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?
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