Genealogical Services for the 21st Century

Posted on October 29, 2010 by Ros

I was thinking yesterday how much the nature of genealogical research has changed over the last 2 decades.  When I first started in the business my genealogical services were mostly restricted to searching local archives that were within an hour’s drive of where I lived.  Finding a local researcher was essential for anyone tracing their family history who could not get to the appropriate record office.

Today, however, almost anyone with internet access can research their own family history using online resources – at least as far back as 1837, using census records and BMD indexes.  There is even a growing range of parish registers that can be read online, so if you are lucky, you may be able to press back further than 1837 without leaving your desk.

Does this mean that work for professional genealogists is drying up?  Actually, the answer seems to be Absolutely Not!

I seem to busier now than I ever have been.  The nature of my work has changed radically (I spend more time at home at my computer than I do at the record office!), but I have a healthily large pile of work folders on my desk and no sign of it drying up.

So – if it’s so easy for people to trace their own ancestry, why do they still need the services of a professional?  Here are a few of my ideas.  If you have any more, please feel free to comment!

  • Even though there are easy-to-use name indexes on many genealogical websites, it is still possible to hit a brick wall and find that an ancestor seems to have completely disappeared from the records.  A professional can often get through these brick walls because they often have a better knowledge of how the search engines for each site works, and also how different name spellings and transcription errors can result in an ancestor not showing up in the results.  They may also have knowledge of other resources and documents not available online that may help to find the missing ancestor.
  • Most professional genealogists have an interest in and studied local and/or general history and can often provide a good understanding of local migratory habits, industries, education and lifestyles.  This depth of understanding can enrich your knowledge of your ancestors and what their lives were like.
  • While the census and BMD certificates can help you trace your family tree back to the early 19th century, there are many documents that will flesh out the information about a 19th or 20th century ancestor.  Only a few of these are available online, and you could be missing out on fascinating information if you only stick to certificates and the census.  Wills, directories, occupational records, land records, criminal and military records can all provide you with interesting information about your ancestor.
  • Before 1837 your main source of information are parish registers (as well as the other records just mentioned).  While some parish registers (particularly for London) are now online, the vast majority are still only available by visiting local archives.  Online indexes such as the IGI can be helpful – but should not be relied upon.  It is essential ALWAYS to follow up such information by checking out the original documents.
  • A professional genealogist will usually have membership of various genealogical societies where they may have access to information not readily available to other members of the public.
  • Once you do get beyond 1837, and need to find local researchers, using just one researcher who will sub-hire other researchers on your behalf will save you lots of time – and probably money.  If you are following several lines, you will probably find that your ancestors came from many different areas, or you might find one line where the family moved around a lot, and trying to find researchers in each area takes a lot of valuable time, and is not always that easy.  A researcher who will act as an overseer, and collate all the information for you makes it all very much easier for you.

I think that as long the professional genealogist keeps up to date with modern changes and moves with the times, there will always be work available.  In many ways, I find it more satisfying now than it used to be.  Instead of most of my jobs just covering the one area, I very often have charge of the whole tree, and am able to get involved in a far more in-depth way than ever before.

For more information about my own genealogical services, covering the whole of the UK, CLICK HERE.

Ros

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FREE – Tracing Your Ancestors in the UK – Volume I

Posted on October 15, 2010 by Ros

If you would like a quick introduction to genealogy – its background, the origins of surnames, and how you can get started without falling into the many pitfalls that beginners are vulnerable to, then do read my FREE ebook, Tracing Your Ancestors in the UK, Volume I.

This book is completely FREE, and is available to read on its own, without any further obligation to buy.  However, if you like the book, and you want to get a more detailed guide in tracing your ancestors in the UK, then you can buy my second book Tracing Ancestors in the UK, Volume II for the current price of $15.00.

This book is packed with detailed advice on how to trace your UK ancestors, and gives you an easy-to-read,  step-by-step process which will take you through all the necessary searches you need to make.  Volume II enables you to start tracing your ancestors straight away as long as you have internet access.

If you have read either of these books, and would like to leave some feedback, please feel free to write in the comment box below!  Thanks.

Remember – Tracing Your Ancestors in the UK Volume I is completely FREE.

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Finding an Elusive Ancestor

Posted on October 14, 2010 by Ros

At some point in your ancestry searches you are going to hit a brick wall.  Even the most experienced genealogists will have difficulty tracing a particular ancestor at some point.  While it is not always possible to get beyond this sticking point, there are several things you should do that can provide that essential chink in the wall that can help you in finding an elusive ancestor and breaking through to the next generation.

The most frustrating situation is where you have an ancestor with a common name, and do not have a specific area of origin.  Unless you can gather more information from other sources, this is always going to be the worst scenario.  A “John Smith of England”, born about 1827″ is not going to get you anywhere!

All the same, even if you have a definite place of birth, and/or an uncommon name, there are some ancestors who just don’t seem to want to be found!

Here are a few tips that have helped me get past many a sticking point in the past, both for myself and for my clients:

  • Siblings can be very useful in tracking an elusive ancestor.  Brothers and sisters of the person you are searching may be found on census records or may be witnesses to a wedding.  If you are unable to find your direct ancestor, then try searching for their brothers and sisters, not only back in time, but forward in time.  You could find that your missing ancestor was living with a brother or sister, and the name has been badly transcribed therefore not turning up in index searches.   If you can’t find a baptism for your missing ancestor, then try looking for the baptism or birth record of their siblings.
  • Witnesses on marriage certificates – even if they don’t look like siblings – could be useful.  Try finding them on the census and working out how they are related to the subject.  Sometimes witnesses are church officials, but often they are relatives or friends of the people getting married.  A female with a different surname may be a married sister, or they could be nephews, nieces, uncles, aunts or cousins.  Researching these people could provide you with clues as to where your ancestor was living or where he came from.
  • Relatives and Visitors on the census should also be noted and researched.  Any extended relation who is living in the household on the census should be thoroughly researched.  Sometimes widowed parents-in-law lived with their married children, as did unmarried brothers or sisters.  Visitors and boarders are not always un-related and quite often turn out to be relatives by marriage, so should also be checked out.
  • Phonetic searches are not always reliable, so don’t rely on your search engine to come up with every possible variation of a surname spelling.  Try as many different spellings of the surname as you can think of .  Think of how a surname might sound (could that “n” sound like an “m”?) – or how it might look when written down.  Not only were name spellings not standardized, modern transcribers make many errors when writing the indexes, so use your imagination when searching and keep trying different spellings.
  • Search Engines in many genealogical websites can have very useful search criterias, and you can try searching with all kinds of different information to try and locate your ancestor.  If your ancestor’s name is fairly uncommon, and you are fairly confident you know where they came from, you can try searching for a Christian name without surname, or vice versa, using the place name as an exact search.  I found my own grandfather this way – his name was Francis Manley, but I could never find him in the 1881 census.  When I tried searching for Manley without the Christian name, with a definite year and place, I found his name had been written as “Fracis” – which never came up in the index search!
  • Military or Maritime ancestors might have been away during the census, so if you think your ancestor might have been a sailor or involved in overseas military campaigns, this could be why he does not show up on a census.  Some military and shipping records can be seen online at the National Archives Website Documents Online Service.  Other records of this nature can only be seen by visiting the National Archives at Kew, but you can still search some indexes online.
  • Baptisms & Marriage Records of the parish registers can be useful if you are unable to find a birth or marriage certificate.  Of course, you need to know where they were likely to have been born or married.  Only a few parish registers are online at present, so you will either need to visit the relevant county record office, or hire someone to do this for you.
  • Wills can be very useful if you cannot find an ancestor in the parish registers or other records.  If your ancestor was fairly wealthy, and held property in more than one county, he is likely to have left a PCC (Perogative Court of Canterbury) will, which can be downloaded at the National Archives Documents Online website.  However, if he only had property in one small area, it is more likely to be an archdeaconry will – and you will need to have an idea of where he was living when he died.  It is always worth looking for wills of possible relatives of your ancestor – as they may mention him or her in their will, and this can help you establish parentage and origins.  Looking for wills can be time consuming and sometimes expensive – but if you do find a will, they are well worth the search as they provide very interesting information about our ancestors’ lives.
  • Land records can also be useful if you have an idea of where your ancestor lived.  Sometimes these can provide family information if, say, an ancestor was passing a piece of land to a son, or transferred land as part of a dowry, for example.
  • Ancestry.co.uk allows you to make a general search at the bottom of their home page, and if you have come to a full stop this search engine can be very useful for finding any other possible sources of information and documents.  I have on occasion come across baptism records and criminal records for clients’ ancestors that I had not found before.
  • Know Your History! Having a bit of knowledge about the history of the time can help you to understand your ancestors’ possible movements and his possible actions. For example, a factory worker in mid-19th century Manchester or Liverpool could be an Irish immigrant.  If your ancestor worked as a gardener, he may have worked on one of the large private country house estates, and there could be local land records showing employees and salaries.

Remember that every single piece of information you have about your ancestor is a potential clue.  Never dismiss anything, and always follow up every bit of information you have.  It may lead to a dead end, but it could also lead to a real breakthrough.

Some of these tips will be more useful than others, depending on how much you already know about your ancestor, and what kind of person he was (e.g. a factory worker is unlikely to have left a will – though you should never rule this out).

My overall advice is to never give up and to keep looking.  Sometimes, if you really are completely stuck, it is a good idea to leave it and work on another line for a while.  Often, when you come back to this ancestor, you will have a new idea for how to go about your research – or more information may have become available online.  More and more information is being published on the internet, so it’s always worth checking what’s available every so often.

Find an elusive ancestor can be frustrating, hard work and ultimately disappointing – but on the other hand, when you do make that breakthrough it is so exciting that it will have been worth all that hard work.

Happy hunting!


120x60: I’m, your Nan

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How Easy is it to Trace Your Ancestors?

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Ros

Family history research has certainly become more and more popular in the last decade, particularly with programmes like Who Do You Think You Are, which stimulate interest and show the excitement of finding out who your ancestors were, what they did, and where they came from.  However, these shows have a tendency to make it look easy – of course anything else would make terrible television! – but it does lead people to believe they can trace back generations quickly and easily.  Well, just how easy is it to trace your ancestors?

Of course, in recent years, the internet has made it much easier in the sense of being able to access sources.  In the past, all family history research involved travelling to county record offices.  In my job as a professional genealogist, my work has completely changed.  I spend a lot more time at home on the laptop than I do in a record office in front of a microfiche reader.

So, in many ways, it is a lot easier to search your ancestors now that the census records and GRO indexes are all online – and many other records, such as wills and a growing selection of parish registers, are also increasingly available online.  If you could not afford to travel across the country – or even to another country – to visit the appropriate local archives in the past, you either had to give up, or hire a local genealogist (which could be difficult if your ancestors came from lots of different places) – but now most people with internet access can – in theory – trace their ancestors back to the early 19th century.

I say “in theory” because it’s not always as easy as it sounds!  Here are a number of reasons why people get stuck:

  • Search engines at the main genealogy sites are a great way to find ancestors quickly – but if your ancestor’s name has been badly mis-spelled (which happens far more often than you might imagine) by the original enumerator, or by the modern transcriber, you might find they seem to be “missing” on the census or in BMD indexes, even when you use phonetic searching.
  • If your ancestor has a very common name like John Smith, particularly if they lived in a large town or city, it can become almost impossible to work out which John Smith is yours.  The search then becomes more complicated as you really need a lot of information to start with in order to work out which one is the right one, and a large amount of detective work is necessary.
  • Where an individual was born in another country, the records in the resident country may not say anything other than “born in England”.  Unless the name is extremely unusual, this can be almost impossible to find, unless you have some other cross-referencing information such as a marriage that took place before emigration.
  • Once you get past 1837 (the date when birth, marriage and death registrations became law in England), the records get less reliable.  Parish registers are the main source of information, but as you go back in time, they are often badly damaged, difficult to read – or sometimes lost or destroyed.  There are other records that can be helpful, but the further down the social class your ancestors were, the less likely they were to be on any documentation – apart from paw loor, criminal records or settlement records.  Very few of these are online.

There are all kinds of other reasons why people get stuck.  Sometimes the results just get very confusing, and sometimes documents contradict each other, or ages and places of birth don’t match what you know. We need to remember that most historical documents were not created for the pleasure of future ancestry seekers!  They were there for different purposes, and often we have to read between the lines, look at the context and know a bit about the historical background in order to make sense of them.

I am truly not trying to put anyone off searching their family tree!  Tracing your ancestors is an exciting, fun and fascinating hobby, and the chances are that you will be able to trace many generations of several lines of your family.

The difficulties and frustrations that result from the problems I have outlined above are all part of the fun – and you need to be prepared to come across some or all of these problems as you trace your family.  Just don’t get led to believe that you can trace your tree in a few days.  And don’t forget that every time you go back a generation, the number of people on the tree doubles – that’s a lot of people to find!

Professional genealogists often work very hard to work out puzzles, and get past brick walls that amateur family historians get stuck at.

In fact, for the professional genealogist, this is becoming the main thrust of the work – getting people past brick walls, rather than doing the whole thing from scratch – because more and more people are doing it for themselves.

So, to sum up.  Yes, it’s much easier than it used to be for anyone to trace their own family history – but it is not in itself easy.  If you are interested in history, determined, tenacious, have a mind like a detective, imaginative and have attention to detail, you will find the ups and downs of ancestry research extremely rewarding.  But if you are looking for an easy hobby that doesn’t take up too much brain work, I would try something else – and get a professional to do your tree!

Seriously, though, most people, once they start tracing ancestry, find it completely addictive.  That’s why I became a professional.  Tracing my own tree just wasn’t enough.

And I like a challenge.  Luckily – it still is – and always will be.

Ros

Do you need someone to help you trace your ancestors?  See my RESEARCH SERVICES PAGE.

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GRO – Ordering certificates – Delay until 17th May

Posted on April 30, 2010 by Ros

For some reason the GRO have got a 7 day delay on their certificate ordering service at present.

Normally, I find they are pretty quick at sending out certificates when you order online, but I have ordered several certificates lately, and wondering why they had not arrived within the usual week, I looked at their website and found the following announcement:

Service Announcement – Thursday 29 April 2010

Current Despatch Times
Customers may wish to be aware that standard orders are subject to a delay of 7 working days. This additional time should be added to the estimated date of despatch given at the time of order.
The priority service remains unaffected and orders placed via this service will be despatched on the next working day from receipt of order, if received before 16:00.
GRO apologises for any inconvenience this may cause to our customers. We anticipate that normal service will be resumed by the week beginning 17 May 2010.

I’d better warn all my current clients who are waiting for information!

Anyway – if you’re wondering where your certificate is – that should answer it for you – though It would have been nice if they had given a reason.

Ros

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Why is Tracing Ancestors Such an Addictive Hobby?

Posted on February 26, 2010 by Ros
The family tree of Herzog Ludwig I of Württemberg (ruled 1568-1593)

The family tree of Herzog Ludwig I of Württemberg (ruled 1568-1593

It is only in the past 5 decades that tracing ancestors has become a popular past-time for all members of society. However, it is not a new idea. In times when it mattered to be a part of the upper classes, many wealthy people felt it was important to be able to prove their lineage and validate their standing in society. 

However, it was not something that was of interest – or even possible – for the middle and lower classes. It was not thought to be of any benefit to trace your family’s history, and even if it was possible to do so, there would have been no pride in tracing a line of agricultural labourers or tradesmen. Family history was for the noble classes.

 

Times change, and so do attitudes. In the last century, professional historians have come to realise that social history is just as important as political history, and an interest in family history has grown alongside the growth of interest in the history of the common people.

Tracing your family tree became more popular in the latter half of the 20th century as records became more accessible to the general public, and parish registers had to be held at County Record Offices rather than at the church itself.

However, in the last few years, the internet has made some records even more accessible to people on a global basis, and while some documents still need to be seen in situ, records such as census returns and birth, marriage and death indexes can be searched for and viewed online.

Along with TV programmes such as Who Do You Think You Are, this accessibility of records has made it far easier for anyone interested in their roots to trace back several generations quite quickly.

But what is the attraction of tracing your ancestors? Why is it such an addictive and fascinating past-time, despite being, at times, incredibly frustrating and disappointing? Is it just because, as human beings, we have an inbuilt curiosity, or is it more than that?

I believe it has something to do with our need to establish a personal identity, to understand more about ourselves, and why and how we are who we are. It also gives us a sense of continuity and belonging. We are not totally alone. We are made up of the genes of those who came before us, and our genes will be continued in those who come after us.

Genealogy connects us with the past as no history lesson can ever do. I personally became more interested in history through an interest in my own family history. It had never interested me at school. Now I have a degree in it.

History, whether family, social or political, tells us where we have come from and teaches us that while fashions, attitudes and technologies may change, basic human nature does not. Yet it also teaches us to avoid the mistakes of the past so we can choose a better path.

Nowadays, we are more likely to be fascinated (if a little discomforted) rather than shamed by finding we have a criminal or a workhouse inmate in our family history. It’s interesting. We want to know more about them.

While there are still those who would like to find they are related to royalty, I find that the ancestors I have (tradesmen, factory workers, fishermen, labourers, railway workers) are just as fascinating as any royal – if not more so. I am proud of them because they worked hard, suffered and survived, and because they are a part of me.

Tracing ancestors is a hobby that is never finished – that is both the beauty and the frustration of it! Once started, it is almost impossible to stop. You will be caught in its grasp and it won’t let you go. You have been warned!

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Tracing Ancestors in the UK – Fees

Posted on January 7, 2010 by Ros

HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone tracing ancestors in the UK!

In February, I am going to increasing my charges from £15 per hour to £18 per hour….BUT…

… if you order any of my services now, I will keep you at the old charges for the duration of the service you order, no matter how long it takes. 

To order ancestry searches in the UK, go to my services page and choose the service you require.

Here’s to achieving your family history goals in 2010!

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Unusual Christmas Gifts – Genealogy Gifts

Posted on December 3, 2009 by Ros

If you’re looking for something a little out of the ordinary for Christmas, why not buy some genealogy gifts for your loved ones? If you have a genealogy enthusiast amongst your family or friends, there are plenty of products to choose from that will make an unusual and welcome Christmas gift.

Or – perhaps you are the family history expert in your family, and you are looking for a way of presenting the family tree to your other family members?

Either way, there are plenty of products that you can choose from to suit anybody.

For a last minute gift, or one you can send by email, check out my special genealogy gift vouchers which you can find on THIS PAGE.  And if you order before 31st December 2011, you will benefit from my Christmas 20% discount.

One great website where you can find a range of products is My History. You can find all kinds of products here, including:

  • Software
  • Binders & storage
  • Books
  • DVDs
  • Maps
  • Blank charts
  • Family History starter packs
  • Personalized Mugs
  • Subscriptions
  • Gift vouchers

To browse their range of products CLICK HERE.

Orders are dispatched on the same day for UK buyers, and within 48 hours for those outside of the UK.

Genealogy gifts are better than socks any day!

Have a Great Christmas!

Ros

My History

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Tracing Ancestors Online: My Favourite Genealogy Sites

Posted on October 6, 2009 by Ros

When I started tracing ancestors (way back in the early 80s) the internet had not yet been born, and the computer was yet to become a household item.  So when I started getting interested in my own heritage my first port of call of St. Catherine’s House near the Aldwych in London where you could search the civil registration indexes and order certificates.  Luckily for me I was living in London and working near the Aldwych at the time so I used to pop over in my lunch time and spend an hour going through the indexes which were in large, heavy books arranged in date order along lines of shelves.  It was hard work, and my arms used to ache after continually pulling down those heavy tomes and returning them as I searched for my grandmother’s birth details.

Tracing English ancestors in the past generally meant that you had to travel.  Either to London, or to the relevant county record office to look at census records.  Many parish registers were still held at the relevant church so you often had to travel to remote villages in order to find your rural ancestors.

Genealogists today have it easy.  Anyone with internet access can sit in the comfort of their own armchair with a laptop, choose out of several genealogy sites and search the civil registration indexes with a few clicks.  You can view all the census records, and if you have difficulty deciphering some of the writing there are often transcripts provided for you.  While you still need mostly to search parish registers in local county record offices (where they now have to reside), you can use the online International Genealogical Index provided by the Church of the Latter Day Saints to help with your parish searches.

It is no wonder that genealogy has increased in popularity over the last couple of decades.

However, there are so many genealogy sites now that it can be difficult to know where to start with your family tree. 

Personally, I use three main sites for my searches, and occasionally use others when I want something more specific (such as Irish ancestry).    They provide me with the main information that I need.

If you are just starting and want to use an online site to start your searches, you need to decide whether you are just going to dabble a bit or whether this is going to be a full time hobby.


1841 - 1901 UK Census 300x250If you are going to do this seriously and spend regular time I would suggest you take out a subscription to Ancestry.co.uk.  You don’t need to subscribe to anything higher than the basic subscription to start with and this will give you the freedom to search the civil registration indexes, census records (1841-1901 at present) whenever you want to.

You can also search military records, passenger lists (though you will have to upgrade your subscription to view the records), and add your family tree to the One World Tree, and see if someone else has your ancestors on their tree.

My one warning about using Ancestry is that there are numerous errors in the indexes and transcriptions.  Names and places have been spelled or “guessed” wrongly and so may not turn up when you use the search tool.  You may need to try several spellings of your ancestor’s name, and use different search criteria when searching if you do not find the person you are looking for straight away.



If you just want to try out a few searches to see what’s there, or you think you will only be searching your ancestors now and then, I would suggest you start with Find My Past.  Here, you can buy credits for a one-off payment and then use those credits for your searches.  At present you can buy 60 credits for £6.95 or 280 credits for £24.95 with which you can search all the civil registration indexes, all the census records (including the 1911 census), migration, military and other records.

At the moment, Find My Past is the only site where you can view the 1911 census, though in 2011 this should also be available on Ancestry.co.uk as well.

The other site that I use a lot is Family Search.   This is where you can search the International Genealogical Index which attempts to list baptism, marriage and some burial records from parish registers.  This is a very useful tool if you are searching an elusive ancestor or you cannot get to the county record offices to view the parish registers.  However, any information found here should always be backed up by a proper search at the appropriate parish register.  Also you need to remember that this is not a full index.  If you cannot find your ancestor here it does not mean the documents do not exist.  Some areas are better covered than others.  If you do not have access to the local county records offices, you need to back up your findings by using local genealogists.

If you want to find out if someone else has some of your ancestors on their tree, I recommend Genes Reunited where you can add your own tree and get in contact with people who have common ancestors.

There are many other genealogy sites (you can see some more links on the right hand panel), but those I have described above are the ones that I use most of all and are probably the best place to start if you are just starting out with tracing ancestors.

Good luck!

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I’m Still Here!

Posted on September 16, 2009 by Ros

Hi there.  If you’re a regular reader of Tracing Ancestors in the UK, you might have noticed that I haven’t posted recently.

I haven’t fallen off the planet – I’ve just been very busy with some genealogy work and writing work, as well as taking a short holiday in Devon.

Now the summer is virtually over, why not find out more about your UK ancestors?  You can use my comprehensive research services here, or use an online service such as Ancestry or Find My Past.

Tracing ancestors is such an exciting and fascinating hobby.  Once you get started you’ll be hooked!   You’ll get a new sense of identity, and you will feel more connected to social history and events of the past.

I only charge £15 per hour at present (some researcher charge up to £25).  However, I will be putting my prices up to £17 soon – so get in quick!

Find out about my research services here.

Ros Bott

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