Grow Your Own Family Tree

A Comprehensive Guide to Tracing Your Ancestry

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• Publisher: Straightforward Publishing Digital
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9781847166029
• eBook ISBN: 9781847166593

With so many online resources now available to those researching family trees, it can be a daunting task for the beginner. This book will go through all the basics and offers advice on making use of the best of the internet. It explains in depth how to obtain relevant documents, how to gather clues to further your research and how to do all this in the most economical way. The book also covers many topics likely to be unfamiliar to the 21st century researcher such as the Poor Laws and the Workhouses, Marriage Laws and other Parliamentary Acts.

Chapter 1 – What Resources are Available?

1 – Begin at the Beginning

Many people think that the first place to start researching your family tree is by visiting some dusty old archive or by logging on to the internet. WRONG.

Your research should begin at home, firstly with yourself. You may think that the knowledge you already have is all there is, but might there be some old documents you have inherited lying in the back of a drawer somewhere? What about old photographs? Perhaps you have seen photographs in old albums and not known who they are, but perhaps if you take them out of the album, some thoughtful ancestor might have written a name or even a date on the back.

Whilst we are on this subject, this is a must for all those who want to pass on information to future generations. When you have a spare moment go through all your photographs and write names and dates on the back. This could prove invaluable to those trying to trace you some day.

Anyway, I digress. After you have exhausted all possible avenues of research in your own home, then is the time to contact all the relatives. Older generations are particularly useful, but siblings, cousins and even nieces and nephews may hold some key information that they have either as documents or as memories of tales long past told to them. Once you have gathered everything you possibly can, then it’s time to move on.

One more word of advice here, always work methodically. Start with one surname and if possible continue with that line until you have exhausted all your options. Then move on to the next surname, working chronologically back in time.

2 – The Internet

Most people nowadays have a home computer, but if you don’t have access to one then it’s not always a problem. Many libraries offer online access. Often this is free and they usually give assistance to those who are novices in IT.

There is a huge amount of information online now and that information is growing all the time. However, with so much around it can be daunting knowing where to begin. Most websites charge a subscription or a ‘pay as you go’ method and the costs can mount up if you don’t use them wisely.

I have 2 personal favourites that I have ongoing subscriptions with: ancestry.co.uk and findmypast.co.uk. (From hereon I shall refer to these sites as ‘Ancestry’ and ‘Find my Past’). These sites offer a range of payment options. Most websites, including these 2, offer a free trial for a limited time and this is the best way to start. If you like what you find, then it is probably best to begin with a monthly subscription (if this is an option), and once you are certain you intend to proceed in your quest, upgrade to an annual if funds allow. It always works out cheaper in the long run to purchase the longer alternative.

Also it probably goes without saying that if you are not aware of any ancestors that hail from other countries, then just stick to the UK subscription if this is an option. Some websites such as the genealogist.co.uk offer different levels for subscription within the UK records. This can sometimes be frustrating because just as you think you have found something of interest, it tells you can access it only if you upgrade.

If a website offers a subscription, then it is almost always preferable to the ‘pay as you go’ alternative. At first these may seem better value, but you often find yourself paying for false leads. Subscriptions allow you unlimited access to the records, so no matter how many times you reach a dead end, at least you have only wasted a little time, not money. There are many very good websites that are free and it is well worth making full use of these.

I particularly recommend:

freereg.org.uk, freecen.org.uk, freebmd.org.uk and
familysearch.org.

Sites that you pay for usually have a mixture of original document images and transcripts. The downside of free websites is that they are invariably only transcripts, not images of original documents. Most transcripts will be accurate copies of original documentation, but it must be remembered that they have been transcribed by human beings, often volunteers, and human beings are prone to occasional errors. Some documents are hundreds of years old and are faded, chewed by church mice and written in a hand very unlike our own, so even the most experienced transcriber can sometimes get it wrong.

Therefore, as far as possible always source your information from original documentation. You will find that the more often you look at the old and barely legible images, the more accustomed you will become to deciphering them. I suppose what I am trying to say here is, by all means use what others have done for you, but always double check where possible and trust your own judgement.

One very important word of warning here that I cannot emphasise enough is do not treat other people’s research as written in stone. Many websites allow you to build your family tree and put it online for others to see. When I first began I often took names from these trees and it led me on many a wild goose chase. Many people rush in head first, see a name that looks a bit like what they want it to look like and add it to their tree. Always check this information for yourself. If you can’t find it, then ask yourself “How did they find it?” Often you can contact the person though a message and ask them their source. My advice would be, if they don’t answer, then disregard the information.

If looking for particular records such as apprenticeship or bastardy documents, a very useful website is genguide.co.uk which gives useful guides as to which resources offer what information.

Finally, occasionally it can be worth just typing an ancestor’s name and possibly a few details directly into a search engine. This can be especially useful if your ancestor had an unusual name. My great x 2 grandfather’s name was Cephas Tree and just by typing his name into Google I discovered a lead to a newspaper article outlining the story of when he and his daughter were condemned to hang for burglary. I was then able to find the original story in local newspapers in the East Sussex Records Office. (More about him in Chapter 7).

3 – Family History Societies

Most counties and/or areas have Family History Societies and Groups that can prove to be invaluable, but once again they vary greatly in their usefulness. Most charge a yearly subscription of between £10 and £15 and for that you usually get a quarterly magazine. What you get besides is where they differ. Some, like my own county Sussex, give free access to all pre 1837 baptisms and burials and a wide choice of CDs to purchase with other useful information such as marriages and monumental inscriptions. Others will look up information in their local archives either for free or for a fee. The key here is to look carefully into what they can offer you. If it is not totally clear on their website, email them to find out exactly what you can expect for your money.

If the Society you are interested in is close enough to you, you may be interested in local meetings and events that they hold. Here you can often pick up tips from others, both amateur and professional. Also they often arrange trips to local or National Archives and can help you with your research there. The Federation of Family History Societies may help you find the Society that could be most useful to you and provide you with other practical information. Their website is http://ffhs.org.uk A final note, if the Society is not in your area and you are just interested in obtaining baptism, marriage and burial records, don’t forget that in some cases the information you need may all be available on the general websites, so always check them out first before you join up to a Society.

4 – Archives and Libraries

When I first began my quest to trace my family tree, I assumed as many people do, that my first port of call to find original parish records would be in the parishes themselves. I had an idea that I would be trekking around towns and villages, talking to the local clergymen and looking through dusty old documents that had been held in the same location for hundreds of years - WRONG.

Very few churches still keep their original records. They are mostly deposited in local archives and records offices. Many have been scanned and uploaded onto computers or at the very least have been copied onto microfilm or microfiche which are available to view when you visit.

Archives and other repositories hold a wealth of information that is not yet available on websites. The National Archives holds millions of records many of which can now be searched and even downloaded online. A visit to the County Records Office is also often very fruitful. However, it is always best to register with them first and check exactly what documents they hold. As you delve deeper into your family history, you will be looking for more personal details than just names and dates. Local resources are much more likely to hold what you are looking for.

County Records Offices almost always offer a look-up service for you which could save you travel costs. However, many of them charge a very high hourly rate with no guarantee of success, so be careful when considering using their services.

As well as County Archives there are many other repositories that hold useful information. I have found that sometimes County Libraries give a much more personal and cheaper online service. The rule is to always email or ring first to find out exactly what they can offer you. Sometimes the websites are a little ambiguous so if you are not sure – ask.

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Chapter 2 – Birth, Marriage and Death – Part 1

1 – Getting Started

The first thing to do once you have gathered together all the documentation and noted memories of family members is to get organised.

Write down everything as you go, either in a Word document on the computer or on paper. Working on the computer is almost always preferable, because changes can be made and information added without the need for crossings out or rewrites. Printers are really cheap these days and well worth investing in if you don’t already have one. (Do be aware though that ink is not usually cheap. In the course of my work I probably spend more on ink in a couple of months than I spent on my printer in the first place).

Most printers now come with a scanner which can also be very useful. I think it adds to the presentation of your research if photographs of your ancestors are included on the page that details their information. I also like to add old images of places where they lived to get a feel for their surroundings.

Once you are certain that you have all the information available, then print it out. Whichever way you decide to record your work, always keep it stored neatly in a folder, filed in order. Use subject dividers for each surname and place certificates and other documents in punched plastic wallets.

Always try to work on one ancestor at a time, working backwards through that line until you reach a dead end. (These dead ends are not always permanent. Periodically going back to previous research can sometimes offer new leads when fresh information becomes available).

It is important to always reference your sources. This is most easily done using footnotes. If doing this with Word, place your cursor next to the fact that you want referenced, then simply click on the “References” tab on the tool bar at the top of the page and then click on footnotes and add your reference.

It is most common for people to start their research with either their mother or their ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• This Book is Dedicated to my Family
• Contents
• Preface
• Chapter 1. What Resources Are Available?
• Chapter 2. Birth, Marriage and Death - Part 1
• Chapter 3. Censuses
• Chapter 4. Birth, Marriage and Death - Part 2
• Chapter 5. The Class System and Occupations
• Chapter 6. The Military
• Chapter 7. Crime in the 18th and 19th Centuries
• Chapter 8. The Poor Laws and the Workhouse
• Chapter 9. Death and Disease
• Chapter 10. Education and Apprenticeships
• Chapter 11. Geographical Mobility and Population Growth
• Chapter 12. Scotland and Ireland
• In Conclusion
• Index