Genealogy

Where do you come from?

INTRO

Genealogy

U3AThe Third Age Trust is the national

representative body for the Universities of Third Age (U3As) in the UK.  U3As are self-help, self-managed lifelong learning

co-operatives for older people no longer in full time work, providing opportunities for

their members to share learning experiences in a wide range of interest groups and to pursue learning not for

qualifications, but for fun.

Genealogy

Potential Subjects of Interest

• FREEBMD and other BMD Records

• Censuses• Parish Records• National Burial Index• ROOTSWEB• The National Archives• Wills and Probate• Using GOOGLE for research• DNA and Genetics in Genealogy• Family Search, IGI and BVRI• Surnames

• War and Military records• Immigration / Emigration• Non-conformist records• Adoption• Monumental Inscriptions• Irish and Scottish records• Overcoming brick walls• Old Handwriting / transcription• Obituaries• Trade Directories• Genes Reunited• Genealogy Software Choices

Genealogy

Genealogy

DNA and Chromosomes

• 22 X chromosome pairs

• Some characteristics from both parents

• 23rd chromosome determines male or female X + X or X + Y?

• Y chromosome traces back through the male line largely unchanged

• Mitochondrial DNA traces back through the female line largely unchanged

Genealogy

Who am I?

As they get older, many people start to wonder where they came from, who they came from, and who else followed a similar path… i.e. their relatives, known and unknown……………

Genealogy

For me………• Find out about my families• More than names and dates• More time to do so later in life• Realising I am just a link in the

family chain• Intellectual challenge in

overcoming brick walls

Genealogy

How Many?• Remember, you are descended from both your father

and mother. • You have two parents

Four grand parents Eight great grandparents Sixteen great-great grandparents Thirty-two great, great, great, grandparents (3g grandparents) Sixty-four 4g grandparents One hundred twenty-eight 5g grandparents and so on.

• By the time you have gone back ten generations, you will be looking for 1,024 ancestors in this tenth generation.

Genealogy

Do……..• Define your goals• Be methodical in your research• Get organised…chart, forms, logs, etc• Use primary sources where possible• Keep track of your sources• Be persistent when you hit brick walls• Enjoy the discovery process, no matter

where it takes you!

Genealogy

Don’t….

• Expect any of your ancestors to be royalty or famous

• Assume Family History research is a simple process

• Assume everything you find on the internet or someone else’s family tree is correct

• Expect to find all the information in 1 day• Forget your female lines

Genealogy

How to Proceed• Gather records that you already have

• Document what you already know

• List all of your blood relatives and people who have married into the family

• Talk to relatives and document what they know

• Gather records that they have

Genealogy

Existing family history recordsincluding:

• Birth / baptism / marriage / divorce / death / funeral certificates and documents

• Diaries / Family bibles / photographs / correspondence / personal possessions

• School records

• Call-up records, Service records, medals

• Newspaper items

Genealogy

How to Proceed

• Determine how you are going to keep your family history information

• Start entering the information• Broaden the net of informants by joining

Genes Reunited• Add any information found• Move onto central registration documents

and census returns

Genealogy

Genes Reunited

• Website to compare people in your family trees to people in other family trees

• Find someone who may be “shared”, ask the other people to compare what is known about their equivalent to your information

• Gain access to their family trees information with their permission

Genealogy

A word of warning

• With any information obtained from other family researchers, treat it with some suspicion

• Chinese whispers, misunderstandings, leaps of faith

• Always try to check the original records, especially where they relate to a key person in your family chain

Genealogy

Life Events

• Births / baptisms

• Marriages

• Deaths / funerals / wills

• Adoptions

• Job changes

• Going to war

• Moving house / parish / county / country

Genealogy

Approximately when?

• After 1837, there was civil registration of births, marriages and deaths, you can get a certificate if you find the record in the indices

• Before 1837 there were parish records that recorded similar, but different information, namely baptisms, marriages and burials. There are no certificates to get for these events

Genealogy

Free BMD  This free website for post 1837 events is

being developed by volunteers and already includes many millions of entries copied from the General Register Office indexes of births, marriages and deaths. With over 110m entries, it is not yet complete.

We typically use Free BMD via the internet to identify these events

Genealogy

DETAILS YOU WILL FIND ON A MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE

When marrie

d

Name and surname Age Condition Rank or profession Residence at the time of

MarriageFather’s name and

surnameRank or profession of

Father

Date Bride and Groom AgesBachelor/Spinster

Widow/Widower DivorceeEmployment details Address Both father’s names Both Father’s professions

DETAILS YOU WILL FIND ON A BIRTH CERTIFICATE

When and where bornName if any Sex

Name and surname of father

Name, surname and maiden name of mother

Occupation of fatherSignature, description

and residence of informant

Date of Registration

Date and place of birth Name, or Female/Male Girl/Boy Fathers name Mothers name/formerly Employment detailsName, address, status,

addressDate

DETAILS YOU WILL FIND ON A DEATH CERTIFICATE

When and where diedName and surname Sex Age Occupation of deceased Cause of death

Signature, description and residence of

informantWhen registered

Date and place of death Name of deceased Male/Female Age at death Occupation of deceased  i.e. Widow/son/daughter

and addressDate death registered

Genealogy

Society Views

• Censuses

• Electoral lists

• Tax lists

• Trade directories

• School / college / workhouse records

• Clergy lists

• Military records

Genealogy

CensusA census was taken to record those living in each household at midnight on a Sunday. The dates of the census varied from year to year

Sun/Mon. 6/7th June 1841 Sun/Mon. 30/31st March 1851 Sun/Mon. 7/8th April 1861 Sun/Mon. 2/3rd April 1871 Sun/Mon. 3/4th April 1881 Sun/Mon. 5/6th April 1891 Sun/Mon. 31st March / 1st April 1901 Sun/Mon 2/3rd April 1911

Genealogy

Genealogy

Census returns 1851-1901• The following data can be expected for each individual:

– Forename, (sometimes middle name or just an initial), and surname

– Relationship to head of household

– Marital status

– Age at last birthday, including how many months for infants under 1 year old

– Sex

– Occupation or source of income

– County and parish of birth if in England or Wales; or country of birth if outside

– Any medical disabilities they might have suffered from

– From 1891 in Wales: language spoken

Genealogy

Typical problems / issues

• Incomplete records• Common names• Inaccuracies / transcription errors• Tying generations together in parish

records• Moving about• Coming forward with siblings descendants• Not at home on census day

Genealogy

CENSUSES

CIVIL BMDRECORDS

About 1840

PARISHRECORDS

GENES REUNITED

GENUKI , FHS, GOONS, ETC

GOOGLE, ROOTSWEB and OTHER LISTS

Ancestry.co.ukLDS 1881

Findmypast.com

FreeBMDAncestry

Findmypast.comLocal BMD

sites

LDS Microfiche

LDS IGI / BVRI

Genealogy

Library Access

• Both High and Rushden Libraries have PCs that you can use to access the Internet.

• This will give you free access to FREEBMD and the LDS Family Search site with the IGI

• Both libraries have free access to the Library gateway to Ancestry.co.uk

Genealogy

Genealogy

Genealogy

Where do you come from?