Back to the future?

[bungleberry]

I must apologise if this topic has been aired before. However ...

Much of our FH research depends on locating records of the marriages of our forebears. We are all aware of major upheavals in UK society during recent decades, and continuing. For example, rightly or wrongly, the need for a traditional, formally registered, family unit (he marries she and they have kids) is questioned by many. Also, there will clearly be more unions with what we might call 'incomers to these shores'.

Without getting involved with the desirability or otherwise of these changes, one must wonder how it will all affect the study of FH by, say, the end of this century.

Any thoughts?


 

[kerryb]

Census records could be fraught with danger for future generations.  Were people just lodgers or living together etc.  Who do the children belong to.  I'm quite glad I won't be here.

Kerry

[acceber]

Hello

Well it wont be that different to the situation we have now, I have several illegetimate ancestors in single parent families with no hope of tracing their real fathers. In fact in the future it will probably be easier for people to trace single parent families as the father is does not have to be present at registration of the birth to have his name on the certificate. The only difference will be the number of divorces and re-marriages.

Similarly, immigration has always been a part of this country's history, I have Irish and Lithuanian ancestors in my tree aswell as relatives emigrating to the US in the 1800's and Australia in the 1900's. So im sure it wont be that much of a problem in the future.

acceber

[wheeldon]

Hi Wrinklyone, a good point but I agree with Acceber.

Future genealogists may find a bit of honesty refreshing.  I have found only one illegitimate child in 4 family names going back to the 1700s - now if that's right - I'll eat my hat 

In general (religion aside) illegitimacy hasn't got the same stigma attached to it as in years gone by, so people can be more truthfull.

Then, at least, future family historians may have a good idea that they are actually researching the right people, instead of us taking it on the word of a lot deceased people that we have never met.

[KathMc]

In general (religion aside) illegitimacy hasn't got the same stigma attached to it as in years gone by, so people can be more truthfull.

I agree, and it might make it easier to find maiden names, as some women haven't even changed their names. Although, I have a friend who is going to wreak havoc with any future family research. When she married, she took her husband's mother's maiden name, and gave that to their child, much to her husband's chagrin. She is now pregnant again and I think planning to give the baby her husband's last name.

Did everyone keep that straight? 

Kath

[Nadine Moore]

MY GGrandmother was out to confuse in the early 1900's. Out of 6 known children only one has a father on the birth certificate and a further four of them have a "surname" as a forename - Pierce and Evans being two of them.

I guess this is no different to today when it is done much more openly than back then

[GordonD]

On a different tangent often wondered when unreadable handwriting will stop being an obstacle to getting all the info from registers,etc when researching your tree. When up in Edinburgh last week noticed that while the info on certificates obtained when registering events was mainly typed on a typewriter the actual entries in the registers sent to Register House(the ones that will be used to research mainly in the future) was handwritten at least into the 1980s.

Gordon

PS It was the asst registrar who dealt with my birth cert in 1982 and their main hobby was calligraphy so my birth cert is handwritten in really nice script. My brothers' are all typed and my parent's marriage and death certs in the 1970s from the same office are all typed. Quite like my handwritten cert!

[bungleberry]

immigration has always been a part of this country's history, I have Irish and Lithuanian ancestors in my tree aswell as relatives emigrating to the US in the 1800's and Australia in the 1900's. So im sure it wont be that much of a problem in the future.

I assume that your Lithuanian was a 'lateral'? If he/she was a direct ancestor that, surely, would have brought you to a dead stop. Similarly, I'd argue that if one of our descendants marries a Pole, Rumanian or Turk, that could present difficulties to later generations of FH researchers? Just as your 'illegitimates' already present you with problems. And don't you think that the greater acceptance by society of 'single parent families' will increase the number of unknowns and hence FH problems?

[acceber]

Hello

My Lithuanian ancestor is my grandmother so definitly not 'lateral' and my Irish ancestor from Co Clare is one of my grt-grandfathers so also not 'lateral'. Both have presented problems but both I have been able to go back a generation via documents and with help from the internet.

In response to your original point that tracing ancestors in the future will be harder as a result of more single parent families and immigration, my argument is that single parent families and immigration have always been a part of our heritage, so im not sure if tracing family trees will become harder but it might not become easier either.

acceber