Hard searching is worth it

[Finley 1]

Still struggling with Yorkes...
and searching really hard and deep  ---

Which has brought about a really interesting sparkle

its not all about BMD --- its the bits in between


Then finding something that is actually written about the Family - concerning settlement etc
just really makes it worthwhile.



Xin

 

[coombs]

Especially before the census and civil reg era as poor law records, wills, military and newspaper records are worth their weight in gold. Wills and poor law records are the only really useful record that can list an entire family as opposed to just head counts which is what land/window tax records do.

[Thornwood]

I call it 'researching the dash'. It's those bits between the date of birth and the date of death which makes it all so interesting.

[Guy Etchells]

Yes the bit between birth & death or even baptism and burial is the interesting bit.

I came across a surprise the other week concerning my Uncle JPH Guy.
I knew he had been killed in the war and I have had access to my grandad's book of my uncle's war experiences based on letters he wrote home. This book also included letters notifying my grandad of his son's death and follow ups from his C.O. etc., so I thought I would search the casualty/KIA lists on Findmypast to see the "official records" of his death.

I should point out my granfather took the death of his son hard and there were a number of letters exchanged between him and Hugh's C.O.in the following days/weeks.
The casualty lists perhaps explain part of the reason.

My uncle had taken part in the Norwegian campaign early in the war 1940 and according to his letters home he sailed to Norway on Tuesday, April 16th, 1940 and returned to Glasgow Sunday. 5th May. 1940.
The casualty lists for 24 hours ending 11 May 1940 show 1/5th Bn., The Leicestershire Regiment Guy, 2nd Lieut. J.P.H., P/117637

My uncle Hugh listed missing in action shortly after he had returned to the UK, he sent a letter home when he arrived in Glasgow but did it get home, did the War Office inform his parents he was missing, did his parent's get his letter then a few days later a War Office letter saying he was missing.

Even when you think you have the full story of an event there is often something like the above that throws another few questions into the ring.
Unfortunately everyone who may have known something (in my family) is now dead.

Cheers
Guy

[coombs]

In 1878 my ancestors were subject to a application to go into the workhouse and when I saw the document it felt like I had won the jackpot. I knew their names and ages but it told me their addresses in the past 2 years, and they had lived at 3 different addresses. This was inbetween the 1871 and 1881 census of course. Before that all I knew is they were in Lambeth in 1877 and Holborn in 1881.