If you're frustrated by some of the aspects of researching your family tree - and want to help out others, the website BillionGraves.com is where you can do just that, from the comfort of your own armchair.
BillionGraves.com is a worldwide graveyard website where some people take photos of graves in a churchyard and they can either transcribe them themselves, or leave them on the site for other people to transcribe. This is a great idea and it is an active website where thousands of graves have already been photographed and transcribed.
I transcribe gravestones for BillionGraves.com when they're either graveyards where my ancestors and their relations might be buried, or where I know the local area - I select these because they're of most interest to me, so I am more motivated to keep checking for new graves to transcribe. But you can pick any graveyard for any reason.
All you do is sign up for an account, login and start transcribing. There's no commitment, you could simply do one/day if you have low enthusiasm levels! Over the coming years this will turn into a great resource. Already there's a new feature whereby if you're transcribing a grave it suggests results from the LDS website at familysearch.org as possible matches for the grave and if you can see that they are the same person you can "connect" the grave directly to the online record with just one click.
Try it and see what you think!
Monday 30 November 2015
Sunday 29 November 2015
Researching Old Books
I love researching old books that have a connection to specific people. I've recently picked up a copy of Old English Social Life as told by the Parish Register by TF Thiselton Dyer simply because somebody had written his name inside the cover.
Walter Marshall, April 1899, The Cloisters, Windsor Castle!
Who was this Walter Marshall, I wondered? When and where did he live, when and where did he die? I wanted to see if I could find his story.
As it turned out, Walter Marshall was quite easy to find!
Born in 1859 in Peterborough, (which is now part of Cambridgeshire), Walter Marshall was the son of the Reverend Frederick Anthony Stansfield Marshall and Helen Wilhelmina Stansfield Marshall. He was one of many children.
Walter Marshall married Leonora and they had four children, Kenneth, Phyllis Marshall, Mary Marshall and Campbell Marshall - all of whom were born at Windsor Castle.
Walter Marshall died in Christchurch, Hampshire in 1921. The borders between the counties changed since that date, so Christchurch is currently in Dorset!
The book I've got must have been written in his hand, rather than by somebody who gave him the book, so it's possibly a book he bought for himself. It's full of great stories that can be found scribbled in parish registers by vicars/similar of the parishes. I LOVE reading parish register notes, they can be so amusing, or insightful. e.g. I have one instance where a married woman's given birth to a baby, which would then gain the married woman's surname - and the vicar's made a note that the lady in question had already left her husband and been living with another chap for the last two years. Simply looking at free online birth registers it'd be easy for a genealogist to get the wrong father on the family tree!
Anyway, back to Walter Marshall, once you've found the identity of somebody you can then use a lot of free resources to find out more about their life, I've jotted some findings below:
What's interesting about researching old books is that it's affordable to do as you can buy the book, do your research and then sell the book on, possibly even to somebody related to that person if they wish to own a unique piece of their family history. So it can break even as well as giving you hours of enjoyment, but, from a research perspective, it provides new challenges as you're working in areas and lifestyles outside of your usual family tree, so you're having to find and use new sources of information - it all adds to your skills and knowledge!
Using "paid for" services, such as Findmypast and Ancestry, it's possible to get a lot more detail about somebody's life. You might be able to find them in the parish registers, see who were witnesses at a marriage, or get a baptisms/christening date and location. It adds an entirely new level to what's possible!
Sometimes you might simply investigate the outline of somebody's life, like I have done above - and other times you might get caught up as you discover somebody that piques your interest and you're prepared to go the extra mile! I'm afraid I'm addicted to buying and researching old books.
Just a simple outline then brings further queries - such as where is Kenneth Marshall as he's disappeared between 1891 when he was aged 1 and the 1901 Census when he wasn't with the family. You then need to investigate whether he's away at school, as a boarder, or died. Or maybe it's a mis-transcription - only a closer look would give the answers, this is more easily done with the site subscriptions.
In this instance, as the family appeared to have remained in one place, Windsor, it's possible to take a quick look at what FreeBMD offers as a clue. However, a quick look shows that the family name appears too frequently to help. But, you can find Kenneth Marshall in the 1901 Census, listed as a boarder at College Green, Worcester, where he is at school, aged 11.
Similarly, the death of Leonora Marshall is probably the one registered in the Aldershot Registration District in 1939, aged 80. But this is based purely on the ages matching, the rough location matching - and the records available in FreeBMD. What you do is start with an idea and then use other sources and resources to try to find out more about the person that died on that date. Having said that, a quick look at the UK Wills search site gives "MARSHALL Leonora of Greenfields Crondall Southampton widow died 2 March 1939.". The word "widow" gives one more clue that you've got the right person - personally, for my own 'interest' this would be enough 'evidence' for me. Looking at the newspapers for 1939, Leonora's death was given some column inches, from which it can be seen that Leonora was buried at Crondall. Among the mourners were her son Campbell, a married daughter and an unmarried daughter, as well as some grandchildren and other relatives which tied this burial back to the Hemery family. So it's definitely the correct lady and burial. Also, from the newspapers, in August 1939 a Memorial Cross of beaten silver cross was given to Crondall Church in her memory by her sister, Deaconess Hemery.
Of course, any of the above could be proven/disproven only by careful study and, possibly, access to specific family records.
Mini projects like this can simply sit on your bookcase, mysteries to be solved at a future date! New sources and resources are coming online all the time and it might be tomorrow that the next mystery can be solved!
I bought the book in Christchurch, Dorset, so it'd be an interesting project to map out the whole family tree to see where it might've come from. If I guess that it's from a house clearance of one of Walter's great-grandchildren, then, looking at my own family timelines, it'd be the equivalent of, say, me clearing out my mother's house where she'd kept a book as a memento of her own grandmother!
Additionally, the book contains another little "hidden secret to be uncovered", there's a slip of paper inside the book - maybe it's marking a particular page, or maybe he had the book with him when somebody called to make arrangements and he scribbled down their name and slid it into the book .... it could be the names of a couple he married, or some other event. This piece of paper isn't dated, it simply says:
Hilda Violet
Edward Susan Cornaby
7B Terr Laburn
E&OE.
Walter Marshall, April 1899, The Cloisters, Windsor Castle!
Who was this Walter Marshall, I wondered? When and where did he live, when and where did he die? I wanted to see if I could find his story.
As it turned out, Walter Marshall was quite easy to find!
Born in 1859 in Peterborough, (which is now part of Cambridgeshire), Walter Marshall was the son of the Reverend Frederick Anthony Stansfield Marshall and Helen Wilhelmina Stansfield Marshall. He was one of many children.
Walter Marshall married Leonora and they had four children, Kenneth, Phyllis Marshall, Mary Marshall and Campbell Marshall - all of whom were born at Windsor Castle.
Walter Marshall died in Christchurch, Hampshire in 1921. The borders between the counties changed since that date, so Christchurch is currently in Dorset!
The book I've got must have been written in his hand, rather than by somebody who gave him the book, so it's possibly a book he bought for himself. It's full of great stories that can be found scribbled in parish registers by vicars/similar of the parishes. I LOVE reading parish register notes, they can be so amusing, or insightful. e.g. I have one instance where a married woman's given birth to a baby, which would then gain the married woman's surname - and the vicar's made a note that the lady in question had already left her husband and been living with another chap for the last two years. Simply looking at free online birth registers it'd be easy for a genealogist to get the wrong father on the family tree!
Anyway, back to Walter Marshall, once you've found the identity of somebody you can then use a lot of free resources to find out more about their life, I've jotted some findings below:
- 1859: There is a birth registered in 2nd quarter 1859 in the Peterbro Registration District. This is probably him. This is where you have to be careful with free resources as you can't check further. Sometimes you have to go with the balance of probability unless you've a vested interest in absolutely guaranteeing you've got the right person. I am 99.99% confident this is the correct birth and will leave it at that.
- 1871 Census: Walter was aged 11 and a scholar at a school in Clifton, West Riding, Yorkshire. This is where the paid services give you more as you'd be able to, more easily, work out the name of the school where he was living.
- 1881 Census: Walter was aged 21 and is listed as a visitor to the household of a Mr & Mrs Young at Blackheath Park,Charlton next Woolwich, London, England. His occupation was described as Medical Student (Ak).
- 1888: Married. Walter Marshall married Leonora Hemery in the Brentford Registration District in the 3rd quarter of 1888, which can be found on FreeBMD. Leonora was the daughter of John and Anna and was from Arundel, Sussex.
- 1889: Birth of son Kenneth, registered in Brentford Registration District, 3rd quarter 1889. FreeBMD
- 1891 Census: Walter was aged 31 and was the Head of the household and living at Upper Cloisters, New Windsor, Berkshire, England with wife Leonora Marshall, aged 32, and their one year old child Kenneth Marshall, who had been born at Bedford Park, Middlesex. Walter's occupation was listed as "Clerk In Holy Orders Minor Canon St Georges Windsor". They had three servants also living in the house.
- 1893: Birth of daughter Phyllis at Windsor Castle. Registered in 1st quarter, 1893. FreeBMD.
- 1895: Birth of daughter Mary at Windsor Castle. Registered in 4th quarter 1895. FreeBMD.
- 1898: Birth of son Campbell at Windsor Castle. Registered in 3rd quarter 1898. FreeBMD.
- 1901 Census: William, aged 41, was living with his wife Leonora Marshall, aged 43, in Ewhurst, Sussex. He is a Clergyman with the Church of England. They have with them daughters Phyllis, 8, Mary, 5 and son Campbell Marshall aged 2. All three children were born at Windsor Castle. They have one servant also living with them.
- 1911 Census: William and Leonora are living in Brighton, Sussex. The 1911 Census is harder to find/read for free than the others, but with some tenacity it's possible to pluck the relevant household members, although it is also possible to miss some! Your success depends on the individuals and location involved.
- 1921: Walter Marshall died in 1921 in Christchurch, which is now in Dorset, England. Using the online probate and wills search, you can see "MARSHALL the reverend Walter of the Vicarage Christchurch Hampshire clerk died 6 March 1921. Probate to Leonora Marshall widow. Effects £1032 18s 11d"
- 1939: Wife Leonora died in Southampton
What's interesting about researching old books is that it's affordable to do as you can buy the book, do your research and then sell the book on, possibly even to somebody related to that person if they wish to own a unique piece of their family history. So it can break even as well as giving you hours of enjoyment, but, from a research perspective, it provides new challenges as you're working in areas and lifestyles outside of your usual family tree, so you're having to find and use new sources of information - it all adds to your skills and knowledge!
Using "paid for" services, such as Findmypast and Ancestry, it's possible to get a lot more detail about somebody's life. You might be able to find them in the parish registers, see who were witnesses at a marriage, or get a baptisms/christening date and location. It adds an entirely new level to what's possible!
Sometimes you might simply investigate the outline of somebody's life, like I have done above - and other times you might get caught up as you discover somebody that piques your interest and you're prepared to go the extra mile! I'm afraid I'm addicted to buying and researching old books.
Just a simple outline then brings further queries - such as where is Kenneth Marshall as he's disappeared between 1891 when he was aged 1 and the 1901 Census when he wasn't with the family. You then need to investigate whether he's away at school, as a boarder, or died. Or maybe it's a mis-transcription - only a closer look would give the answers, this is more easily done with the site subscriptions.
In this instance, as the family appeared to have remained in one place, Windsor, it's possible to take a quick look at what FreeBMD offers as a clue. However, a quick look shows that the family name appears too frequently to help. But, you can find Kenneth Marshall in the 1901 Census, listed as a boarder at College Green, Worcester, where he is at school, aged 11.
Similarly, the death of Leonora Marshall is probably the one registered in the Aldershot Registration District in 1939, aged 80. But this is based purely on the ages matching, the rough location matching - and the records available in FreeBMD. What you do is start with an idea and then use other sources and resources to try to find out more about the person that died on that date. Having said that, a quick look at the UK Wills search site gives "MARSHALL Leonora of Greenfields Crondall Southampton widow died 2 March 1939.". The word "widow" gives one more clue that you've got the right person - personally, for my own 'interest' this would be enough 'evidence' for me. Looking at the newspapers for 1939, Leonora's death was given some column inches, from which it can be seen that Leonora was buried at Crondall. Among the mourners were her son Campbell, a married daughter and an unmarried daughter, as well as some grandchildren and other relatives which tied this burial back to the Hemery family. So it's definitely the correct lady and burial. Also, from the newspapers, in August 1939 a Memorial Cross of beaten silver cross was given to Crondall Church in her memory by her sister, Deaconess Hemery.
Of course, any of the above could be proven/disproven only by careful study and, possibly, access to specific family records.
Mini projects like this can simply sit on your bookcase, mysteries to be solved at a future date! New sources and resources are coming online all the time and it might be tomorrow that the next mystery can be solved!
I bought the book in Christchurch, Dorset, so it'd be an interesting project to map out the whole family tree to see where it might've come from. If I guess that it's from a house clearance of one of Walter's great-grandchildren, then, looking at my own family timelines, it'd be the equivalent of, say, me clearing out my mother's house where she'd kept a book as a memento of her own grandmother!
Additionally, the book contains another little "hidden secret to be uncovered", there's a slip of paper inside the book - maybe it's marking a particular page, or maybe he had the book with him when somebody called to make arrangements and he scribbled down their name and slid it into the book .... it could be the names of a couple he married, or some other event. This piece of paper isn't dated, it simply says:
Hilda Violet
Edward Susan Cornaby
7B Terr Laburn
E&OE.
Saturday 28 November 2015
Do You Want to Transcribe Records from Parish Records?
As you know, not all parish registers have been transcribed - and, every organisation has transcribed their own. When you view a transcription of a parish register it is done by an individual or an organisation and then is available by a variety of methods. It might've been a member of a Family History Society, who then publish the records for sale on CDs, or it might've been a volunteer for FreeREG. The LDS volunteers also transcribe parish registers.
The thing with transcribing is that you transcribe exactly what you see - and the thing is that different people will see different things!
I was looking at the parish registers for a parish yesterday and I could see what looked like the name "Moose". But I "knew" heuristically that it was actually Moore. Reading/understanding old hand-writing is a bit of a skill, brought about from practice. But, it's also about knowledge. If I'd not know the name Moore existed I'd have never seen the correct Moore there, I'd have transcribed it as Moose - and descendants of Mr & Mrs Moore might never have found their ancestor's records as the search results wouldn't show Moose as an option in case they'd selected for "sounds like/similar to", which, for a lot of records, would've given them too many results.
So, it's not as straight forward as you think!
But, there are lots of opportunities to transcribe parish registers. I'm registered with a few of them.
FreeREG are always looking for transcribers - unfortunately, when I contacted them, they wanted people who already had the parish registers to submit their transcriptions to them as their access to the originals had been withdrawn. They do have some parish registers where they provide you with the originals and you transcribe those, but not in my area. I don't like to transcribe away from areas I know as I feel that I don't have the local knowledge of names/place names to be able to do a good job of it. They certainly have a need for transcribers in Lincolnshire, Kent, Essex and Sussex at the time of writing. My interest was in a part of Cambridgeshire/Huntingdonshire though.
LDS, who run the FamilySearch.org website, also make records available for transcription. For me, I've not yet seen a parish I'd like to transcribe. But one day I will!
If you are interested in volunteering for transcription work, then check out FreeREG and the LDS first, as those routes are the simplest. But there are others out there looking for volunteers if you take the time to search for them.
The thing with transcribing is that you transcribe exactly what you see - and the thing is that different people will see different things!
I was looking at the parish registers for a parish yesterday and I could see what looked like the name "Moose". But I "knew" heuristically that it was actually Moore. Reading/understanding old hand-writing is a bit of a skill, brought about from practice. But, it's also about knowledge. If I'd not know the name Moore existed I'd have never seen the correct Moore there, I'd have transcribed it as Moose - and descendants of Mr & Mrs Moore might never have found their ancestor's records as the search results wouldn't show Moose as an option in case they'd selected for "sounds like/similar to", which, for a lot of records, would've given them too many results.
So, it's not as straight forward as you think!
But, there are lots of opportunities to transcribe parish registers. I'm registered with a few of them.
FreeREG are always looking for transcribers - unfortunately, when I contacted them, they wanted people who already had the parish registers to submit their transcriptions to them as their access to the originals had been withdrawn. They do have some parish registers where they provide you with the originals and you transcribe those, but not in my area. I don't like to transcribe away from areas I know as I feel that I don't have the local knowledge of names/place names to be able to do a good job of it. They certainly have a need for transcribers in Lincolnshire, Kent, Essex and Sussex at the time of writing. My interest was in a part of Cambridgeshire/Huntingdonshire though.
LDS, who run the FamilySearch.org website, also make records available for transcription. For me, I've not yet seen a parish I'd like to transcribe. But one day I will!
If you are interested in volunteering for transcription work, then check out FreeREG and the LDS first, as those routes are the simplest. But there are others out there looking for volunteers if you take the time to search for them.
Thursday 26 November 2015
Upton, Huntingdonshire, Parish Registers
The parish registers for Upton, Huntingdonshire are not widely available. Hopefully this will change in time. I'd really like to see the registers for 1700-1800 or so! So I've had a look at what's available. I believe the Finding family will be found in those registers, so where can I see them?
The originals are held at Huntingdon Records Office, but only for 1801-1837. I still need to find out more about these. There is a transcription available from the Cambridgeshire Family History Society, Huntingdonshire's a small place so was "absorbed" into Cambs some years ago. Records are split between Huntingdonshire and Cambridgeshire Records Offices, which is awkward (unless you're very local).
National Burial Index:
There are some entries from the National Burial Index, in the date range 1605-1837. These are available through Findmypast. For Upton cum Coppingford the NBI only has four entries (with that exact spelling):
Francis Finding 1807
Mary Finding 1765-1837
Thos Finding 1757-1828
William Finding 1806
I've already got these in my record set as I'm a member of Findmypast. So, nothing new there for me today! But it's good to revisit old searches, in case there's been an update since you last/first looked.
FreeREG:
This database holds some of the records, from 1755-1877, with the last update being performed in November 2014.
Looking for members of the Finding family on there, without giving it any date criteria, I found the same records as when I last checked, namely:
Baptisms:
Ann FINDING 4 Feb 1788
John FINDING 25 Jul 1790
Mary FINDING 4 Aug 1793
Elizabeth FINDING 16 Apr 1797
Sarah FINDING 13 Jan 1799
Phebe FINDING 5 Feb 1809
Marriages:
Ann FINDING & 25 Jan 1815
Elizabeth FINDING & George ROBERSON 9 Dec 1817
Jane FINDING & John STOKES 14 Oct 1822
Phebe FINDING & William SNARY 28 Jan 1828
Burials:
Frances FINDING 5 Mar 1807
Thos FINDING 22 Aug 1828
Mary FINDING 19 Oct 1837
But, there are more, spelt slightly differently.
Of course, the Holy Grail of parish registers is to have access to (preferably to own) a copy of the actual register itself. Clearly touching the original would be out of the question in most instances - and impractical - what you need is a good image of each page so you can visit/re-visit those pages on a whim, from the comfort of your own sofa.... perchance to spot something you didn't spot before. I love Vicars' notes round the edges of parish registers, they can really be useful.
The originals are held at Huntingdon Records Office, but only for 1801-1837. I still need to find out more about these. There is a transcription available from the Cambridgeshire Family History Society, Huntingdonshire's a small place so was "absorbed" into Cambs some years ago. Records are split between Huntingdonshire and Cambridgeshire Records Offices, which is awkward (unless you're very local).
National Burial Index:
There are some entries from the National Burial Index, in the date range 1605-1837. These are available through Findmypast. For Upton cum Coppingford the NBI only has four entries (with that exact spelling):
Francis Finding 1807
Mary Finding 1765-1837
Thos Finding 1757-1828
William Finding 1806
I've already got these in my record set as I'm a member of Findmypast. So, nothing new there for me today! But it's good to revisit old searches, in case there's been an update since you last/first looked.
FreeREG:
This database holds some of the records, from 1755-1877, with the last update being performed in November 2014.
Looking for members of the Finding family on there, without giving it any date criteria, I found the same records as when I last checked, namely:
Baptisms:
Ann FINDING 4 Feb 1788
John FINDING 25 Jul 1790
Mary FINDING 4 Aug 1793
Elizabeth FINDING 16 Apr 1797
Sarah FINDING 13 Jan 1799
Phebe FINDING 5 Feb 1809
Marriages:
Ann FINDING & 25 Jan 1815
Elizabeth FINDING & George ROBERSON 9 Dec 1817
Jane FINDING & John STOKES 14 Oct 1822
Phebe FINDING & William SNARY 28 Jan 1828
Burials:
Frances FINDING 5 Mar 1807
Thos FINDING 22 Aug 1828
Mary FINDING 19 Oct 1837
But, there are more, spelt slightly differently.
Of course, the Holy Grail of parish registers is to have access to (preferably to own) a copy of the actual register itself. Clearly touching the original would be out of the question in most instances - and impractical - what you need is a good image of each page so you can visit/re-visit those pages on a whim, from the comfort of your own sofa.... perchance to spot something you didn't spot before. I love Vicars' notes round the edges of parish registers, they can really be useful.
Wednesday 25 November 2015
Baptisms, Donington in Holland, 1866-1870
Here's the latest batch of baptisms in Donington in Holland in Lincolnshire that I've skimmed through trying to find one family. As I've gone through, looking at the original parish register images on Lincstothepast I've jotted down every surname, to make sure I am doing a proper job in my search - and, then, because it's a shame to waste it, I'm posting the surnames here!
These are simply how the names quickly looked to me as I skimmed down each page looking for one family - so spellings are to be taken with a pinch of salt. I'm confident of most of them - and so if you can spot something that's close to what you're after, it might just be the baptism you need to complete your set - and you can just go to Lincstothepast and see the parish registers for yourself.
1866: There's a note in the margin alongside the baptism of George Pepe Smith to say he is 3 years old. Baptised on 6 December, with his sister Lorna Jane. Son/dau of Robert & Martha Smith, labourer of Northorpe.
1867: Note in the margin is unreadable unless you're determined. It is against the baptism of Elizabeth daughter of Proctor and Sarah. It looks like it says see .... May 9 1869, so I'm guessing the vicar's spotted an error at a later date that needs correcting.
1869: There is a note alongside the baptism of Albert Langton Constable. This error was certified in the presence of ... and the vicar's name's been changed/crossed off on the register.
1869: Note in the entry itself says that Edward Henry Manton, son of Edward & Mary was 3 years old when baptised alongside his brother Alfred Manton who was 11 months old.
1870: There is a note alongside the baptism of Mary Hickinbottom, daughter of James & Mary. NB Mary Hickinbottom was born 14 May 1869.
1870: Note in margins about Chessington. It seems to be a long note about where she'd lived. It's not clear why it's there, but if Chessington's who you are after, you'll be willing to spare the time to fathom it out!
Previous surname transcriptions from the same baptism parish registers of Donington:
These are simply how the names quickly looked to me as I skimmed down each page looking for one family - so spellings are to be taken with a pinch of salt. I'm confident of most of them - and so if you can spot something that's close to what you're after, it might just be the baptism you need to complete your set - and you can just go to Lincstothepast and see the parish registers for yourself.
1866
Buttle, Colman, Richmond, Crampton, Smith, Pacey, Rice, Harrisn, Gutteridge, Bardely, Eyeions, Wilkinson, Bett, Cook, Pickworth, Wander, Millson, Bowis, Wight, Newton, Richardson, Dawson, Lawley, Storey, Baxter, Hodson, Growcock, Rawlings, Thornhill, Chessington, Constable, Rowe, Stoyman, Wiyer, Jollye, Hyme, Senior, Barton, West, Horton, Smith, Smith,1867
Eckerley, Hickinbottom, Goose, Newton, Moore, Boyer, Knowles, Loveday, Manning, Cox, Moore, Motley, Haw, Gutteridge, Rice, Rice, Bothamley, Moore, Key, Flowers Hitchen, Stennett, Newcombe, Johnson, Wander, Spinks, Grayson, Aspland, Breeton, Mellson, Launders, Coy, Hodson, Richardson, Grason, Wander, Kitchen, Woods, Pacey, Kirk, Dods, Cook, Swyman, Cook, Martin, Hempsall, Horten, Stennett,1868
Staples, Hickinbottom, Burril, Kirk, Barnsdale, Hickinbottom, Jollye, Bett, Haw, Eadington, Jordane, Rowe, Cook, Lumby, Picken, Thornhill, Crampton, Rawlings, Richmond, Gutteridge, Elsam, Senior, Chessington, Hyme, Hyme, Cooke, Knowles, Storey, Boyce, Cook, Vouch, Gleed, Anyman, Hardy, Barnsdale, Barnsdale,1869
Constable, Stevenson, Loveday, Pickwall, Thompson, Moulds, Fuller, West, Gutteridge, Richardson, Hooten, Moore, Roberts, Key, Brooks, Hodson, Barwick, Barton, Weathers, Kitchen, Steel, Howe, Watson, Newton, Manton, Manton, Johnson, Jollye, Barton, Bothamley, Everington, Millson, Miller, Cocks, Cocks, Goodacre, Wilkinson, Wander, Pacey, Mowlson, Crampton, Cook, Weathers.1870
Spinks, Hickinbottom, Stennett, Botley, Harrison, Westland, Weatherhogg, Wanty, Lane, Bothamley, Elsey, Knowles, Elsam, Hodson, Brocklesby, Harrison, Hooten, Austin, Hickinbottom, Clarke, Barnsdale, Rowe, Thornhill, Gibson, Senior, Green, Moore, Rawlings, Rawlings, Gutteridge, Dawson, Steele, Herd,Parish Register Notes:
Some of the notes scribbled around the edges of the pages - this vicar does like his notes!1866: There's a note in the margin alongside the baptism of George Pepe Smith to say he is 3 years old. Baptised on 6 December, with his sister Lorna Jane. Son/dau of Robert & Martha Smith, labourer of Northorpe.
1867: Note in the margin is unreadable unless you're determined. It is against the baptism of Elizabeth daughter of Proctor and Sarah. It looks like it says see .... May 9 1869, so I'm guessing the vicar's spotted an error at a later date that needs correcting.
1869: There is a note alongside the baptism of Albert Langton Constable. This error was certified in the presence of ... and the vicar's name's been changed/crossed off on the register.
1869: Note in the entry itself says that Edward Henry Manton, son of Edward & Mary was 3 years old when baptised alongside his brother Alfred Manton who was 11 months old.
1870: There is a note alongside the baptism of Mary Hickinbottom, daughter of James & Mary. NB Mary Hickinbottom was born 14 May 1869.
1870: Note in margins about Chessington. It seems to be a long note about where she'd lived. It's not clear why it's there, but if Chessington's who you are after, you'll be willing to spare the time to fathom it out!
Previous surname transcriptions from the same baptism parish registers of Donington:
- Baptisms Donington-in-holland 1849-1855
- Baptisms Donington-in-Holland 1856-1859
- Baptisms Donington-in-Holland 1860-1865
It's very slow and it seems never ending! I have found few entries of the family I am after. I've got the "essential" one though, now just trying to collect the set.
Sunday 22 November 2015
Baptisms Donington in Holland, 1860-1865
This is not a full transcription of the Parish Register for Baptisms at Donington in Holland, 1860-1865, but simply the surnames on the pages. The original images of the parish registers are freely available online for you to look through at the Lincstothepast website, but if you've no clue what might be in there it's difficult to contemplate wading through 40 years' worth. I was looking through, for myself, for one family name, so jotted down every surname I passed, to ensure I stayed focussed - and it seemed a waste to then bin that list. I am not a transcriptionist, so didn't spend any amount of time on the spellings of the names, I've simply reproduced here the name as it first appeared to me, without inspection or cross-checking.
This is the third list so far, I've also listed the surnames 1849-1855 and 1856-1859.
1860: There is a note in the margin by the vicar. NB Isaac was eight yrs of age when he was baptised and christened. This note refers to 30 September 1860, Isaac Bools, son of Edward & Eliza. Fen End, Donington. Labourer.
1861: There is a note at the top of the page. NB Mary Pretty was baptised at the age of 17. NB Frank Hodson wa baptised at the age of 20.
1861: Note beside Maria Holmes, daughter of Elijah & Ann. A relative of Dunn the ... (teacher?)
1862: Note from vicar re Buttle. In ... christian name is given Jeremiah... is it William Jeremiah. See Jan 4 1866.
1862: There i s an asterisk against Walter, son of Nathaniel Clark & Ann Southern that says born January 1861
1862: There is an asterisk against Charles Woodhead, son of John & Mary, in the bottom margin saying born July 9th.
1863: There is a note, it's unclear who about. Born after the death of his father who died in ... (there's a place name I can't read).
1864: Note at the bottom Buttle see 1862 and 1866.
1865: There is a note alongside Caroline Elizabeth Rippon, daughter of Edwin & Eliza, to say she was 7 months old when baptised on 21 October
This is the third list so far, I've also listed the surnames 1849-1855 and 1856-1859.
1860
Tutton, Gleed, Newcombe, Dods, Wells, Parker, Franks, Wyer, Barnsdale, Harrison, Chessington, Crampton, Crampton, Elsam, Richardson, Elsam, Lumby, Barton, Hempsall, Haw, Staples, Hardy, Wright, Pike, Howard, Picken, Bond, Bools, Duell, Hutton, Bemrose Barnett, Moulds, Horby, Millson, Kirk, Grundy.1861
Gibbons, Elsam, Woodhead, Baxter, Cook, Pretty, Jackson, Sykes, Hodson, Gutteridge, Newton, Gadsby, Cook, Pick, Hope, Walker, Marshall, Fowler, Holmes, Coupland, Aspland, Kitto, Kitto, Thompson, Gleed, Lawrence, Dansby, Abbott, Ebb, Ebb, Harrison, Spinks, Richmond, Thorogood, Dunn, Barnsdale, Constable, Manton, Elsam, Meads, Smith, Dods, Chessington, Gunn.1862
Cooke, Tutton, Cocks, Buttle, Woods, Cook, Dawson, Crampton, Thorp, Franks, Staples, Meredith, Molson, Breeton, Moore, Southern, Southern, Pearce, Hempsall, Bothamley, Thornhill, Howard, Smith, Wright, Jolly, Horby, Priestley, Millson, Kirk, Eyeiams, Harrison, Pike, Woodhead, Lumby, Gibbons.1863
Bacchus, Picken, Barton, Booles or Bools, Tunnard, Bates, Cook, Cook, Seymour, Hitchen, Bell, Spinks, Aspeland, Rowe, Enderby, Priestley, Rawden, Barnsdale, Dods, Elberson, Richmond, Jollye, Harrison, Eckherley, Elsam, Wetherall, Burton, Shaw, Maidens, Staples, Cocks, Crampton, Groose, Partridge, Breeton, Evans.1864
Barnsdale, Sykes, Robinson, Robinson, Hempsall, Newton, Woods, Smith, Cook, Preston, Rice, Eyeions, Wright, Chessington, Lumby, Eaton, Buttle, Pickworth, Ludlow, Moore, Dawson, Maplethorpe, Moore, Picken, Millson, Bothamley, Horby, Grayson, Fowler, Green, Tunnard, Jaques, Richardson, Hitchen, Woods, Rowe.1865
Pike, Elsey, Seymour, Tebb, Newcombe, Cox, Rice, Barnsdale, Gleed, Goodyear Thompson, Eckersley, Mason, Knowles, Hooton, Smith, Elsam, Jollye, Enderby, Barton, Waite, Constable, Gibbons, Cork, Wells, Codington, Spinks, Breeton, Rippon, Cook, Moore, Barnsdale, Hitchen, Hempsall, Marshall,Notes in the Margins of the Parish Register.
Vicars write notes in the margins that are sometimes quite useful, here are some I spotted when I was writing the above names down:1860: There is a note in the margin by the vicar. NB Isaac was eight yrs of age when he was baptised and christened. This note refers to 30 September 1860, Isaac Bools, son of Edward & Eliza. Fen End, Donington. Labourer.
1861: There is a note at the top of the page. NB Mary Pretty was baptised at the age of 17. NB Frank Hodson wa baptised at the age of 20.
1861: Note beside Maria Holmes, daughter of Elijah & Ann. A relative of Dunn the ... (teacher?)
1862: Note from vicar re Buttle. In ... christian name is given Jeremiah... is it William Jeremiah. See Jan 4 1866.
1862: There i s an asterisk against Walter, son of Nathaniel Clark & Ann Southern that says born January 1861
1862: There is an asterisk against Charles Woodhead, son of John & Mary, in the bottom margin saying born July 9th.
1863: There is a note, it's unclear who about. Born after the death of his father who died in ... (there's a place name I can't read).
1864: Note at the bottom Buttle see 1862 and 1866.
1865: There is a note alongside Caroline Elizabeth Rippon, daughter of Edwin & Eliza, to say she was 7 months old when baptised on 21 October
Friday 20 November 2015
Baptisms Donington in Holland, 1856-1859
This is not a transcription, it's just me jotting down the surnames as I search through the images of the original parish registers of Donington in Holland for baptisms that Lincstothepast have made available on their website. The volume covers 1849-1889 in total. For 1849-1855 or an explanation of why I've done this, see my other post: Baptisms Donington in Holland, 1849-1855.
1856
Cook, Churchill, Duel, Parkin, Marshall, Cocks or Cox, Wanty, Wright, Leedle, Jazzaman, Jackson, Heard, Hackforth, White, Haw, Barton, Bannister, Pearson, Hope, Cocks, Enderby, Bacchus, Dawson, Southern, Walker, Smith, Gunn, Hutchesson, Woods, Bradley, Evans, Hollingsworth, Buffam, Sykes, White, Moore, Newton, Hutton, Hutton, Hutton, Hisset, Gadsby, Holmes, Gibbons,1857
Lunsby, Weathers, Worden, Johnson, King, Baxter, Baston, Pell, Childs, King, Elsam, Wright, Rowe, Mold, Lawrence, Richardson, Evans, Dasby, Elsam, Farrow, Dolby, Dolby, Dolby, Smith, Gunn, Southern, Bothamley, Wonsdale, Sykes, Brown, Constable, Barnsdale, Hitchen, Clarke, Bemrose, Baley.1858
Stanshall, Pearce, Hutchesson, Wanty, Pretty, Pretty, Grundy, Steele, Haw, Fawn, Bowles or Bools, Cocks, Cherrington, Donsby, Holt, Simpson, Simpson, Hope, Duell, Pearson, Rice, Priestley, Holland, Kid, Hackforth, Wright, Bromley, Dods, Hempsall, Enderby, Oates, Oates, Gadsby, Richardson, Hutton, Lumby, Leedle, Newcombe, Lane, Gibbons,1859
Newton, Bardney, Harrison, Cox, Thornhill, Rippon, Picken, Fowler, Davey, Dixon, Lawrence, Hunt, King, Bacchus, Coupland, Cocks, Thompson, Hardy, Evans, Baxter, Cook, Constable, Walker, Jackson, Martin, Woods, Dunn, Marshall, Knowles, Dawson, Richmond, Smith, Sykes, Elsam, Rice, Beemrose, Garner, Waite, Barnsdale, Cocks, Dykes, Harmes Rowding, Cook, Hunter Rowe, Bothamley,
Oddities in the Parish Registers:
There are some notes in the margins, made by the Vicar:
1857: On 6 September Thomas and Anne Dolby had three children baptised. Margaret, Anne Jane and Elizabeth. All daughters of Thomas and Anne. The vicar has scribbled some birthdates in the margin. They look like: Margaret, infant born 31 July 1857 abode Uppingham; Anne Jane born 2 November 1854 at Wisbeach; Elizabeth born 15 October 1859 at Wisbeach.
1858: In 1858 the Vicar's written a note at the bottom of the page: NB Sarah & Ann Pretty were baptised as adults. Sarah lived servant with myself and ... with Wm Dods Esq of Donington. These two baptisms were performed on 7 February 1858 by John D Greenside and the parish registers recorded the same information for both Sarah and Ann: Pretty, daughter of Samuel & Ann. Abode Gosbarton. (father's) occupation Cottager.
1858: The entry for two Simpsons has notes in the margin saying "one month" and "12 months". There's also the letter "C" dotted around quite a few entries and I think this indicates the mother was churched one month after the birth and the child was baptised on the same day. The "C" is most likely the Vicar's indication that he performed a churching. George and Anne Simpson brought their two children in for baptism at the same time, the notes in the margin indicate Alice is 1-month old and Martha Justina is 1-year old.
1859: There is a note by the vicar in the bottom margin, dated two years after the baptism as he wrote the wrong mother's name in the parish register. This note refers to the baptism of 10 July 1859 of Charles Henry Dunn, son of Edward & Elizabeth. Abode Donington, Brazier. NB The wife of Edward Dunn is entered by mistake under the name of Elizabeth, her name is Rebecca. 29 May 1861.
1859: There is a note in the margin, NB Frederick William was 16 months. This is for the baptism of Frederick William Cocks, son of Thomas & Sarah, baptised 22 September 1859. Abode Donington. Trade/profession Shoemaker.
E&OE
Wednesday 18 November 2015
Baptisms, Donington in Holland, 1849-1855
I set out to look through the Baptisms Parish Register for Donington 1849-1889, seeking any baptisms by one particular family, but I realised that it's easy to get distracted and daydream, then not be sure what you've actually checked and if you were thorough, before wandering off for a coffee and not getting back to what you were doing!
Lincstothepast have put scanned images of the original parish registers for Donington in Holland online - and you can go through, image by image, looking for what you're after. While this is fabulous, I do find the interface tricky to use, it's like trying to paint your hallway through your letterbox! You can view the originals here: Donington Baptisms 1848-1889
So, I needed a way to stay focussed and to not skimp and give up, so I decided that if I wrote down the surnames from each baptism, then I'd at least know I'd checked and done a thorough job. And, if I'd written them down, I might as well publish the list, in case in benefitted others who were daunted by the task - not knowing "IF" somebody "MIGHT" be in there, it's tough to get motivated to start some days.
What is below is not a transcript of the parish registers for the baptisms at Donington, it's just the surnames as I've seen them as I quickly scanned through. I have not attempted to get every name 100% perfect, nor spent any time viewing tricky ones from 100 angles to get it right. I am not a transcriptionist, so wasn't trying to create a definitive data set for formal public viewing and publication, simply waymarkers and clues.
But, if there's anything that looks vaguely like the name you're after, then it might get you the baptism you're after! Where it says "... or ..." that is what the Vicar wrote, they are his alternative suggestions for the name he thought he was hearing.
This volume commences with baptisms on 7 September 1849.
Hanwell, Gibbons, Hicksworth, Wigelsworth, Fox, Moles or Moulds, Sleight, Bowyer, Smith, Wilson, Cox or Cokes, Storey, Metcalf, Johnson, Hackforth, Leedale or Leedle, Clifton, Gunn, Ward, Marshall, Buffam, Hutchesson, Pell, Houghton or Horton, Gunn, Abbott,
At this point I was on page 20/105 and hadn't found who I was after, so, to be frank, I was a bit bored of it. I will be returning to scan/transcribe the rest of the surnames in that volume. Hopefully it'll help somebody who is running out of steam!
1856-1859 I've done here: Donington 1856-1859
Lincstothepast have put scanned images of the original parish registers for Donington in Holland online - and you can go through, image by image, looking for what you're after. While this is fabulous, I do find the interface tricky to use, it's like trying to paint your hallway through your letterbox! You can view the originals here: Donington Baptisms 1848-1889
So, I needed a way to stay focussed and to not skimp and give up, so I decided that if I wrote down the surnames from each baptism, then I'd at least know I'd checked and done a thorough job. And, if I'd written them down, I might as well publish the list, in case in benefitted others who were daunted by the task - not knowing "IF" somebody "MIGHT" be in there, it's tough to get motivated to start some days.
What is below is not a transcript of the parish registers for the baptisms at Donington, it's just the surnames as I've seen them as I quickly scanned through. I have not attempted to get every name 100% perfect, nor spent any time viewing tricky ones from 100 angles to get it right. I am not a transcriptionist, so wasn't trying to create a definitive data set for formal public viewing and publication, simply waymarkers and clues.
But, if there's anything that looks vaguely like the name you're after, then it might get you the baptism you're after! Where it says "... or ..." that is what the Vicar wrote, they are his alternative suggestions for the name he thought he was hearing.
This volume commences with baptisms on 7 September 1849.
1849
Hackforth, Thorndon, Thomson, Cook, Dickinson, Mold/Moulds, Spring, Ashden, Woodford, West, Clare, Woods, Abel, Bulmer, Metcalf, Houghton or Hooton, Broughton, Cooper, Jackson, Higginbottom or Hickinbottom, Middlebrook,1850
Clifton, Holmes, Cousins, Haw, Teedale, Smith, Cox or Cocks, Jonge, Clements, Lamb, Haw, Rose, Hubbard, Smith, Bowles, Banister, Barnsdale, Fox, Hector Rowe, Stennett, Fairweather, King, Gibson, Thyme, Ward, Willson, Bacchus, Luesby, West, Marshall, Bates, Smith, Davy, Slight, Hutchesson, Donsby, Clifton, Sheffield, Beadley, Mettam, Rippon, Croft, Heard, Story, Basford, Brookes, Foster, Kettleborough, Cook,1851
Forster, Worsdale, Richardson, Cox, Bankes, Baxter, Garrett, Moose, Recott, Grayfield, Marvin, Smith, Banton, Bulmer, Hickinbottom, Hutchinson, Wilder, Woodcock, Haw, Creasey, Wilson, Haw, Haw, Holt,Hanwell, Gibbons, Hicksworth, Wigelsworth, Fox, Moles or Moulds, Sleight, Bowyer, Smith, Wilson, Cox or Cokes, Storey, Metcalf, Johnson, Hackforth, Leedale or Leedle, Clifton, Gunn, Ward, Marshall, Buffam, Hutchesson, Pell, Houghton or Horton, Gunn, Abbott,
1852
Cox or Cocks, Dawson, Storey, Hollingsworth, Martin, Holmes, Gibson, Gibson, Woods, Barnsdale, Rowe, Bacchus, Bilton, Bannister, Singleton, Holt, Rippon, Beecham, Southern, Hubbard, Wanty, Elsam, Foster, Knowles, George, George, George, George, Aspiland, Walker, Elsam, Buggels, Wiggelsworth, Donsby, Moxon, Walker, Bradley, Dexter, Hyme, Cheeseman, Reams, Davy, Hague.1853
Fountain, Ward, Woodhead, Wander, Fowler, Sykes, Worsdale, Hickinbottom, Cook, Cocks, Sleight, Bell, Barton, Hutchinson or Hutchesson, Richards, Grundy, Walker, Haw, Willson, Nodd, Cook, Fanshall, King, Head, Gibbins, Hurter Rowe, Gunn, White, Jacklin, Hickinbottom, Wright, Holmes, Thompson, Steel, Baley, Constable, Rippon, Leedale or Leedle, Johnson,1854
Wigelsworth, Sykes, Martin, King, Abel, Moles, Donsby, Hutchinson, Houghton or Hooton, Brown, Bardney, Southern, Holt, Saunders, Flowers, Bannister, White, Slackforth, Hague, Dawson, Pearson, Elsam, Marshall, Flint, Woods, Hollingsworth, Evans, Hutchenson or Hutchesson, Churchill, Wright, Hubbard, Gadsby, jacklin, Bromley, Pell, Slight, Constable, Foster, Gibson, Wanty, Tebb, Adcock, Slope,1855
Fowler, Baston, Dexter, Moore, Thorpe Holland, Richardson, Steel, Cook, Grundy, Blanchard, Fryer, Roe, Sykes, White, Hempsall, Bools, Harrison, Ric, Knowles, Houghton or Hooton, Taylor, Baxter, Cox, Stainton, Jacklin, Thompson, Barndey, Baley, Constable,1856-1859 I've done here: Donington 1856-1859
Funny Things Found in Parish Registers:
Sometimes vicars make notes in the margins, I found the following notes and curiosities in this volume:- 1853: In 1853 there is an * against Hunter/Rowe. It looks like it might be indicating a child out of wedlock between Jeremiah Hunter and Elizabeth Rowe, but there's no explanation for the * on the page.
- On page 11 there is some handwritten stuff in the bottom margin: NB Mary Singleton was not living with her husband. I think that's a polite way of saying the baby is illegitimate!
- 1852: In 1852, Harvey & Susannah George brought in four babies to be baptised at the same time. 24 August 1852, Sarah Ann, Mary Ann, Susannah and Elizabeth Ann. Harvey George is a labourer, from Donington. John D Greenside, the vicar, didn't make any note about ages, or anything else though.
- 1851: Hutchesson caught my eye - I wasn't looking at the parish, but it suddenly seemed to say to me that the couple were from Histon. Well, I know Histon Cambs, so wondered if that was what it said. The whole entry appears to say: Baptised on 26 December 1851. William Walton, son of Henry Gee & Elizabeth Hutchesson of Histon. Blacksmith. Of course, it could say they are from Hinton!
From mid 1855 people are beginning to have addresses put into the abode box, not just the village name, but identifiers such as "Back Lane", or "Fen End".
So, I hope that helps somebody. At least I am confident that for what I was looking for I have checked 1849-1855 thoroughly and didn't find the John (and potentially others) I was after. They must've lived elsewhere the cheeky monkeys.
So, I hope that helps somebody. At least I am confident that for what I was looking for I have checked 1849-1855 thoroughly and didn't find the John (and potentially others) I was after. They must've lived elsewhere the cheeky monkeys.
The Cost of Baptisms, Marriages & Burials
I was about to go through the Donington in Holland Baptisms parish registers for 1849-1889 when I noticed that inside the front cover there were some hand-written words. So I looked.
It's the Church Price List! The cost of baptisms, marriages, burials and churchings - and it answered one question I've had on my mind. I'd noticed that a lot of events seem to have occurred on Sundays in the past; this is quite unusual in modern times, so I wondered about that - from the is price list it seems that maybe there was a discount on Sundays for some events!
12d = 1s. Twelve pennies = 1 shilling.
20s = £1. Twenty shillings = £1.
To convert these pre-decimal prices to modern prices, I've made a little list for you:
It's the Church Price List! The cost of baptisms, marriages, burials and churchings - and it answered one question I've had on my mind. I'd noticed that a lot of events seem to have occurred on Sundays in the past; this is quite unusual in modern times, so I wondered about that - from the is price list it seems that maybe there was a discount on Sundays for some events!
 |
| Donington Baptisms From: Lincstothepast. |
No charge for baptisms on Sunday but the Parish Clerk expects 6d a child on a week day.For those who don't understand those strange prices, this is pre-decimalisation. Decimalisation of UK currency occurred in February 1971 when we moved from 12 pennies to the shilling, 20 shillings to the pound, to a decimal system.
Certificates of Baptism and Marriage and Burial 2s 6d
Stamp 1d
Search for every year after the one specified 6d
Churchings. In the appointed year 6d
In private view 1s 0d or more
12d = 1s. Twelve pennies = 1 shilling.
20s = £1. Twenty shillings = £1.
To convert these pre-decimal prices to modern prices, I've made a little list for you:
- 1d = said as "one penny", after decimalisation it was called "one old penny". This is 1/240th of £1 and therefore has to have the lowest possible value in modern currency. Initially set to be worth ½p in new decimal currency (£0.005), the half-penny has been withdrawn from modern UK currency.
- 1s = said as "one shilling". This is 1/20th of £1. It is 5p in modern currency (£0.05)
- 2s = said as "two shillings". This is 1/10th of £1. It is 10p in modern currency. (£0.10)
- 6d = said as "sixpence", it's six old pennies. This is 1/40th of £1. It is 2½p in modern currency (£0.025)
- If something is shown as, say, 2/6, or 2/6d, it is read as "two and six", meaning "two shillings and sixpence" (which, by the way, is 1/8th of £1 and 12½p, £0.125)
Finding Families Connected to Your Tree
Increasingly you'll find that other people have one of your ancestors in their tree - for every wife or husband you add into your tree as you discover a marriage, there's the potential that somebody else is researching their family - and this can be a great way to discover more about your own ancestors.
Each time I add new people into my tree I have a quick look to see if they are on the family tree of other people - and, increasingly, they are! This is great because that means you've the potential to get more clues as to the lifestyle of your own ancestors.
Coming from a long line of agricultural labourers, with women who didn't really have jobs - they were cleaners, or looking after the home/kids and doing general seasonal farm work, I suddenly hit something new!
In looking at my great-great-great-grandmother's siblings, I discovered Alfred Finedon Stokes. He languished on the tree, untouched, for over a year, until the day I stared at the tree and thought "who today?" and thought I'd have a quick look at the line of siblings. I discovered that Alfred had children - and they'd married and had children - and there they were .... people doing something different. Alfred's daughter Eliza Jane Stokes married Mr Charles Thomas Haley Waite.
By this time I was at the stage where people were born in ~1900 and I seem to have tapped into a theatrical connection, actors, actresses and musical hall entertainers. The person I'd discovered was Ruby Waite, who married a Mr Walter Snelson. But, Ruby's brother seemed to also be in the entertainment game. And, the bonus find - somebody else had compiled a page of information about one of their ancestors, with a great publicity photo - and in the photo was Ruby Snelson (nee Waite) aged about 15!
For now they're just sitting on the tree as I need to take time out to investigate that family further, to see who was involved and what they did. They appear to have become acquainted with the Snelson family, who organised stage entertainments and stage shows, including Shakespeare plays. As this is a new industry to me that's now on the back burner! Without spotting the connection, Ruby Waite would've simply sat on the tree as born, married, had children, died. These discoveries were made possible not with Censuses and Parish Records, but by searching old newspapers online, which I do through Findmypast - that's why I prefer Findmypast to Ancestry, as I find the old newspapers more informative once I've got names on the tree.
Some families have great photo sets, my family haven't fared so well, so I've a shortage of photos of my own. There's not even a wedding photo for my own parents! Or my grandparents! Almost nothing. On one side I have just two family wedding photos from 1955 containing my grandmother and my great-grandmother - and then she's tiny and sideways on. On the other side I've a photo of my granny aged about 20 and then aged about 70! The photos I've found of my ancestors' siblings through the efforts and websites of other people has been very exciting!
Each time I add new people into my tree I have a quick look to see if they are on the family tree of other people - and, increasingly, they are! This is great because that means you've the potential to get more clues as to the lifestyle of your own ancestors.
Coming from a long line of agricultural labourers, with women who didn't really have jobs - they were cleaners, or looking after the home/kids and doing general seasonal farm work, I suddenly hit something new!
In looking at my great-great-great-grandmother's siblings, I discovered Alfred Finedon Stokes. He languished on the tree, untouched, for over a year, until the day I stared at the tree and thought "who today?" and thought I'd have a quick look at the line of siblings. I discovered that Alfred had children - and they'd married and had children - and there they were .... people doing something different. Alfred's daughter Eliza Jane Stokes married Mr Charles Thomas Haley Waite.
By this time I was at the stage where people were born in ~1900 and I seem to have tapped into a theatrical connection, actors, actresses and musical hall entertainers. The person I'd discovered was Ruby Waite, who married a Mr Walter Snelson. But, Ruby's brother seemed to also be in the entertainment game. And, the bonus find - somebody else had compiled a page of information about one of their ancestors, with a great publicity photo - and in the photo was Ruby Snelson (nee Waite) aged about 15!
For now they're just sitting on the tree as I need to take time out to investigate that family further, to see who was involved and what they did. They appear to have become acquainted with the Snelson family, who organised stage entertainments and stage shows, including Shakespeare plays. As this is a new industry to me that's now on the back burner! Without spotting the connection, Ruby Waite would've simply sat on the tree as born, married, had children, died. These discoveries were made possible not with Censuses and Parish Records, but by searching old newspapers online, which I do through Findmypast - that's why I prefer Findmypast to Ancestry, as I find the old newspapers more informative once I've got names on the tree.
Some families have great photo sets, my family haven't fared so well, so I've a shortage of photos of my own. There's not even a wedding photo for my own parents! Or my grandparents! Almost nothing. On one side I have just two family wedding photos from 1955 containing my grandmother and my great-grandmother - and then she's tiny and sideways on. On the other side I've a photo of my granny aged about 20 and then aged about 70! The photos I've found of my ancestors' siblings through the efforts and websites of other people has been very exciting!
The Internet is a wonderful place for doing research online and easily tapping into all the further information you need - plus there's the chance you'll have some unexpected photos that drop into your lap!
Tuesday 17 November 2015
Cambridgeshire Hearth Tax Returns: 1664, Michaelmas
The earliest full modern Census in England was in 1841, but there are records from before that time that you might be able to tap into to get a clue about ancestors. Of course, as usual, the best records are kept on those with the most money (home and land owners) and the poorest (criminals). But there's always a chance you'll find something.
One set of records pre-1841 Census is the Hearth Tax returns. In Cambridgeshire this Census style return was created at Michaelmas in 1664 - some considerable time before 1841. If you say there are four generations per century, that's reaching back 6-7 generations. However, population was much smaller then!
The Hearth Tax was a tax on the number of fireplaces in a house. As most people will have had one fireplace per room, it makes sense that bigger houses can be taxed more! You can look at the Hearth Tax Returns from Cambridgeshire at the National Archives in London, but, for most people, that's somewhere they'll never get to!
At Cambridgeshire Archives there are some alternatives you can check out:
But, if you're the sort of person who likes to have your hand on your information, kept in your study or on your bookcase, then the great news is that Nesta Evans & Susan Rose, of the Cambridgeshire Records Society, produced a book, "Cambridgeshire Hearth Tax Returns Michaelmas 1664" providing a complete transcript of the 1664 returns (with added information from the 1662 returns) together with detailed information on the Tax, local population and social structure of Cambridgeshire at that time.
You can contact the Cambridgeshire Records Society, who will be pleased to sell you a copy for £24 (£16 for members). The book is approximately 450 pages, of which ~330 are the records themselves and the rest is information and explanations.
Cambridgeshire Hearth Tax 1664
When I last looked it was possible to get a copy for about £17 - giving you £8 to spend on another certificate, BMD records CD from your local Family History Society, or another book!
There's no point buying this book until you've got back as far as 1800 at least and feel confident that your ancestors were settled in Cambridgeshire. For some people this won't be hard, some families have lived in the county "forever"! Mine are mostly in Cambridgeshire, with only about 5-10% having left, but I'm not really sure where they started from. Maybe they just turned up in Cambridgeshire in ~1800. Maybe a trip to the local archives to check out those microfilms might be on the cards first! Then it'd be time for a shiny new book on the study wall!
One set of records pre-1841 Census is the Hearth Tax returns. In Cambridgeshire this Census style return was created at Michaelmas in 1664 - some considerable time before 1841. If you say there are four generations per century, that's reaching back 6-7 generations. However, population was much smaller then!
The Hearth Tax was a tax on the number of fireplaces in a house. As most people will have had one fireplace per room, it makes sense that bigger houses can be taxed more! You can look at the Hearth Tax Returns from Cambridgeshire at the National Archives in London, but, for most people, that's somewhere they'll never get to!
At Cambridgeshire Archives there are some alternatives you can check out:
- Hearth Tax returns for 1662, 1664 and 1674 for most of Cambridgeshire on microfilm.
- Hearth Tax returns of 1672 for the hundreds of Papworth, Northstowe and Chesterton on microfilm (no other areas, just those three).
- You can view an indexed transcript of the 1674 returns compiled by Norman & Vicky Uffindell.
But, if you're the sort of person who likes to have your hand on your information, kept in your study or on your bookcase, then the great news is that Nesta Evans & Susan Rose, of the Cambridgeshire Records Society, produced a book, "Cambridgeshire Hearth Tax Returns Michaelmas 1664" providing a complete transcript of the 1664 returns (with added information from the 1662 returns) together with detailed information on the Tax, local population and social structure of Cambridgeshire at that time.
You can contact the Cambridgeshire Records Society, who will be pleased to sell you a copy for £24 (£16 for members). The book is approximately 450 pages, of which ~330 are the records themselves and the rest is information and explanations.
- ISBN Number: ISBN 0 904323 15 3
-
- Publication Year: 2000
Cambridgeshire Hearth Tax 1664
When I last looked it was possible to get a copy for about £17 - giving you £8 to spend on another certificate, BMD records CD from your local Family History Society, or another book!
There's no point buying this book until you've got back as far as 1800 at least and feel confident that your ancestors were settled in Cambridgeshire. For some people this won't be hard, some families have lived in the county "forever"! Mine are mostly in Cambridgeshire, with only about 5-10% having left, but I'm not really sure where they started from. Maybe they just turned up in Cambridgeshire in ~1800. Maybe a trip to the local archives to check out those microfilms might be on the cards first! Then it'd be time for a shiny new book on the study wall!
Monday 16 November 2015
Finding Gravestones and Monumental Inscriptions for Free
I often find one of the hardest pieces of information to track down is a confirmed death and burial of somebody. It seems that the information is the most locked away and hidden.
FreeBMD will give you the registration area where somebody died, but that's probably an area of 10-20 miles radius. If somebody's not moved around much and if the local parish registers have been transcribed on FreeREG, you might get lucky. But what then?
It's a forever moving target, but there are an increasing number of websites that are photographing, recording and publishing gravestone information online. No one site has everything though - and I've probably had the best results from using Findmypast, which you can get a free trial for to see if it suits your needs for your family tree research.
For local records, every county differs - some will have extensive transcriptions freely available, others make you stump up hard cash for a downloadable PDF/CD from the local history society. You should really get to grips with the local resources in each county you're researching. Online Parish Clerks, OPCs were transcribing a lot of this information, but only in a handful of active counties.
Below are some of the sites I use when I first start searching for graves in England:
FreeBMD will give you the registration area where somebody died, but that's probably an area of 10-20 miles radius. If somebody's not moved around much and if the local parish registers have been transcribed on FreeREG, you might get lucky. But what then?
It's a forever moving target, but there are an increasing number of websites that are photographing, recording and publishing gravestone information online. No one site has everything though - and I've probably had the best results from using Findmypast, which you can get a free trial for to see if it suits your needs for your family tree research.
For local records, every county differs - some will have extensive transcriptions freely available, others make you stump up hard cash for a downloadable PDF/CD from the local history society. You should really get to grips with the local resources in each county you're researching. Online Parish Clerks, OPCs were transcribing a lot of this information, but only in a handful of active counties.
Below are some of the sites I use when I first start searching for graves in England:
- Findagrave: Can be difficult to search - I prefer to search it from Google to land on the main page for the graveyard, then click on search all interments.
- BillionGraves: I've transcribed a few hundred headstones on this site. It can be a bit resource hungry on older PCs though.
- CWGC: The Commonwealth Graves Commission has information on people who died in, or as a result of, WW1 and WW2, among others. Along the same lines the War Graves Photographic Project tries to help people locate a specific war grave.
- Deceasedonline: An increasing number of local authorities are making records available through this site - and it can be great if you do find somebody listed as it often gives the date of death, date of burial/cremation and the location.
- GravestonePhotos: an ongoing project to photograph and list headstones.
Sunday 15 November 2015
Which is Better? Findmypast or Ancestry?
This is the question we always ask ourselves - which is better, Findmypast or Ancestry? And the answer is not black and white. The two sites both offer Census returns for all the Census years in the UK, but then you have to look at how you research your family tree and what records you're after. There's also the issue of location.
It's a tough choice. Some people will alternate their memberships, or buy a year on one and just 2-3 individual months/year on the other site, once they've got a real need for what they think they can get on the other one.
Below are my personal opinions of the two main ancestry sites in the UK:
Both sites offer similar pricing models, with regular discounts and free weekends throughout the year.
For me, I'd have to say Findmypast - but this is because I limit my ancestor searching to England and I value the Parish Records and the 1939 Register. I can get the Census returns from either site. However, I am on the verge of also joining Ancestry as I've reached a point where I think contacting other users re their trees is about the stage I am at.
Best advice is to try to build your own tree with both sites, using a free trial, then decide which one you think offers you the best access to the most relevant records!
It's a tough choice. Some people will alternate their memberships, or buy a year on one and just 2-3 individual months/year on the other site, once they've got a real need for what they think they can get on the other one.
Below are my personal opinions of the two main ancestry sites in the UK:
Findmypast:
- Parish Records: This site has more parish records than any other site. It's the parish records where you'll get the details of who married who, who was buried and when, who had babies baptised. For me, this is a clear winning feature of the Findmypast site. They are working with local Family History groups to transcribe the parish records and get them online, so coverage across the UK is variable and you need to see what's available in the areas you're interested in.
- 1939 Register: Findmypast is the only site that has the 1939 Register. To access the information you do need to either PAYG or be a fully paid up member of at least the UK records. Wait for a discounted membership offer and join then to access all the details. This has been handy for me to see the future-married-names of female members of the family in my tree!
- British Newspapers: Findmypast has, in my opinion, the best interface for searching the British newspapers. I've found more information from old newspapers than in the parish records and it's helped me to see inside the lives of my ancestors. I know those who didn't send their kids to school, the ones who stole chickens and what the brides were wearing on their wedding day. What newspapers of the day printed is invaluable detail that you won't get from other record sources.
Ancestry.co.uk
- User Trees: Ancestry has probably the biggest collection of user trees that you can access. If you find somebody on your tree, the chances are somebody else has them - and a quick search of the user trees will show them all. You can't use this feature as part of a free trial though, you do need to be a paid up member.
- Censuses: While both sites do offer full searchable access to all the Censuses, I do find Ancestry's easier to download.
Both sites offer similar pricing models, with regular discounts and free weekends throughout the year.
For me, I'd have to say Findmypast - but this is because I limit my ancestor searching to England and I value the Parish Records and the 1939 Register. I can get the Census returns from either site. However, I am on the verge of also joining Ancestry as I've reached a point where I think contacting other users re their trees is about the stage I am at.
Best advice is to try to build your own tree with both sites, using a free trial, then decide which one you think offers you the best access to the most relevant records!
Friday 13 November 2015
Publish the Family Tree Online or Not?
While I've nothing against publishing the family tree online, the trouble is there's a lot of bad information out there. Stuff that's simply wrong. And, to be fair, I can see why - and I am in this position too.
While everything I have "seems to tie up" and I can find evidences that I am correct from online sources, using all the free genealogy websites as well as Ancestry and FindMyPast, among others - it's simply not possible, for a tree the size of mine, to be true and accurate beyond my immediate family.
There are many records missing and if I simply rely on an entry in FreeBMD that "looks right", I could be wrong. It'd cost, say, £10 per piece of evidence to double check, making it unaffordable for all except the determined researcher to achieve.
I realise that there is more information in the certificates, more clues, but it's not possible to do that - where do you stop?
So, instead of publishing a tree online I've put together these random posts from the tree, of what I believe could be the life story of people. It might be the clue somebody else needs to fill a gap in their tree. Sometimes you just need a clue, a lead, a bit more information to research, before coming up with your own solutions!
I'd rather apologise for not publishing a tree, than apologise for publishing one that's wrong.
I'm running 4-6 active family trees, as I've split some people and families out to try to keep it more manageable, but it just keeps growing!
So, the lesson to learn online is that while a lot of the information you might find online is spot on, there are times when you'll simply be lead up a garden path and be wrong.
If you find something where I've gone wrong, I'd love to hear from you. I can 'justify' where I got the information from and why I came to a conclusion, but I can't beat you down by waving certificates about, as I don't have them :)
While everything I have "seems to tie up" and I can find evidences that I am correct from online sources, using all the free genealogy websites as well as Ancestry and FindMyPast, among others - it's simply not possible, for a tree the size of mine, to be true and accurate beyond my immediate family.
There are many records missing and if I simply rely on an entry in FreeBMD that "looks right", I could be wrong. It'd cost, say, £10 per piece of evidence to double check, making it unaffordable for all except the determined researcher to achieve.
I realise that there is more information in the certificates, more clues, but it's not possible to do that - where do you stop?
So, instead of publishing a tree online I've put together these random posts from the tree, of what I believe could be the life story of people. It might be the clue somebody else needs to fill a gap in their tree. Sometimes you just need a clue, a lead, a bit more information to research, before coming up with your own solutions!
I'd rather apologise for not publishing a tree, than apologise for publishing one that's wrong.
I'm running 4-6 active family trees, as I've split some people and families out to try to keep it more manageable, but it just keeps growing!
So, the lesson to learn online is that while a lot of the information you might find online is spot on, there are times when you'll simply be lead up a garden path and be wrong.
If you find something where I've gone wrong, I'd love to hear from you. I can 'justify' where I got the information from and why I came to a conclusion, but I can't beat you down by waving certificates about, as I don't have them :)
Thursday 12 November 2015
Edwards & Stokes Families in Lincolnshire
Tracking the family tree through the censuses a lot of people seemed to go to, or end up in Lincolnshire. Some of their descendants are still there to this day! I've tried to sort them all out and draw up a mini tree for the Lincolnshire roots, but it seems to have a pivotal point of my great-great-great-grandparents John and Jane Stokes. Here's what I've made of the family tree for Lincolnshire at the moment:
John and Jane had two sons who showed up in Lincolnshire in the Censuses:
But, they seem to have also taken with them some of their nephews, their sisters' children:
So, in total, that's six of them relocating to Lincolnshire either temporarily or permanently. Trying to put them into date order of settlement, I came up with the following:
So, of the six family members that headed East from Cambridgeshire to Lincolnshire, only one "returned home".
The family mystery here is that I've got a snippet of "two brothers married two sisters, at Donington" - and, so far, I've not nailed that. I need to see a lot of parish records to work out who it was. It's probably David/Ann, but I need to get to the bottom of that snippet and family mystery at some point.
So, that's it so far. When you build your tree you find you make assumptions and pencil ideas into the tree - and it might be some time before you get a "lucky lead" .... but you can't just have "dead certs" on the tree or it'd look a bit bleak and empty!
John and Jane had two sons who showed up in Lincolnshire in the Censuses:
- William Stokes 1838-1926
- Alfred Fineden Stokes 1836-1906(?)
But, they seem to have also taken with them some of their nephews, their sisters' children:
- John Willmot 1845-
- George Stokes/Edwards 1845-1904
- William Edwards 1852-1888(?)
- David Edwards 1862-1949
So, in total, that's six of them relocating to Lincolnshire either temporarily or permanently. Trying to put them into date order of settlement, I came up with the following:
- 1861: William Stokes (b. 1838) first appeared in the 1861 Census in Lincolnshire, 1 mile from Grayingham. His descendants ended up settling in Scotter, where the village website has a lot of information about the family.
- 1861: Alfred Stokes (b. 1836) first appeared in the 1861 Census in Grayingham, Lincolnshire. He moved about a lot, moved away, then moved back - his grandson was killed in action in WW1, on 31 July 1917 at Ypres with the Lincolnshire Regiment. At the moment, I think he and his wife went with their daughter to Northamptonshire in their dotage, dying in Northamptonshire - after which time the daughter and family returned to the Nottinghamshire/Lincolnshire border.
- 1861: John Willmot (b. 1845) at Grayingham, Lincolnshire . Aged 16, the Census has him down as 14. He's a groom. After this, John returned to his home turf, where he married. After that there's a possibility he went to Canada, which I'll follow up at some point.
- 1876: William (b. 1852) was in the 1881 Census, in Scunthorpe, but I think he married in 1876 in Glanford Brigg. I believe he probably spent the rest of his life in the Scunthorpe area.
- 1881: George Stokes/Edwards (b. 1845) might be the one in the 1881 Census in Spalding prison! This is tricky as George was born out of wedlock, but seems to have adopted the same family name as the rest of them - although I could just be a bit wrong here. Although the Census says the prisoner is aged 32, George'd have been closer to 37 at the time. I looked into this a little more and it seems he was simply being held for 2-3 days until a court case where he'd passed forged coins in pubs and been caught. This is called "uttering currency". Naughty boy! It is possible there's another George. Sometimes some names are hard to trace and/or too common to really know you've got it right.
Anyway - it turns out that I think George Stokes might turn out to be the most unexpected/exciting one in the tree (well, a bit of a bad boy), but I don't want to sully his name until I've at least got my audit trail in place. He married his brother's wife's sister. This was one of my quests "two brothers married two sisters in Donington", but it turned out to be two half brothers married two sisters, one in Donington and the other one nearby (but I've got to find that marriage yet!). George Stokes married Mary Susanah Garner Crampton in 1890 in the Glanford Brigg Registration District. Mary Susan, as the name shows up in FreeBMD is the older sister of Ann Crampton who married David Edwards. And there's a twist .... naughty George was 20 years older than Mary! But, I've got to double check all this as I've only just "discovered" it all. - 1887: David Edwards (b. 1862) appeared at Harpswell in 1891, aged 28. A waggoner with a wife/children. Their first born appears to have been born in Donington in 1888, so he must've been in the area since at least 1887. He stayed and raised a family, living in the same cottage in Broughton for nearly 50 years! David and his wife Ann raised a large family in Broughton, who are probably still there today!
So, of the six family members that headed East from Cambridgeshire to Lincolnshire, only one "returned home".
The family mystery here is that I've got a snippet of "two brothers married two sisters, at Donington" - and, so far, I've not nailed that. I need to see a lot of parish records to work out who it was. It's probably David/Ann, but I need to get to the bottom of that snippet and family mystery at some point.
So, that's it so far. When you build your tree you find you make assumptions and pencil ideas into the tree - and it might be some time before you get a "lucky lead" .... but you can't just have "dead certs" on the tree or it'd look a bit bleak and empty!
Alfred Richard Waite (1895-1917)
Alfred Richard Waite was a casualty of WW1 when he died in 1917. "Luckily" for his parents, he wasn't an unknown soldier in a foreign field, nor was his end left hanging in the air, with no body to bury and no gravestone marking his life.
Alfred was an Acting Corporal in the Royal Flying Corps, having enlisted in January 1916, he went out to France to fly airplanes. It was in April 1917 when he had a flying accident, having only been in France a few weeks.
There's a website where a lot of the records of the Royal Flying Corps have been transcribed and brought together: http://www.airhistory.org.uk/rfc and Alfred gets a mention in there as the casualty records have been transcribed, as well as accident reports.
Poor Alfred wasn't gunning down foreign invaders over France, he was simply taking off from his base. He wasn't even the pilot, the pilot was Lt HD Hardman, who came out of the accident OK. The accident was on 8 April 1917.
The accident was described as "Hit clump of bushes on aerodrome on t/o for circuits. ". t/o is take off; and "Hit clump of bushes on aerodrome which removed u/c and completely wrecked on t/o for circuits" - u/c here is undercarriage. So, in short, they were taking off at the aerodrome when the undercarriage of the plane hit some bushes and was ripped away from the plane, the plane then crashed. The plane had to be struck off after the accident as it was such a wreck.
Alfred had broken his back and qualified for a disability pension (Source: Findmypast)
After spending time in French hospitals, he was repatriated to a London Hospital, before being transferred to Kettering Hospital by August 1917. Alfred died at Kettering General Hospital on 6 October 1917. This gave his family the opportunity of burying his body - and doing that locally. Alfred is buried in Woodford churchyard in Northamptonshire, on the West side of the churchyard. The War Grave Photographic Project have a photo of his grave: Gravestone of Corporal Alfred Richard Waite - their description is "Died of injuries received in France. 6th October 1917. Age 22. Son of Charles T. H. and Eliza Jane Waite of 7 St. Dunstan Rd. Leicester". The address of Alfred's parents is often given in some reports as "Woodwell Villa.” Woodford.
Alfred's parents continued to live at 7 St Dunstan Road, for the rest of their lives, his mother died in 1938 and his father in 1952. Alfred was the eldest child of Charles & Eliza Jane. He had six siblings: Edith, Ruby, Elizabeth Mary, Charles Haley, Raymond H and Georgina B. With Raymond being born in 1913 and little Georgina B born in 1915, they never got to know their big brother as they were only 4 and 2 when he died.
How is Alfred Related to Me?
Alfred is on my tree through his mother's line. Eliza Jane Stokes married Charles Thomas Haley Waite. Eliza Jane Stokes was the daughter of Alfred Finedon Stokes.
Alfred's great-grandparents were my great-great-great-great-grandparents.
Alfred's cousin, Alfred William Blow, was also killed in WW1 in 1917. Their mothers were sisters. His cousin's family had no burial, Alfred William Blow's just a name on a memorial at Ypres Menin Gate.
Alfred's Timeline:
1895: birth registered in the Grantham, Lincolnshire, registration district, (Source: LDS).
1901 Census: at St Dunstan Road, Leicester, with parents and new born sister Ruby. (Source: LDS)
1911 Census: at the Brickyard, Woodford, Thrapston, Northamptonshire. Alfred is an apprentice and is described as Electrical Engineer learner. (Source: LDS)
1916: Enlisted in January (Source: Newspaper piece on accident). Service number 19560, 100th Squadron. (Source: Various)
1917: 8 April, in flying accident (Source: Newspaper piece)
1917: 6 October, died in Hospital, buried at Woodford, Northamptonshire (Source: Various)
Memorials to Alfred Richard Waite:
Alfred was an Acting Corporal in the Royal Flying Corps, having enlisted in January 1916, he went out to France to fly airplanes. It was in April 1917 when he had a flying accident, having only been in France a few weeks.
There's a website where a lot of the records of the Royal Flying Corps have been transcribed and brought together: http://www.airhistory.org.uk/rfc and Alfred gets a mention in there as the casualty records have been transcribed, as well as accident reports.
Poor Alfred wasn't gunning down foreign invaders over France, he was simply taking off from his base. He wasn't even the pilot, the pilot was Lt HD Hardman, who came out of the accident OK. The accident was on 8 April 1917.
The accident was described as "Hit clump of bushes on aerodrome on t/o for circuits. ". t/o is take off; and "Hit clump of bushes on aerodrome which removed u/c and completely wrecked on t/o for circuits" - u/c here is undercarriage. So, in short, they were taking off at the aerodrome when the undercarriage of the plane hit some bushes and was ripped away from the plane, the plane then crashed. The plane had to be struck off after the accident as it was such a wreck.
Alfred had broken his back and qualified for a disability pension (Source: Findmypast)
After spending time in French hospitals, he was repatriated to a London Hospital, before being transferred to Kettering Hospital by August 1917. Alfred died at Kettering General Hospital on 6 October 1917. This gave his family the opportunity of burying his body - and doing that locally. Alfred is buried in Woodford churchyard in Northamptonshire, on the West side of the churchyard. The War Grave Photographic Project have a photo of his grave: Gravestone of Corporal Alfred Richard Waite - their description is "Died of injuries received in France. 6th October 1917. Age 22. Son of Charles T. H. and Eliza Jane Waite of 7 St. Dunstan Rd. Leicester". The address of Alfred's parents is often given in some reports as "Woodwell Villa.” Woodford.
Alfred's parents continued to live at 7 St Dunstan Road, for the rest of their lives, his mother died in 1938 and his father in 1952. Alfred was the eldest child of Charles & Eliza Jane. He had six siblings: Edith, Ruby, Elizabeth Mary, Charles Haley, Raymond H and Georgina B. With Raymond being born in 1913 and little Georgina B born in 1915, they never got to know their big brother as they were only 4 and 2 when he died.
How is Alfred Related to Me?
Alfred is on my tree through his mother's line. Eliza Jane Stokes married Charles Thomas Haley Waite. Eliza Jane Stokes was the daughter of Alfred Finedon Stokes.
Alfred's great-grandparents were my great-great-great-great-grandparents.
Alfred's cousin, Alfred William Blow, was also killed in WW1 in 1917. Their mothers were sisters. His cousin's family had no burial, Alfred William Blow's just a name on a memorial at Ypres Menin Gate.
Alfred's Timeline:
1895: birth registered in the Grantham, Lincolnshire, registration district, (Source: LDS).
1901 Census: at St Dunstan Road, Leicester, with parents and new born sister Ruby. (Source: LDS)
1911 Census: at the Brickyard, Woodford, Thrapston, Northamptonshire. Alfred is an apprentice and is described as Electrical Engineer learner. (Source: LDS)
1916: Enlisted in January (Source: Newspaper piece on accident). Service number 19560, 100th Squadron. (Source: Various)
1917: 8 April, in flying accident (Source: Newspaper piece)
1917: 6 October, died in Hospital, buried at Woodford, Northamptonshire (Source: Various)
Memorials to Alfred Richard Waite:
- Alfred's actual grave is in Woodford churchyard, containing his remains.
- Alfred's name is on the Woodford War Memorial, Woodford, Northamptonshire. This is located on Woodford Village Green. His name is on the East face, Alfred R Waite. Postcode NN14 4HB
- There is a second War memorial in Woodford, in the churchyard. On this one he is AR Waite. Postcode NN14 4EX
As there are many places called Woodford that might turn up for people not understanding English geography, I've given the postcodes of the two war memorials above - put those into Google Maps and it'll show you where it is. This Woodford is Woodford, near Thrapston, Northamptonshire.
Related Family Trees Online:
Every time there's a marriage, a tree joins another!
Related Family Trees Online:
- Website: http://thesignsofthetimes.com.au/51/136623.htm - the Waite family tree.
Every time there's a marriage, a tree joins another!
Tuesday 10 November 2015
We Are Related to the Maltbys
"We're related to the Maltbys" is something I can remember my mum saying when I was growing up. Mum'd say that about quite a few names. When she heard a name, or saw it in the newspapers, she'd pipe up "We're related to....." - and a lot of these snippets became family mysteries to solve when I started looking into my family tree.
And finally I FOUND the connection! I now know precisely who the Maltbys were and who I was related to and how!
Martha Ann Maltby (1869-1951) was my great-grandmother's sister. My mum was brought up by her "granny" - and "granny" was the sister of Martha Ann Maltby, so mum'll have grown up in a household where the two sisters were visiting each other and their names were spoken of. Indeed, my mum told my cousin (who started our tree) that she remembered visiting Martha Ann Maltby at her house.
So that's another small quest satisfied. I now know who the Maltbys were and how I was related.
Martha Ann Maltby married Henry Maltby in November 1891, they then had five children Olive Annie Maltby, Bertram/Bertie Maltby, Lilian Rose Maltby and, finally, the twins, Elsie May Maltby and Henry Henry Maltby. Unfortunately, there was a nasty accident with a fire when the twins were just a few months old and Elsie May Maltby was burnt when her cot caught fire, she died from her injuries in 1901. Just five years later Bertie died of illness, aged just 12. Martha Ann Maltby was then left with just three children, who all made it into adulthood and had families of their own.
Martha and "granny" were two of four sisters who moved to Cambridge in the 1890s and settled, having moved into town from the villages of Bourn, Caldecote and Kingston. By ~1894 all four of them (and their mother) were living at various addresses in Cambridge until they settled down and married. They then all raised their families and stayed put.
In the 1901 Census, the four sisters were living in the Newmarket Road/East Road areas. Their mother was absent in the 1901 Census as she was over at Dry Drayton looking after her elderly widowed uncle, probably until his death in 1903. It looks as if Martha Ann was the first to settle, having married in 1891, giving the rest a destination to go to when they were looking to move. It looks like she was our family's "first settler", although there is another tie in the tree to the Newmarket Road area, with the Hayhoe family. I've still to sit down and work out the dates/locations of everybody to work out "who moved first". Martha Ann was certainly the first to marry of the sisters, although one was "living over the brush" it seems.
As for Henry Maltby, the twin whose sister was tragically lost so soon, he went on to live a very long life, dying in 1997 aged 97! Go Henry!
My relationship to the children of Martha Ann Maltby is: 1st cousins twice removed.
I am the Great Grand niece of Martha Ann.
My great-great grandmother is the mother of Martha.
It's all very confusing terminology isn't it!
And finally I FOUND the connection! I now know precisely who the Maltbys were and who I was related to and how!
Martha Ann Maltby (1869-1951) was my great-grandmother's sister. My mum was brought up by her "granny" - and "granny" was the sister of Martha Ann Maltby, so mum'll have grown up in a household where the two sisters were visiting each other and their names were spoken of. Indeed, my mum told my cousin (who started our tree) that she remembered visiting Martha Ann Maltby at her house.
So that's another small quest satisfied. I now know who the Maltbys were and how I was related.
Martha Ann Maltby married Henry Maltby in November 1891, they then had five children Olive Annie Maltby, Bertram/Bertie Maltby, Lilian Rose Maltby and, finally, the twins, Elsie May Maltby and Henry Henry Maltby. Unfortunately, there was a nasty accident with a fire when the twins were just a few months old and Elsie May Maltby was burnt when her cot caught fire, she died from her injuries in 1901. Just five years later Bertie died of illness, aged just 12. Martha Ann Maltby was then left with just three children, who all made it into adulthood and had families of their own.
Martha and "granny" were two of four sisters who moved to Cambridge in the 1890s and settled, having moved into town from the villages of Bourn, Caldecote and Kingston. By ~1894 all four of them (and their mother) were living at various addresses in Cambridge until they settled down and married. They then all raised their families and stayed put.
In the 1901 Census, the four sisters were living in the Newmarket Road/East Road areas. Their mother was absent in the 1901 Census as she was over at Dry Drayton looking after her elderly widowed uncle, probably until his death in 1903. It looks as if Martha Ann was the first to settle, having married in 1891, giving the rest a destination to go to when they were looking to move. It looks like she was our family's "first settler", although there is another tie in the tree to the Newmarket Road area, with the Hayhoe family. I've still to sit down and work out the dates/locations of everybody to work out "who moved first". Martha Ann was certainly the first to marry of the sisters, although one was "living over the brush" it seems.
As for Henry Maltby, the twin whose sister was tragically lost so soon, he went on to live a very long life, dying in 1997 aged 97! Go Henry!
My relationship to the children of Martha Ann Maltby is: 1st cousins twice removed.
I am the Great Grand niece of Martha Ann.
My great-great grandmother is the mother of Martha.
It's all very confusing terminology isn't it!
Monday 9 November 2015
Where Did Your Family Come From?
When you start your family tree you think you know where your family comes from. If asked "where did your family come from?" you'll have an answer, the answer you believe, but dig down a few generations and you might be surprised.
My journey started by looking at my mother's ancestors. She had been brought up in the village of Chesterton, Cambridgeshire - and I expected to find everybody there, but I was surprised. Her grandmother had come from the villages of Caldecote, Cambridgeshire and Bourn, Cambridgeshire. Going up another two generations and then looking at where everybody had come from and gone to, the net started to really widen.
My GGG-grandmother came from Upton, Huntingdonshire - unfortunately this is a small parish with few records transcribed and available online, so I was a little stuck there.
I guess my curiosity was really piqued when I saw that my GG-grandmother had gone into prison, for abandoning her family - and I started with the question of why she'd have done that. Where were her siblings, her aunts/uncles and cousins, that they weren't in a position to help. Of course, that sets aside the issue of personality, there's always the chance that she was simply unlikeable! I'm sure we've all got family we'd rather avoid and never speak to - imagine if they turned up on your doorstep wanting to move in!
In the latter half of the 1800s Caldecote was depopulating - people first moved into the village as the railway was built through the area and then for the coprolite digging work (that's dinosaur poo) - and when that industry started to die people had to move away.
A lot of my GG-grandmother's siblings and uncles had migrated to Lincolnshire, to Norfolk, some to Suffolk - and a few towards London. Others had moved closer to the Huntingdon and St Ives areas.
Then I was obsessed with finding out where everybody went and what happened to them.
My great-grandmother moved to Cambridge, as did three of her sisters, so they were together in the same area from about 1890 onwards. But I found two brothers who moved to Lincolnshire - and then their sister's lads in the next generation also moved out that way - so there was a group of Stokes' and Edwards' in Lincolnshire that would've had associations and ties with each other.
As the net gets wider, you find people who simply "disappeared" - this is mostly due to the cost of finding/proving them. e.g. if you have, say, 3 deaths it COULD have been a distant, 2nd cousin, 3x removed, then you're not going to invest £10 for each of three death certificates just to see IF any of them are your man! So, the chart gets marked "disappeared" - and, who knows, one day their descendants will have done the research and published the answers!
Right now my main focus is on the lot that moved to Lincolnshire and I've a family mystery to solve there as I am trying to find "two brothers who married two sisters" - I'll find them one day!
My journey started by looking at my mother's ancestors. She had been brought up in the village of Chesterton, Cambridgeshire - and I expected to find everybody there, but I was surprised. Her grandmother had come from the villages of Caldecote, Cambridgeshire and Bourn, Cambridgeshire. Going up another two generations and then looking at where everybody had come from and gone to, the net started to really widen.
My GGG-grandmother came from Upton, Huntingdonshire - unfortunately this is a small parish with few records transcribed and available online, so I was a little stuck there.
I guess my curiosity was really piqued when I saw that my GG-grandmother had gone into prison, for abandoning her family - and I started with the question of why she'd have done that. Where were her siblings, her aunts/uncles and cousins, that they weren't in a position to help. Of course, that sets aside the issue of personality, there's always the chance that she was simply unlikeable! I'm sure we've all got family we'd rather avoid and never speak to - imagine if they turned up on your doorstep wanting to move in!
In the latter half of the 1800s Caldecote was depopulating - people first moved into the village as the railway was built through the area and then for the coprolite digging work (that's dinosaur poo) - and when that industry started to die people had to move away.
A lot of my GG-grandmother's siblings and uncles had migrated to Lincolnshire, to Norfolk, some to Suffolk - and a few towards London. Others had moved closer to the Huntingdon and St Ives areas.
Then I was obsessed with finding out where everybody went and what happened to them.
My great-grandmother moved to Cambridge, as did three of her sisters, so they were together in the same area from about 1890 onwards. But I found two brothers who moved to Lincolnshire - and then their sister's lads in the next generation also moved out that way - so there was a group of Stokes' and Edwards' in Lincolnshire that would've had associations and ties with each other.
As the net gets wider, you find people who simply "disappeared" - this is mostly due to the cost of finding/proving them. e.g. if you have, say, 3 deaths it COULD have been a distant, 2nd cousin, 3x removed, then you're not going to invest £10 for each of three death certificates just to see IF any of them are your man! So, the chart gets marked "disappeared" - and, who knows, one day their descendants will have done the research and published the answers!
Right now my main focus is on the lot that moved to Lincolnshire and I've a family mystery to solve there as I am trying to find "two brothers who married two sisters" - I'll find them one day!
Sunday 8 November 2015
Bigamy in Cambridgeshire!
Years ago, it was really difficult to get a divorce - and a lot of people simply walked away from marriages and then married bigamously. One case featured a Cambridge resident in the 1930s.
I came across this story when I was trying to solve a mystery - and I've still got the same mystery. The mystery on my list that needs solving is: What happened to Albert Edward Morgan? Where was he, when and where did he die?
But, back to the bigamy case of 1936!
Albert Edward Morgan was a soldier in WW1, he was with the Highland Light Infantry. He and his two brothers fought in WW1 and he was the only one of those three who survived. In 1914 Albert was injured and met with a VAD Nurse at the Cambridge 1st Eastern General Hospital, which was set out on the lawns at Trinity College.
Jessie Whitechurch was attracted to Albert Morgan, possibly because he was a likeable and local lad who had knowledge of her home village, where he'd been the postman. When Albert had recuperated from his injuries and returned to Southampton, she followed him and they got married in the third quarter of 1915:
Jessie May Madeleine Whitechurch was from Harlton, Cambridgeshire, born 1895 (Jessie May Whitechurch).
Albert Edward Morgan was from Cambridge Place, Cambridge, born 1886. Son of Hannah & Edward Morgan.
It wasn't long before they had a daughter, Jean JV Morgan, born in the Southampton area in the second quarter of 1916. Her full name was registered Jean Jessie Vernieul Morgan - the Vernieul part must be connected to Verneuil, which is where Pte Albert E Morgan, 8624, Highland Light Infantry, probably got shot in the spine (as he was pulling his Captain into the safety of the trench at the Battle of Aisne) - and due to this injury it'll have lead to Jean's parents (Albert & Jessie) meeting as he was evacuated to the 1st Eastern General Hospital, arriving in Cambridge on 1 October 1914.
Before war ended, Albert and Jessie had their marital problems and ended back in the Cambridge area by early 1919. Things didn't go well and Jessie Morgan applied for a separation order for cruelty in September 1919. There's a lot written about this in various newspaper reports of the trial at the time and they ended up going their own ways in 1919 with the separation order granted.
However, they were still married and in 1927 Jessie Morgan met a dashing young RAF man Squadron Leader Leonard Young and entered into a marriage with him.
They rubbed along nicely for a few years until Leonard decided he wanted to leave the marriage - and he started thinking about his wife's status of "divorced" which she'd told him when they'd met.
In July 1932 Leonard Young moved out and insisted on proof of Jessie's divorce. He was away with work a lot for the next three years, including working in China, but, upon his return to the area, it came to a head and he did some investigations, discovering that Jessie was still married to Albert, they'd never divorced. Leonard then dragged Jessie through the courts for an annulment of their bigamous marriage. This was successful and the marriage was annulled in November 1936, with Leonard receiving a decree of nullity by Mr Justice Langton.
Jessie's name changes a little, with a birth registered name of Jessie M Whitechurch, when she married Leonard Young in 1927 the entry was recorded as Jessie M M Morgan - then in the annulment case she was Mrs Jessie Madeline Young.
But where was Albert? At the annulment court case, Albert's sister, Annie Langley, and brother-in-law, Albert Ernest Langley, were presented as witnesses to the fact that Albert was still alive. They said he was in Canada and they had received some letters from him, as recently as 1935.
Albert's mother died in 1939 and the newspaper report of who was present at the funeral didn't include Albert. Although there was a Mr & Mrs A Morgan present, this must have been his brother Arthur Morgan.
However, I DO know that Albert Morgan returned to Cambridge at some time - I just don't know in which year. Or where he went to next, or where he died.
He's a mystery! I'd love to solve this one, but it's the sort of challenge that really needs some family insider information to know where to start looking!
Albert Morgan is on my tree, so it's not just a nosey passing interest, I really want to know what happened next in his life! And when and where did he die?
If you are a descendant of the Morgan family of Cambridge Place, Cambridge, or even a descendant of Albert Ernest Morgan himself, I'd love to know if you've any information to add to this trail! Maybe one of your old family stories has just the next lead I need.
I came across this story when I was trying to solve a mystery - and I've still got the same mystery. The mystery on my list that needs solving is: What happened to Albert Edward Morgan? Where was he, when and where did he die?
But, back to the bigamy case of 1936!
Albert Edward Morgan was a soldier in WW1, he was with the Highland Light Infantry. He and his two brothers fought in WW1 and he was the only one of those three who survived. In 1914 Albert was injured and met with a VAD Nurse at the Cambridge 1st Eastern General Hospital, which was set out on the lawns at Trinity College.
Jessie Whitechurch was attracted to Albert Morgan, possibly because he was a likeable and local lad who had knowledge of her home village, where he'd been the postman. When Albert had recuperated from his injuries and returned to Southampton, she followed him and they got married in the third quarter of 1915:
Jessie May Madeleine Whitechurch was from Harlton, Cambridgeshire, born 1895 (Jessie May Whitechurch).
Albert Edward Morgan was from Cambridge Place, Cambridge, born 1886. Son of Hannah & Edward Morgan.
It wasn't long before they had a daughter, Jean JV Morgan, born in the Southampton area in the second quarter of 1916. Her full name was registered Jean Jessie Vernieul Morgan - the Vernieul part must be connected to Verneuil, which is where Pte Albert E Morgan, 8624, Highland Light Infantry, probably got shot in the spine (as he was pulling his Captain into the safety of the trench at the Battle of Aisne) - and due to this injury it'll have lead to Jean's parents (Albert & Jessie) meeting as he was evacuated to the 1st Eastern General Hospital, arriving in Cambridge on 1 October 1914.
Before war ended, Albert and Jessie had their marital problems and ended back in the Cambridge area by early 1919. Things didn't go well and Jessie Morgan applied for a separation order for cruelty in September 1919. There's a lot written about this in various newspaper reports of the trial at the time and they ended up going their own ways in 1919 with the separation order granted.
However, they were still married and in 1927 Jessie Morgan met a dashing young RAF man Squadron Leader Leonard Young and entered into a marriage with him.
In July 1932 Leonard Young moved out and insisted on proof of Jessie's divorce. He was away with work a lot for the next three years, including working in China, but, upon his return to the area, it came to a head and he did some investigations, discovering that Jessie was still married to Albert, they'd never divorced. Leonard then dragged Jessie through the courts for an annulment of their bigamous marriage. This was successful and the marriage was annulled in November 1936, with Leonard receiving a decree of nullity by Mr Justice Langton.
Jessie's name changes a little, with a birth registered name of Jessie M Whitechurch, when she married Leonard Young in 1927 the entry was recorded as Jessie M M Morgan - then in the annulment case she was Mrs Jessie Madeline Young.
But where was Albert? At the annulment court case, Albert's sister, Annie Langley, and brother-in-law, Albert Ernest Langley, were presented as witnesses to the fact that Albert was still alive. They said he was in Canada and they had received some letters from him, as recently as 1935.
Albert's mother died in 1939 and the newspaper report of who was present at the funeral didn't include Albert. Although there was a Mr & Mrs A Morgan present, this must have been his brother Arthur Morgan.
However, I DO know that Albert Morgan returned to Cambridge at some time - I just don't know in which year. Or where he went to next, or where he died.
He's a mystery! I'd love to solve this one, but it's the sort of challenge that really needs some family insider information to know where to start looking!
Albert Morgan is on my tree, so it's not just a nosey passing interest, I really want to know what happened next in his life! And when and where did he die?
If you are a descendant of the Morgan family of Cambridge Place, Cambridge, or even a descendant of Albert Ernest Morgan himself, I'd love to know if you've any information to add to this trail! Maybe one of your old family stories has just the next lead I need.
Saturday 7 November 2015
Alfred William Blow 1896-1917
Alfred William Blow is one of the men on my family tree that died in WW1. Looking at the reasons I started this blog and gave it the name is has, he's a descendent of the Finding family. He would appear to be the great-great-grandson of Thomas and Mary Finding.
Alfred William Blow as born in 1896 at Nocton Heath, Lincolnshire. He was the son of Robert Blow and Lydia Elizabeth Blow. Robert & Lydia Elizabeth (nee Stokes) moved about a little bit after their marriage. Between 1894 and 1905 they had produced 7 living children. Alfred was named after his grandfather, Alfred Stokes. As for his middle name of William, that's fairly common in the family tree - and his mother had a brother called William who died aged 11 weeks, then another brother named Willie. So he was most likely named after Willie, his uncle.
Some time between 1896 and 1898 they moved to Quadring Fen, which is where they were for the 1901 Census. In 1902 they were living in Beesley, Lincolnshire, then they moved again, some time between 1903-1906, to Northamptonshire.
By the time Alfred was 10 he'd certainly had many addresses! His father was a farm cattleman, so was probably working year-to-year on jobs gained from Hiring Fairs, which is how a lot of Agricultural Workers were hired.
Alfred was a Private in the 2nd Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment. His service number appears as two variations (I won't pretend to understand war records!) 4024 and 40211 are the numbers I've found from various websites. I think 40211 is the "proper number".
Alfred died on 31 July 1917, aged just 21 and is commemorated at Ypres on the Menin Gate Memorial. Websites that mention Alfred include:
While we're used to seeing War Memorials - it appears that Alfred is not commemorated on any local war memorials. I have tried to find his medal cards etc and his attestation papers, showing the addresses he might've been using, but he must be one of those soldiers whose papers were burnt. Poor Alfred.
There really is little evidence Alfred existed. I do hope his siblings' relatives search for him one day and have some photos. He deserves more/better and to be remembered more fittingly. Somebody out there will have Alfred's Death Penny :(
What is Alfred's relationship to me? That's a tough one .... so here we go:
Alfred is my Great-great-great-grandmother's, brother's, grandson. :)
Or, Alfred and I share the same great-great-great-great-grandparents.
There'll be a name for that. We are 2nd cousins 3 times removed.
At the time of his death his grandparents had died, so one might think that my part of the family never got to hear the news, but there were other cousins etc in the area too, so there's a small chance our branch did know. I'll have to sit and work out the likelihood of that one day! Certainly my great-great-grandmother's brothers were in the area too.
2nd Lincolnshire Battalion War Diary
Lincolnshire Archives have the war diary of the 2nd Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment. But there are other sources out there for those motivated enough to want to read more. Whether somebody's mentioned in a diary will depend on a lot of factors, such as their ranking within the battalion and how many died that day. If, say, 100 were killed, then they'd not be named... but, if they were the only death in an otherwise fairly mundane day, then a full description might be furnished, so War Diaries are hit and miss affairs for details.
The War Diary of the 2nd Lincolnshire Regiment is also available to read at the National Archives in London (for free), or via a downloadable file online, for a cost of £3.45, the file is over 83MB in size. http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7352498
Understanding the War, battalions, battles and movements is quite a major undertaking, it's not as simple as looking up a name in a search box. I am not currently up to the challenge of discovering Alfred's journey through the war to his final resting place.
A quick look indicates to me that Alfred might've died on the first day of the Battle of Pilckem Ridge, which the 2nd Battalion seem to have fought from 31 July to 2 August. If I am reading it correctly, the whole of D Company died, so he might've been one of those!
As ever: E&OE
Alfred William Blow as born in 1896 at Nocton Heath, Lincolnshire. He was the son of Robert Blow and Lydia Elizabeth Blow. Robert & Lydia Elizabeth (nee Stokes) moved about a little bit after their marriage. Between 1894 and 1905 they had produced 7 living children. Alfred was named after his grandfather, Alfred Stokes. As for his middle name of William, that's fairly common in the family tree - and his mother had a brother called William who died aged 11 weeks, then another brother named Willie. So he was most likely named after Willie, his uncle.
Some time between 1896 and 1898 they moved to Quadring Fen, which is where they were for the 1901 Census. In 1902 they were living in Beesley, Lincolnshire, then they moved again, some time between 1903-1906, to Northamptonshire.
By the time Alfred was 10 he'd certainly had many addresses! His father was a farm cattleman, so was probably working year-to-year on jobs gained from Hiring Fairs, which is how a lot of Agricultural Workers were hired.
Alfred was a Private in the 2nd Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment. His service number appears as two variations (I won't pretend to understand war records!) 4024 and 40211 are the numbers I've found from various websites. I think 40211 is the "proper number".Alfred died on 31 July 1917, aged just 21 and is commemorated at Ypres on the Menin Gate Memorial. Websites that mention Alfred include:
- The Nottinghamshire website gives his parents address at East Kirkby at that time: "He was the son of Robert and Lydia Elizabeth Blow of 77 Prospect Street East Kirkby Nottinghamshire." http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/rollofhonour/People/Details/29106
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission gives Alfred's age as 21 and his service number as 40211. http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/ casualty/928248/
- The local Lincolnshire LincsToThePast website also gives Alfred a mention: Killed in Action. Service number 40211. "Notes: Plaque in St. Georges Memorial Church, Ypres; born 1896, Nocton". http://www.lincstothepast.com/ PersonDetails.aspx?objectid=1539700
While we're used to seeing War Memorials - it appears that Alfred is not commemorated on any local war memorials. I have tried to find his medal cards etc and his attestation papers, showing the addresses he might've been using, but he must be one of those soldiers whose papers were burnt. Poor Alfred.
There really is little evidence Alfred existed. I do hope his siblings' relatives search for him one day and have some photos. He deserves more/better and to be remembered more fittingly. Somebody out there will have Alfred's Death Penny :(
What is Alfred's relationship to me? That's a tough one .... so here we go:
Alfred is my Great-great-great-grandmother's, brother's, grandson. :)
Or, Alfred and I share the same great-great-great-great-grandparents.
There'll be a name for that. We are 2nd cousins 3 times removed.
At the time of his death his grandparents had died, so one might think that my part of the family never got to hear the news, but there were other cousins etc in the area too, so there's a small chance our branch did know. I'll have to sit and work out the likelihood of that one day! Certainly my great-great-grandmother's brothers were in the area too.
2nd Lincolnshire Battalion War Diary
Lincolnshire Archives have the war diary of the 2nd Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment. But there are other sources out there for those motivated enough to want to read more. Whether somebody's mentioned in a diary will depend on a lot of factors, such as their ranking within the battalion and how many died that day. If, say, 100 were killed, then they'd not be named... but, if they were the only death in an otherwise fairly mundane day, then a full description might be furnished, so War Diaries are hit and miss affairs for details.
The War Diary of the 2nd Lincolnshire Regiment is also available to read at the National Archives in London (for free), or via a downloadable file online, for a cost of £3.45, the file is over 83MB in size. http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7352498
Understanding the War, battalions, battles and movements is quite a major undertaking, it's not as simple as looking up a name in a search box. I am not currently up to the challenge of discovering Alfred's journey through the war to his final resting place.
A quick look indicates to me that Alfred might've died on the first day of the Battle of Pilckem Ridge, which the 2nd Battalion seem to have fought from 31 July to 2 August. If I am reading it correctly, the whole of D Company died, so he might've been one of those!
As ever: E&OE
Friday 6 November 2015
Finding WW1 Soldiers in Your Family Tree
When I started out, I didn't think there were any WW1 soldiers in my family tree. Certainly there were no stories or tales of anybody having fought in WW1 as I was growing up.
One of my grandfathers died 8 years before I was born and his wife, my grandma, was living offshore, so I probably only met her 1-2x, with the last time being when I was about 5 years old. I had a local pair of grandparents, born in 1905 and 1908 though, so both too young to have been in WW1. I did hear a whisper that my (step) granddad had been in WW2 and was injured in some way, although I've no idea how. He died when I was 10.
So that was my lot! It's been a complete revelation to me, therefore, to have discovered some WW1 soldiers in the family tree.
The closest relative was my grandfather's brother, he died of illness. Many soldiers died of illnesses during the War, they weren't all shot in the trenches at all. There were many other reasons, illness was one and dying from wounds was another. Some died of wounds within days/weeks, and some died a few years later of those wounds.
I'll be creating a page with a list of all the soldiers in the tree I do find though, as I go along. Each will have their own post here, with a link back to the list of them all.
It's all quite sad as you think about the fact they never went home. Most didn't "choose" to fight, it was what you had to do. You were either shamed into it, bullied by locals, or conscripted in. Just sent off to die, with their poor mothers simply receiving a letter. It's all very sad really.
I've found about five WW1 soldiers to date. While some have been commemorated on their local war memorial, I've found one who seems to have been overlooked. I've yet to work out why, exactly. I think it's because the family moved around a little bit, so they weren't part of the furniture, so to speak. One who was probably aged 8-16, then moved 200 miles away (back to his home county, but not his originating village) and was then killed in the war - so I doubt the locals knew him - and the lads he'd grown up with never knew he'd died.
Most don't have a grave at all, they're simply commemorated on a wall abroad. So tragic for their families that they didn't even have the knowledge that their son/brother/husband's body had been given any dignity with a proper burial.
One of my grandfathers died 8 years before I was born and his wife, my grandma, was living offshore, so I probably only met her 1-2x, with the last time being when I was about 5 years old. I had a local pair of grandparents, born in 1905 and 1908 though, so both too young to have been in WW1. I did hear a whisper that my (step) granddad had been in WW2 and was injured in some way, although I've no idea how. He died when I was 10.
So that was my lot! It's been a complete revelation to me, therefore, to have discovered some WW1 soldiers in the family tree.
The closest relative was my grandfather's brother, he died of illness. Many soldiers died of illnesses during the War, they weren't all shot in the trenches at all. There were many other reasons, illness was one and dying from wounds was another. Some died of wounds within days/weeks, and some died a few years later of those wounds.
I'll be creating a page with a list of all the soldiers in the tree I do find though, as I go along. Each will have their own post here, with a link back to the list of them all.
It's all quite sad as you think about the fact they never went home. Most didn't "choose" to fight, it was what you had to do. You were either shamed into it, bullied by locals, or conscripted in. Just sent off to die, with their poor mothers simply receiving a letter. It's all very sad really.
I've found about five WW1 soldiers to date. While some have been commemorated on their local war memorial, I've found one who seems to have been overlooked. I've yet to work out why, exactly. I think it's because the family moved around a little bit, so they weren't part of the furniture, so to speak. One who was probably aged 8-16, then moved 200 miles away (back to his home county, but not his originating village) and was then killed in the war - so I doubt the locals knew him - and the lads he'd grown up with never knew he'd died.
Most don't have a grave at all, they're simply commemorated on a wall abroad. So tragic for their families that they didn't even have the knowledge that their son/brother/husband's body had been given any dignity with a proper burial.
Wednesday 4 November 2015
Alfred Fineden Stokes 1836-1906
Alfred Fineden Stokes was born in 1836 and baptised on 31 January 1836 at Caldecote, Cambridgeshire. Son of John Stokes and Jane Stokes. This is on LDS Film Number 1040424.
I am not sure where his middle name comes from, but my first guess is that they tried to use his mother's maiden name of Finding in his name and it's just been either misheard or mistranscribed.
As a quick overview, I believe he was in the following locations so far:
1836: Christened, Caldecote
1841 Caldecote (5)
1851 Childerley (15)?
1861 Census Grayingham, Lincs? (25)
1863: Married, Jane Wilson
1865: _dau Lydia Elizabeth born
1867: _son John born
1869: _son William born/died
1871: _dau Mary Jane born
1871 Census Dry Drayton (35)
1881 Census missing
1891 Census missing
1892 _dau Lydia married?
1901 Census Dalby Lincs? (65)
1906 Died Thrapston?
He certainly seems to have moved about a bit, but not far afield overall. These were very changeable times, with the village of Caldecote almost emptying as people emigrated and left for other counties and towns to look for work. Alfred found work fairly locally, this might have been through wishing to stay close to his roots, or no desire to go dragging a family across the country!
1851 Census: In 1851 he seems to be just a mile up the road from home, working on a farm.
1861 Census: In 1861 he appears to be all the way over in Grayingham, Lincolnshire. Quite a few family members have been to Lincolnshire in the past, maybe he's the first? He'd have probably been hired as an Agricultural Labourer at a Hiring Fair. His brother William is in Grayingham in 1901, so the family kept returning to the area. In 1861 Alfred was a boarder in the house of Mary Sleightholme. Alfred was a shepherd and foreman. He was 25 and from Caldecote, Cambridgeshire. Mary Sleightholme was a 57 year old farmer of 250 acres employing two staff. Looking into this a little more, it appears the address would've been Grayingham Grange and she also employed John Wilmott from Dry Drayton in 1861, so it looks at first glance as if Alfred and his local chum John would've gone East together to work on this farm - but when you dig deeper you discover that John Wilmott is the son of Alfred's sister Susannah and also that Alfred's brother William was 1 mile up the road. So this is two uncles and a nephew working together in Lincolnshire: William aged 21, Alfred aged 25 and John aged 16 (although the census says 14)
1863: Alfred appears to have married a Jane Wilson. Jane Wilson is quite a common name, indeed, Alfred's own niece BECAME a Jane Wilson in 1866. Common names can lead to confusion as there did seem to be a name shortage back in the 1700-1800s! This marriage was on 15 November 1863 at St Mary & All Angels, Caldecote, Cambridge. This information is from the LDS website, Film Number 1040424. Alfred is listed as a bachelor of Caldecote, son of John Stokes. He married Jane Wilson, spinster, daughter of Jeremiah Wilson.
1871 Census: Alfred and family have settled in Dry Drayton. By this date they have daughter Lydia Elizabeth Stokes, aged 6; John Stokes, aged 4; Mary Jane Stokes, a new born. They had also had a son, William, who was born and died in 1869, so wouldn't show up in the Census.
1881 Census: I still haven't found him!
1891 Census: Still missing! I've a feeling he might've been in Lincolnshire though, possibly close to Spilsby as there's a possibility his daughter married in 1892 in Spilsby, but I've yet to see enough evidence to prove this.
1901 Census: Alfred and his wife pop up again in Lincolnshire, in Dalby, Lincolnshire. There's been some mistranscrition on the LDS site as it shows a birthplace of Daldcot and a wife of Jenne from Bourne (the Bourn in Cambridgeshire has no "e", but enumerators in Lincolnshire will have been used to the Bourne, Lincolnshire spelling with an "e" at the end) - but it's surely him. Aged 65, Alfred Stokes is an engine driver on a farm, living at Dalby Road, Dalby.
1906 Dies?: I believe Alfred Finden Stokes died in 1906, with his name being spelt Alfred Finding Stokes - that middle name being a nod back to his mother's maiden name. The death recorded a long way from Lincolnshire though, Thrapston, Northamptonshire. Aged 70, the age matches. The name is too much of a coincidence to be ignored.... but I've yet to actually 'prove' it's the same chap. A copy of the death certificate would nail it, for about £10, but Alfred is a "minor" leaf on my tree, so the expense isn't warranted.
I suspect he and his wife moved in with one of their children at some point.
I believe his wife Jane was in the 1911 Census, at Woodford, Northamptonshire and died there in 1915.
I am not sure where his middle name comes from, but my first guess is that they tried to use his mother's maiden name of Finding in his name and it's just been either misheard or mistranscribed.
As a quick overview, I believe he was in the following locations so far:
1836: Christened, Caldecote
1841 Caldecote (5)
1851 Childerley (15)?
1861 Census Grayingham, Lincs? (25)
1863: Married, Jane Wilson
1865: _dau Lydia Elizabeth born
1867: _son John born
1869: _son William born/died
1871: _dau Mary Jane born
1871 Census Dry Drayton (35)
1881 Census missing
1891 Census missing
1892 _dau Lydia married?
1901 Census Dalby Lincs? (65)
1906 Died Thrapston?
He certainly seems to have moved about a bit, but not far afield overall. These were very changeable times, with the village of Caldecote almost emptying as people emigrated and left for other counties and towns to look for work. Alfred found work fairly locally, this might have been through wishing to stay close to his roots, or no desire to go dragging a family across the country!
1851 Census: In 1851 he seems to be just a mile up the road from home, working on a farm.
1861 Census: In 1861 he appears to be all the way over in Grayingham, Lincolnshire. Quite a few family members have been to Lincolnshire in the past, maybe he's the first? He'd have probably been hired as an Agricultural Labourer at a Hiring Fair. His brother William is in Grayingham in 1901, so the family kept returning to the area. In 1861 Alfred was a boarder in the house of Mary Sleightholme. Alfred was a shepherd and foreman. He was 25 and from Caldecote, Cambridgeshire. Mary Sleightholme was a 57 year old farmer of 250 acres employing two staff. Looking into this a little more, it appears the address would've been Grayingham Grange and she also employed John Wilmott from Dry Drayton in 1861, so it looks at first glance as if Alfred and his local chum John would've gone East together to work on this farm - but when you dig deeper you discover that John Wilmott is the son of Alfred's sister Susannah and also that Alfred's brother William was 1 mile up the road. So this is two uncles and a nephew working together in Lincolnshire: William aged 21, Alfred aged 25 and John aged 16 (although the census says 14)
1863: Alfred appears to have married a Jane Wilson. Jane Wilson is quite a common name, indeed, Alfred's own niece BECAME a Jane Wilson in 1866. Common names can lead to confusion as there did seem to be a name shortage back in the 1700-1800s! This marriage was on 15 November 1863 at St Mary & All Angels, Caldecote, Cambridge. This information is from the LDS website, Film Number 1040424. Alfred is listed as a bachelor of Caldecote, son of John Stokes. He married Jane Wilson, spinster, daughter of Jeremiah Wilson.
1871 Census: Alfred and family have settled in Dry Drayton. By this date they have daughter Lydia Elizabeth Stokes, aged 6; John Stokes, aged 4; Mary Jane Stokes, a new born. They had also had a son, William, who was born and died in 1869, so wouldn't show up in the Census.
1881 Census: I still haven't found him!
1891 Census: Still missing! I've a feeling he might've been in Lincolnshire though, possibly close to Spilsby as there's a possibility his daughter married in 1892 in Spilsby, but I've yet to see enough evidence to prove this.
1901 Census: Alfred and his wife pop up again in Lincolnshire, in Dalby, Lincolnshire. There's been some mistranscrition on the LDS site as it shows a birthplace of Daldcot and a wife of Jenne from Bourne (the Bourn in Cambridgeshire has no "e", but enumerators in Lincolnshire will have been used to the Bourne, Lincolnshire spelling with an "e" at the end) - but it's surely him. Aged 65, Alfred Stokes is an engine driver on a farm, living at Dalby Road, Dalby.
1906 Dies?: I believe Alfred Finden Stokes died in 1906, with his name being spelt Alfred Finding Stokes - that middle name being a nod back to his mother's maiden name. The death recorded a long way from Lincolnshire though, Thrapston, Northamptonshire. Aged 70, the age matches. The name is too much of a coincidence to be ignored.... but I've yet to actually 'prove' it's the same chap. A copy of the death certificate would nail it, for about £10, but Alfred is a "minor" leaf on my tree, so the expense isn't warranted.
I suspect he and his wife moved in with one of their children at some point.
I believe his wife Jane was in the 1911 Census, at Woodford, Northamptonshire and died there in 1915.
Tuesday 3 November 2015
Harriett Pogson 1846-1929
Harriett Pogson appeared on my tree when she married William Stokes in 1868. I've no idea who she was, so did a bit of research to try to work out Harriett's story. With a family tree it gets so large, so quickly, it's difficult to 100% ascertain you've put the right parts together. Over the years, though, you do get the chance to improve and prove aspects. But you have to start somewhere. So, below is what I THINK might be Harriett's journey:
I can't find where she was born. Censuses indicate some options. The 1891 Census says she was born in Nettleham, Norfolk. The LDS website has a baptism at Nettleham on 23 April 1846, with parents Prestwood Pogson and Elizabeth Pogson. That would match. I make no excuses for my "lack of proof" as the family tree is huge and nobody's got the budget to double check everybody on them! In my case, Harriett would be the wife of my GG-grandmother's younger brother! That tree has, currently, 820 people on it! And I have 2-3 spin off trees too.
FreeREG contains no relevant records for a Harriett Pogson in Cambridgeshire or Lincolnshire.
FreeBMD has a marriage of a Harriett Pogson in the Caxton District of Cambridgeshire, which is the registration district where her husband was from, so what was she doing over there in Cambridgeshire? There could be 101 reasons! Maybe her whole family moved, or maybe William and Harriett eloped. In fact, this is a red herring and it's somebody with the same name! For now, though, I'm content that the William and Harriett from the 1891 Census have their birthplaces matched back to baptisms on FreeREG and the LDS website.
In 1851 Harriet Pogson is still in the Nettleham district - with her mother and six siblings. She is aged just 5. Her mother, Elizabeth Pogson, is showing in the Census as married and receiving parish relief, there is no sign of her father on the Census, but this individual isn't a priority for me, so I've pushed no further into that tree. It's possible there's a typo in the baptism transcription and I have the wrong name for him. A quick check of FreeBMD shows that a Prestwood Pogson married in 1838 in Lincoln Registration District, so that indicates to me that this unusual name does exist at least. A quick search of Censuses, without going into detail, doesn't show him until 1881, when he's again/still in Nettleham.
In 1861 Harriett is aged 14 and an unmarried domestic servant/employee in the household of William Roe, a farmer with 22 acres at North Hykeham, Lincolnshire in the Nettleham district. They have a 10 month old son, so maybe she's been brought in to help with childminding and general household chores as well as a little light farmwork.
At some point Harriett married William Stokes of Caldecote. This would appear to occur in the Gainsborough Registration District in the 3rd quarter of 1868.
After this Harriet appears to have had a long life in Lincolnshire with William Stokes, having children and finally dying in 1929 in Scotter, Lincolnshire.
I can't find where she was born. Censuses indicate some options. The 1891 Census says she was born in Nettleham, Norfolk. The LDS website has a baptism at Nettleham on 23 April 1846, with parents Prestwood Pogson and Elizabeth Pogson. That would match. I make no excuses for my "lack of proof" as the family tree is huge and nobody's got the budget to double check everybody on them! In my case, Harriett would be the wife of my GG-grandmother's younger brother! That tree has, currently, 820 people on it! And I have 2-3 spin off trees too.
FreeREG contains no relevant records for a Harriett Pogson in Cambridgeshire or Lincolnshire.
FreeBMD has a marriage of a Harriett Pogson in the Caxton District of Cambridgeshire, which is the registration district where her husband was from, so what was she doing over there in Cambridgeshire? There could be 101 reasons! Maybe her whole family moved, or maybe William and Harriett eloped. In fact, this is a red herring and it's somebody with the same name! For now, though, I'm content that the William and Harriett from the 1891 Census have their birthplaces matched back to baptisms on FreeREG and the LDS website.
In 1851 Harriet Pogson is still in the Nettleham district - with her mother and six siblings. She is aged just 5. Her mother, Elizabeth Pogson, is showing in the Census as married and receiving parish relief, there is no sign of her father on the Census, but this individual isn't a priority for me, so I've pushed no further into that tree. It's possible there's a typo in the baptism transcription and I have the wrong name for him. A quick check of FreeBMD shows that a Prestwood Pogson married in 1838 in Lincoln Registration District, so that indicates to me that this unusual name does exist at least. A quick search of Censuses, without going into detail, doesn't show him until 1881, when he's again/still in Nettleham.
In 1861 Harriett is aged 14 and an unmarried domestic servant/employee in the household of William Roe, a farmer with 22 acres at North Hykeham, Lincolnshire in the Nettleham district. They have a 10 month old son, so maybe she's been brought in to help with childminding and general household chores as well as a little light farmwork.
At some point Harriett married William Stokes of Caldecote. This would appear to occur in the Gainsborough Registration District in the 3rd quarter of 1868.
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