-a roundup of information about all of the aircraft that crashed in the country during the conflict - at verliesregister.studiegroepluchtoorlog.nl/ahome/lossregister Another good resource is Wings to Victory (tinyurl.com/wings-to-victory), to-victory), an online guide to Zeeland’s wartime crash sites. THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES w tinyurl.com/tna-guide-orbs Operations Record Books provide fascinating snapshots of squadrons' activities during 1911-1963, and are free to search and download. WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY & RESEARCH w Mbrary.wur.nl/WebQuery/geoportal/raf The university and research centre’s website hosts aerial photos of the Netherlands taken by the RAF during the Second World War. You can initially search them in…

1 SLEAFORD William Cattle was stationed in the Sleaford circuit from Conference 1838 to Conference 1839. Conference at that time lasted a fortnight from late July to early August. Ministers were expected to move as soon as they knew where their new circuit was. 2 HAYTI James Catts was a French-speaking minister who had been brought up in Guernsey and was sent to be a missionary in French-speaking Haiti. 3 DOLGELLY Dolgelly and Beaumaris were Welshspeaking circuits, so Chambers must have been a Welsh speaker. 4 LYNN The maximum time that Wesleyan ministers spent in the same circuit in the 19th century was three years. For ministers such as these before 1840 the average time was two years. 5 SUP. This was short for “Supernumerary”, which was what retired ministers…

Which battle was Herbert Strong injured in? Q My grandfather, Herbert George Strong (born 1878), was living with his wife, Alice, and son, Albert Edward (my father), in Worthing in 1911. He was a private (267680) in the 17th Battalion King’s (Liverpool) Regiment and was discharged from the army on 19 August 1918-1 assume because he was wounded in battle. I have been unable to find him in the 1921 census, but he married Mary Helen Dunne in 1932, a year after his first wife Alice died. I would like to know in which battle he was wounded and where he was in 1921. Alan Strong A Herbert's Silver War Badge Roll on Findmypast (findmypast.co.uk) says that he enlisted on 29 November 1915, making him a volunteer. He'd have done…

Researching workingclass ancestors can involve sleuthing skills worthy of Sherlock Holmes, but there are many records to help. Details of apprenticeships and parish relief are among them, and these have enabled Chris Carver to discover a relative from humble origins who found success in business. MY BRICK WALL My 3x great grandfather Samuel Carver (1781-1837) worked as a map engraver in London. While I was researching his life I stumbled upon the remarkable tale of a young man who rose from rags to riches. In 2002,1 was fascinated to find the obituary for a Samuel Carver who was “for many years partner in the well-known firm of Bowles and Carver of St Paul’s Churchyard” in the City of London. This Samuel died in 1841, aged 85, so the dates were…

We visit the Highlands and Islands in the wake of the 1921 census appearing on the official government website ScotlandsPeople (scotlandspeople.gov.uk) Despite teething troubles with this long-awaited debut, there was a tangible sense of relief that the most important resource for a generation of researchers made it online before Hogmanay. This region of Scotland is defined as north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault, taking in the historic counties of Argyll, Caithness, Inverness, Nairn, Ross and Cromarty, and Sutherland, as well as the islands of Orkney, Shetland and the Outer Hebrides, or Western Isles. Although ScotlandsPeople undoubtedly remains the most important resource for the likes of statutory registers and the census, a whole raft of material is also accessible through the numerous archives, societies and heritage trusts that serve…

FIND A MENTOR One of the most rewarding aspects of the hobby of family history is that we constantly learn new things, and can help others on the same journey. You can accelerate your research by learning from people who have more experience. This does not have to be a formal trainer you hire, but someone you follow on social media. Look for any online or offline classes that they teach, and read their books, magazine articles and advice online. INTERVIEW LIVING RELATIONS Learn what they know about other members of your family, and take detailed notes. Asking for dates and details to fill out a chart of your tree may not be as productive as asking questions about who came to visit the family, what school was like when…

Methodism began in the 1730s when John Wesley (1703-1791) founded what he called “religious societies”. Wesley preached widely across England, travelling round the whole country each year. He was supported by his brother Charles the hymnwriter and others, mostly laymen who became travelling preachers. Methodists represented almost a quarter of the total church attendance of 10 million recorded in the 1851 Census of Religious Worship; the census is online via tinyurl.com/histpop-1851-religious-census although details of individual worshippers were not recorded. Numbers continued to increase in the late 19th century, but declined in the 20th century. In the 18th century Methodists still thought of themselves as Anglicans. So baptisms, marriages and burials should be in Anglican records for that period, and often for a long time after. Following Wesley’s death Methodism fractured…

During 2022,1 prepared commemorations of war memorials in Northern Ireland that had been unveiled or dedicated in 1922. One of the most important sources I used was the Imperial War Museum's War Memorial Register (iwm.org.uk/memorials), which contains details about more than 90,000 war memorials in the British Isles and incorporates over 1.5 million names. There is a wide variety of memorials represented here, including civic memorials and memorials for churches, educational institutions, commercial organisations, sports clubs and regiments. The register also includes family memorials, mainly found in churches but also in graveyards. As well as the world wars, the register includes memorials from other conflicts such as the Second Boer War, Crimea, Korea and the Falklands. Although the search facility is free form, a wide array of filters and sub-filters…

Q I’ve been sent this photograph by a cousin, believes it shows my 3x great grandmother, Miriam Laverick (1846-1922). However, I feel that the lady in the photo was born earlier than 1846 and think it may be Miriam’s mother, Christiana Potts (18161902), Can you tell me when it may have been taken? Melanie Fisher A This standard card-mounted studio photograph is probably a cabinet portrait/ print - the most popular format in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Without the studio details, which are often printed on the mount, we must examine the image itself for clues. The three-quarter-length composition of the subject, seen here, was popular throughout the 1870s to 1890s, while the studio setting and props confirm a late Victorian or early Edwardian date. Dress details…

1 1770 Samuel Carver was 14 years old when he was apprenticed. 2 SON OF Apprenticeship records, such as this document from the Worshipful Company of Joiners, can provide vital information including a late father's name, occupation and residence. 3 CARRINGTON BOWLES Samuel was apprenticed as a joiner in a print-making business owned by Carrington Bowles. The family provided Samuel with a lifeline following his father's death.…

1692 Men of Clan MacDonald fail to pledge allegiance to William of Orange and Maryll and are massacred at Glencoe. 1746 South Uist-born Flora MacDonald helps Bonnie Prince Charlie evade government troops after the Battle of Cuiloden. 1846 Catherine Murray, widow of the landowner of Harris the Ear of Dunmore, asks Harris weavers to replicate the Clan Murray tartan in tweed. 1881 The first Up Helly Aa torch procession takes place in Lerwick to mark the end of Yule. 1881 The Gordon Highlanders is created as the county regiment of Aberdeenshire, Banffshire and Shetland. Three years later the Prince and Princess of Wales present new colours to the regiment. 1919 About 200 men die when the lolaire hits the rock formation the ‘Beasts of Holm’ outside Stornoway Harbour. 1945 Mull…

ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES HIGHLAND ARCHIVE CENTRE a Bught Road, Inverness IV3 5RZ t 01349 781130 e archives@highfifehighfand.com w highlifehighland.com/highland/archive-centre The Highland Archive Service runs four centres - Fort William, Inverness, Portree and Wick and they all have a searchroom and repository facilities. The Inverness HQ has a genealogy room and a conservation studio. Its collections cover the counties of Inverness, Nairn, Ross and Cromarty, and Sutherland. The catalogue (https://archives.highlifehighland.com/calmview/default/aspx) has about 100,000 descriptions of material held across the four archive centres. LOCHABER ARCHIVE CENTRE a Alexander Ross House, Achintore Road, Fort William PH33 6RQ t 01397 707050 e ochaber.archives@highlifehighland.com w highlifehjghland.com/lochaber-archive-centre The material held here includes school logbooks and admission registers, poor-relief records, property valuation rolls, police archives, and family and estate records. The West Highland Museum collection was recently…

Rosemary Collins highlights three digital resources that caught our eye this month LISTEN OUTSIDE THE BOX exploreyourarchive.org/archive-explored-exploreyour-archive/outside-the-boxpodcast Free Launched in November to mark Explore Your Archive week,Outside the Box is the Archives and Records Association's first podcast aimed at the general public. It showcases a wide variety of archives, and talks to the people who work in them. Episodes include a look at the digital recreation of Ireland's lost Public Record Office. WATCH GLAMOURDAZE youtube.com/@glamourdaze/featured Free YouTuber Glamourdaze uses artificial intelligence to colourise, enhance and upscale historic footage, providing a fascinating glimpse of the past brought back to life. Highlights include the Aran Islands in 1929, female factory workers in 1904, and crowds celebrating VE Day in Paris in 1945. WEBSITE MIXED MUSEUM mixedmuseum.org.uk Free This digital museum and archive…