RootsChat.Com
England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Topic started by: janet two on Wednesday 24 January 07 19:25 GMT (UK)
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Hi everyone
i started family history nearly five years ago now with very little knowledge about my history or even how to set about finding out. I am so pleased as with the help of the internet BMD and all census I have traced back to early 1700 and in some cases with the help from many kind people even further.
I am hooked as they say and want to get back even further, however as I trace back before census it is difficult to find out what occupations my ancestors had or if and how many children and even where they lived. The IGI is very good but often it has to be a guess and at times has been the wrong one. Can anyone tell me if this is just as it is or is there a way of finding out any of the above other than when they were born and who they married.
many thanks Janet
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Hi Janet
A record office for the area your family/ies came from could hold endless other resources for you to view.
Poll Books, Hearth Taxes, Enclosure Maps showing if they held Lands, Bastardy Bonds if any survive noting fathers, Workhouse births, deaths, Militia lists, wills. Apprenticeship records, Settlement papers, Churchwardens records, Non-Conformist registers, Quarter sessions
I am sure there maybe other things that may help you.
Sandy
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Hiya Janet,
I've come across an instance in Ireland where a person posted on a small site relating to an Irish village. It had a Contact Us facility so she posted her query as she realised that it would probably be read by a person in the village. She found a living relative using this system. This could apply anywhere in the UK or Ireland. You might even find someone researching your family .. not everyone knows about Rootschat at the moment.
I hope this opens another avenue which will assist you to get further back in time.
Good Luck with the search.
Chris
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Hi Thanks to both of you. That is of some help and I will give it a go. I have used Roots a fair bit and have had some success with the help of so many kind people. Most of my roots to my surprise are in Suffolk and as I live in Lincolnshire I guess I am going to have to take a holiday at some stage. I have found my families all living in much the same area si I guess it would be so interesting to see if I can find anything still standing. thanks again Janet
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You can go to your nearest Family History Centre of the LDS where you can order and view microfilms of the parish registers and parish chest. Look up Family History Library Catalog on www.familysearch.org to see exactly what has been filmed relating to that parish.
Regards
David
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In addition to all these helpful suggestions, you could try CuriousFox - http://www.curiousfox.com/ which is organised on a village by village basis.
JULIAN
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If you have some folks in your families with slightly uncommon names ( they don't have to be any way unique - but as an example I had an Uncle called Clarence - which is not super common)
Use a Google advanced search. Place the name in the must match EXACTLY and place the county in the must match -- so you might be looking for Edwin Alexander Bradford ... from Suffolk.
You may be amazed at what you find. I found my only 2 relatives that I have tracked online via google. One of them had research back to the 1400s (which I am still checking 2 years later :) )
I would also agree with Sandy - my goal is to visit the UK records offices for the counties from which my emigrants left - but when is currently a mystery.
Go to your county forum(s) on RootsChat - check out all the links.
Trish
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many thanks to you all. I have already tried some of the above suggestions but I wil try with the other ones I have not tried. It is so much a learning curve and I still have much to learn with this hobby which is now a way of life.
Regards Janet
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Janet, you could also try putting an add in the local rag where your ancestors lived.
I did this (it was free) and came up with a couple of great contacts.
Good luck
Fiona :)