At the recent Who Do You Think Are? Live event, Family History Social met up with Margaret Roy from Malvern Family History Society. She mentioned the launch of her new book 'Striving for the Goal'. It commemorates the Centenary of West Kirby Grammar School on the Wirral through the eyes of a former pupil, Evelyn Roy, who attended in the 1920s. Using the diaries and memorabilia of her husband's aunt, Margaret has provided a unique snapshot of school life in the North-West in the 1920s.
The book is priced at £5.50 + 85p postage & packing. To order or for more information, please contact Margaret at [email protected]
New book from Margaret Roy - 'Striving for the Goal'
There's so many free resources and help and advice online to take advantage of, it's handy when you hit those brick walls to have other genealogists to run ideas by or to possibly find useful information that helps you break down those brick walls. One forum that offers some good advice and guidance is Roots-Forum which offers advice, discussion areas and generally all things genealogy related. Sign up and get involved here.
This week in 1834, 6 Dorset agricultural workers were sentenced to 7 years imprisonment and transported to Australia for forming a trade union and swearing an oath of secrecy. Led by George Loveless, a Methodist lay preacher, they were convicted in a rigged trial and transported to Australia. As the workers struggled to survive in dire economic conditions when the power belonged to all the landowners, protests had started to increase and the ruling classes felt their power base threatened and wanted to stamp it out.
In a very unfair trial, the 6 men were convicted and sentenced to 7 years imprisonment and transported to Australia.
The 'Tolpuddle Martyrs' transportation records are available on TheGenealogist, there's more details here. After a determined protest back in Britain, they were eventually pardoned and allowed to come back in 1837.
Do you have any ancestors that were convicted around this time and sentenced to be transported to Australia or New Zealand? Have you found their transportation records from the 1700 or 1800s? We'd love to hear your stories!
Archaeologists in London have discovered a lost burial ground during excavations for the new Crossrail project in London which might hold the bodies of some 50,000 people who were killed by the "Black Death" plague more than 650 years ago.
A scene of the Black Death
Thirteen skeletons, laid out in two careful rows, were found 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) below the road in the Farringdon area of central London during construction of the £16 billion pound Crossrail project.
Historical records had indicated the area, described as a "no man's land", had once housed a hastily established cemetery for victims of the bubonic plague which killed about a third of England's population following its outbreak in 1348.There's more on the BBC website
As a new Pope is elected in Rome, it's interesting to look back in time to see how things were reported many years ago. The Illustrated London News is one of a number of publications that allow the family historian to really get a feel for events and how they were perceived in previous years.
As the selection of Pope Francis I makes headline news around the world, we've taken a look at how the passing of a previous Pope and the arrival of a new Pope was reported in the 1800s in the UK press.
We find an article on the new Pope (Pope Pius IX) in the July 11th edition of the Illustrated London News, 1846.
Article in the 1846 Illustrated London News
The death of Pius IX was reportedly widely with an extensive tribute.
Funeral of Pope Pius IX
Leo XIII then became Pope following the death of Pope Pius. Headline news in 1878 as the front cover below shows.
Pope Leo XIII elected in 1878
The whole papal selection process was described in detail in 1878, highlighting how traditions have stayed in place throughout the centuries.
The process of creating a new Pope
From the arrival of the cardinals to the issuing of white smoke, to the packed Saint Peter's Square near the Vatican, it is a glimpse into the past and traditions.
For a number of editions of the Illustrated London News in the 1800s, please visit www.TheGenealogist.co.uk
As increasingly more 'pre-1837' records are added online, it is now possible to really unearth some useful information on the life and times of your ancestors. Going beyond the census and BMD records into those earlier records is now becoming easier online, with more records now available to view.
Today, the 13 March, gives us the opportunity to look at a 'famous' example of what can be found searching for those early records. On this day in 1781, Sir William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus. Both Sir William, his sister, Caroline and Sir William's son, John were all renouned astronomers of the time.
William Herschel
William Herschel came to England in 1757 from Hanover, Germany, after leaving the army with his brother. Using his initial skills as a musician he made his way but his interests soon turned to mathematics and astronomy.
Discovering planets and comets with his sister, he became a highly regarded member of the scientific community. Having an ancestor who achieved great things or was a prominent member of society makes things easier for the family history researcher as they can appear in biographies and other valuable records of the time. Here we can see an example of a biography describing William Herschel.
Biography of William Herschel
As awards and respect came his way, we can see from his biographical records above he was made a Fellow of The Royal Society in 1781 and then appointed as 'Court Astronomer' in 1782. Fully settled in England, he became a British naturalised citizen in 1793.
Naturalisation record for Sir William Herschel
He achieved a worldwide reputation for the manufacture of telescopes and this no doubt provided a comfortable means for Sir William. Upon his death in 1822, he left a Will, a copy of which can be seen below:
Copy of Will record
Transcribed record of the Will on TheGenealogist
The son of Sir William, Frederick, is featured on later parish records, adding to the information we can gather on the family. A prominent astronomer himself, he appears in a number of parish records. The marriage of his daughter, Amelia, is listed below in 1868.
Parish marriage record
The burial record for John Hershel is also listed allowing us a further insight into the family.
Burial of John Hershel
The parish records give us a great deal of useful information- here we have other details on the life of John Hershel- such as he was 'Master of The Royal Mint' and also was created a Baronet.
For more information on the new naturalisation records on TheGenealogist , there is more information here.
TheGenealogist has added over one million parish records for Essex, Worcestershire, Lancashire and Devon from the 1500s to the early 1800s, covering baptisms, marriages and burials. The records add to the already extensive range of parish records available on the website.
These counties are part of ongoing projects on TheGenealogist so keep an eye out for further releases in the near future.
Mark Bayley, Head of Online Development at TheGenealogist comments:
”We are committed to continually adding new records to the website. The last 12 months have seen us add over 285 million records. The demand for parish records and other early pre-1837 information is great and we are aiming to meet this demand with more such releases over the next year.”
New parish records on TheGenealogist
Examples of the types of record now available, here we find the baptism record of Alice Adcock, from Whitington, Lancashire in the year of 1539. The result gives us the names of her mother and father to further continue the search.
Early Parish baptism record
Another example is the record below, of the marriage of Nicholas Parker and Margery Downinge, in the Parish of Belchamp St Paul, Essex, in 1545.
Parish marriage record
The continued addition of more unique records gives family historians even more convenient access to those early records to expand their search further. Going beyond the birth, marriage and death records and census records and finding your ancestors online is now becoming more achievable as more records get added by the major websites.
Today, Friday 8th March, marks International Women's Day around the world. There are various initiatives running throughout the UK with events such as 'Empowering Women through Science and Technology, Celebrating Achievement' and a 'Name Your Heroine Competition' occurring today.
A number of the genealogy websites have delved into their records to unearth heroines of the past who have furthered the cause of women's rights. From Emmeline Pankhurst to her daughter Sylvia, from Millicent Fawcett to Mabel Capper to Emily Davison who was tragically killed by King George V's horse in the Epsom Derby, there are numerous records around the turn of the 20th century of our ancestors campaigning and pushing for women's rights.
The 'No Vote, no census' campaign was quite vociferous around the time of the 1911 census. As we can see from the examples below, those pushing for women's rights used the first opportunity people had to fill in their own census forms to make their point and further the cause. The 1911 census forms were deliberately spoiled to heighten awareness, some 102 years later these forms of protest have given us a unique snapshot into the struggles of the time and how hard these women campaigned. Worth celebrating on International Women's Day!
The Who Do You Think You Are? Live 2013 Show proved a big success again this year. Despite the chilly weather, large crowds gathered at the start of the day to make the most of the largest family history event in the world.
It was cold to queue but well worth the wait!
Many of the usual stands were present, including the major family history magazines, website providers, family history software and general genealogy suppliers, to a wide range of family history societies. The talks both from celebrities and from other expert genealogy speakers were informative and of interest to both the experienced and amateur family historian alike.
A great selection of free talks were also available
This year the celebrities being interviewed were Greg Wallace, Samantha Womack, John Barnes and William Roache. Eric Knowles returned as the heirloom detective and again proved very popular.
The busier days again were the Friday and Saturday, with Friday proving especially popular.
The Society of Genealogists ran a number of workshops over the three days which attracted many visitors. The subjects of parish records, how to record your findings and the different research techniques a family historian can use where all discussed in the workshops.
The S.O.G. Family History Show was also a popular feature again. Featuring over 50 family history societies, there was a wealth of both materials and advice for visitors to call upon.
Another busy year at WDYTYA Live!
Did you have a favourite talk or event if you attended the show? Did you find that missing bit of information or advice on how to continue your research? We'd love to hear how you enjoyed the show!
At Who Do You Think You Are? Live 2013, TheGenealogist launched a new set of records for family historians to use in their research.
New Casualty Lists
TheGenealogist launched a major new military collection to help you find more out about your ancestors that fought in The Great War. The collection is a list of soldiers of all ranks who were reported as injured, missing or prisoners of war by The War Office.
The coverage at launch covers the War Office’s ‘Weekly Casualty Lists’ from 1917-18 and this will be expanded by the daily casualty lists to cover from September 1914 to the last reports of 1919, as reports were still being published well after the war had officially ceased.
There are over 600,000 records available at launch which will grow to cover the entirety of World War One. From the first records of British losses through to early 1919, there’s more information than ever for family historians to access, to find out what their ancestors did in the Great War. With casualty lists recording all ranks from war office published lists, rolls of honour and other reports of the time, it’s all on TheGenealogist.
There’s more information on the Casualty Lists here.
