Localising Your Ancestor

Introduction

Family history research isn't always straightforward. Despite the seemingly inexhaustible number of sources now available on the internet our ancestors can be exasperatingly elusive. They may not have registered births, marriages or deaths. They might seem to avoid every census and certainly moved about much more than we would have imagined, so tracing them in parish registers can be difficult.

Often the chase throws up too many candidates - or none at all. Don't allow yourself to become overwhelmed. Try to remain focused and remind yourself at all times exactly what you are looking for and why you are doing this particular search. Think laterally. If you can't find a particular birth certificate, can the information you are looking for be found through the birth certificate of a brother or sister? Always keep the answers to the following questions in mind.

Who are you looking for? Do you really know the exact name, or is it just what someone was known as? Many people use a variety of different names for a wide number of reasons.

What kind of person are you researching? For example, there are few records relating to agricultural labourers and they certainly differ from those for professional people or those who owned land.

Where is an event likely to have occurred? A sense of place is vital as most records relate to where an ancestor lived. Try to establish the parish or at least the county.

When might an event have happened? While marriages could take place when someone was quite young (in fact 12 for girls and 14 for boys until the early 20th century) it’s unlikely. But it's not unusual at all for a marriage to take place after the birth of a child. Make sensible guesses, but be prepared to extend your search. After all, not everyone gives their right age to officials. Try to narrow down the range of years when something might have happened.

Countrywide searches

Consider using indexes or finding documents that cover a wide area - and which include records for a number of parishes. Remember to double-check any entries against the original records.

Vast numbers of parish records, especially baptisms and marriages are available for free at www.familysearch.org. This index allows countrywide searches to be made. Other collections of parish records, often arranged by county, are available on various commercial websites including www.ancestry.co.uk and www.findmypast.co.uk. The National Burial Index is also available through www.findmypast.co.uk, and Boyd's Marriage Index, the first and largest marriage index containing some seven million entries, is held at the Society of Genealogists in London.

The wide coverage of many marriage indexes means you can use them to identify where a family name appears. This can be useful if there is no baptismal index for the area. One of the most significant local indexes is the Pallot Index. This covers marriages in most parishes in the City of London and Greater London for the period 1790-1837 which is a particularly difficult area to research. The index is online at www.ancestry.co.uk. Try using the marriage indexes to work out the parishes where a name is commonly found – it might be suitable way of reducing the number of parishes to look at when seeking a baptism.

Marriage information (supplementary)

When using parish marriage records, it is wise to look for any accompanying documents, such as the marriage licence bond or allegation, or a banns book that may give a place of residence or an age. The Society of Genealogists has published the York Marriage Bonds and Allegations Index at www.britishorigins.com, but many other church courts issue licences.

Will indexes

Will indexes can be used in a similar way to localise a name in the vicinity of the church court's jurisdiction. It is worth remembering that the Prerogative Court of Canterbury had seniority over all courts, but it wasn’t the only court that proved wills before 1858. It is always useful to locate the will of a migrant as it may give evidence of his home parish. People who died overseas often had their will proved in the PCC or Prerogative Court of York and many mariners' wills were proved in the Archdeaconry Court of London. The PCC wills have been indexed by the National Archives and are available to view online at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/wills.asp.

Migration

The lure of the capital city remains a significant factor in the study of migration. If an ancestor 'disappears' then it is always worth considering searching in London. My Ancestors were Londoners by Cliff Webb (Society of Genealogists, 2005) and Lists of Londoners by Jeremy Gibson and Heather Creaton both provide excellent lists of sources.

London was highly-regulated, particularly by the Guilds and City Livery Companies. A unique source of information about some 60,000 families from the medieval period up to the 17th century is 'Boyd's Inhabitants of London'. This can be found at the Society of Genealogists and is indexed online along with 'Boyd's Family Units' at www.britishorigins.com.

Most migrants will travel considerable distances to find a job. An excellent overview of the records of various professions is given in My Ancestors Moved in England and Wales - How Can I Trace Where They Came From? by Anthony J Camp (Society of Genealogists, 1994) and Ancestral Trails by Mark Herber (Sutton Publishing, 2004)

A migrant who did well for him or herself may be recorded in an obituary published in the local press. Similarly, a migrant or his surviving relatives may send notice of an event back to his hometown.

The records generated by the Poor Laws are some of the most important for finding information about migrants. Designed to prevent paupers becoming a burden on the parish coffers, a system was set up to tie a person to a particular place. Settlement certificates, examinations and removal orders give invaluable information on relationships, ages, places of residence and job history. These records are to be found in the county record office or in the records of Quarter Sessions.

Crafts and trades

Artisans frequently moved to learn their chosen craft or trade. Having served an apprenticeship, the artisan became a 'journeyman' or day labourer before setting up in business for himself. The journeyman didn't necessarily travel. The term 'sojourner' indicates temporary residence in the parish. In 1710, a stamp duty was levied on apprentice bindings. The Society of Genealogists holds an index to these records known as the Apprentices of Great Britain Series 1710-1774. It has also published London Apprenticeship Abstracts 1442-1850 at www.britishorigins.com.

The town guilds regulated apprenticeship and consequently drew apprentices from the rural areas. Apprentices might become freemen and gain the associated privileges of trade and voting rights. Most cities, such as London, Canterbury, York, Bristol and Coventry, have lists of freemen and the records are held among other guild and borough records.

Certain trades and activities were licensed by the Quarter Sessions. These include publicans, badgers, higglers, drovers, hawkers and pedlars, barge and wherry owners and all migratory activities. The bishops issued licences to schoolmasters, physicians, surgeons, midwives and parish clerks who may all be in-comers into the parish. These will be recorded among the records of the church courts.

Several dedicated enthusiasts have compiled indexes of the traders who practised certain crafts around the country, or perhaps in a region that specialised in a trade. Information on indexes covering trades such as gunsmiths, brush makers, comb makers, brass workers or coastguards can be found in Specialist Indexes for Family Historians by Jeremy Gibson and Elizabeth Hampson (Federation of Family History Societies, 2000).

Occupational Sources for Genealogists: a Bibliography by Stuart A Raymond (Federation of Family History Societies, 1992) is most useful. Some occupations are particularly well researched, especially if they now have some connection with the study of antiques. The range of biographical directories for trades is remarkably diverse including, among others, architects, musicians, clock and watchmakers and silversmiths.

About the author

Else Churchill has been the Genealogy Officer of the Society of Genealogist since 1998. Formerly the Librarian of the Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies, Else has worked for the SOG since 1994. Her main interests lie in the 17th century and sources for people who lived through the English Civil Wars but she also specialises in using the records of the Victorian censuses.