Genealogy

[johnh]

Has anyone done a family history trace? If so, how far back did you get?

 

My great, great grandfather came to Liverpool in the 1840's. We know he came from County Cork but don't know the exact location. During the Easter troubles in Ireland in the early part of the last century, the main Post Office in Dublin was burned down which resulted in all the central records being lost. This means that the only records left are church records and as there are hundreds of churches then unless you know exactly where your ancestors lived, it is almost impossible to find the information. He married in Liverpool in 1849, aged 28 and his marriage certificate states that his father's name was Michael. I would guess that he was born circa 1800. So that is as far as I can get back. Very interesting project. I must admit that I did retain someone to do the leg work for me as most of the information was located in Liverpool. But I have census forms, birth, marriage and death certificates, old Liverpool maps, old family photo's etc.,

all nicely tucked away in a binder with the obligitory 'family tree'.

Anyone who is considering this but hasn't started then my advice is - do it. One of the most interesting things I have done.

 

[Matt]

Thought I'd give it a go, just never got around to it and honestly no idea where to start

[johnh]

When my Dad died I found a copy of my Grandfather's birth certificate when I was sorting through his papers. That gave details of his parents and I started from there. Birth certificates and marriage certificates give details of parents and are a good starting point.

 

Also, if you have any elderly relatives, ask them for information.

 

There was no truth in the rumour that my mother went to see the doctor about an abortion and the doctor saying 'you've left it a bit late Mrs. Henesy, John's just started school hasn't he.

[MikeO]

Fascinating stuff, I wish I had the resources of the "Who do You Think You Are?" team to go back generations.

 

Know a few things though, my Grandma on my dad's side was put into "service" in 1910 (at fourteen) in Bristol and started as the lowest of the low before her affinity with children made her the family nanny. Her dad was a cobbler who was imprisoned twice; firstly because he invented a type of cheap shoe polish which meant that poor people could shine their boots but sadly he sold the patent twice, the beaks didn't take kindly to that. He liked to do things in twos it seems as his second term was for bigamy .

 

Put it on here before but on my mother's side my great-granddad was quite a notable scientist and even has a Wikipedia page!

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Rankine

 

His father was a Baptist church pastor of Scottish descent in Guildford so I'd probably have a good starting point if I wanted to research more, sure the church records would help.

 

I'd love to do it properly one day.

[johnh]

On my father's side my 3 x great grandfather was a Labourer in Ireland.

My 2 x great grandfather was a cabinet maker (apprentice in Ireland)

My great grandfather was a bookbinder

My grandfather was also a bookbinder but moved to be a tram driver and then an inspector on the trams.

My father was a professional musician (pianist).

 

On my mothers side my 2 x great grandfather was a cotton porter.

My great grandfather was a soap boiler.

My grandfather was a stevedore.

 

I only remember seeing my great grandfather once. Dad took me and my brother (I would be about 9 or 10) to see him, though I don't remember being told who he was. What I remember most was he took out an old stiff collar from a draw which had the autographs of all the Everton team who won the cup in 1933. He told us that he was invited to the celebration party in Liverpool and got them to sign his collar. He let me touch Dixie Deans autograph. How I wish I had that collar!

[Matt]

All my grandparents are long gone unfortunately, really wouldn't know who to ask.

[markjazzbassist]

both my parents families poor farmers from Hnusta in Slovakia. Their families lived in the same homes (different homes for each family) for hundreds of years and my parents and their parents were the first to leave for America.

 

so not much of a history there, lots of cabbage and being poor.

[johnh]

both my parents families poor farmers from Hnusta in Slovakia. Their families lived in the same homes (different homes for each family) for hundreds of years and my parents and their parents were the first to leave for America.

 

so not much of a history there, lots of cabbage and being poor.

 

I always knew Jazzbassist was a Slovakian name.

[Cornish Steve]

Yes, and it took me over 18 months. I now have a giant picture on my wall at home, with the tree, photographs of ancestors going back to the mid 19th century, pictures of places where ancestors were born, a map of Cornwall, and a key code that reveals how many ancestors were born in each parish.

 

Maybe I can pass along some observations.

 

1) Get as much information as you can from your oldest relatives. Don't wait. Get them to record all they know - into a sound file if that helps.

2) Get those same elderly relatives to give you their old photographs and the names of everyone in them.

3) Get those same relatives to pass along family stories and legends; you'd be surprised how much they can help.

4) Be very very wary of using online programs. When I came to verify every link, I encountered some very clever (but false) links intended to show a link to royalty.

5) Does your county have an official online database? Cornwall has a fantastic one.

6) Watch for changes in spelling of last names. Many ancestors could neither read nor write and quoted the name. Clerks spelled as best they could. Sometimes an entire syllable can disappear.

7) If you can, visit churches and their record books. When there's doubt, matching signatures on records can be useful. Also, look for wedding witnesses, because they offer clues.

8) When in doubt, reject a link. I included only links for which I felt 80+ percent confidence.

[johnh]

Re no. 6.

 

Very valid point. I have two copies of birth certificates that were changed. The original showed 'Hennessey' instead of 'Henesy'. One was my grandfather's and his mother couldn't read or write (signed with an x) so didn't know it was mis-spelt. It was changed many years later for his pension with Sun Life! There are multiple ways of spelling Henesy and it does make family history tracing difficult. My great great grandfather, who was a cabinet maker, was literate and could sign his own name, so that was a big help.

[MikeO]

My wife's timeline is a bit tragic sadly, online research I found this from when her great grandfather died in a concentration camp...

 

http://www.blankgenealogy.com/showmedia.php?mediaID=5140&medialinkID=7109

 

She had other family who died in Auschwitz, not showed any of this to mother in law, whose side of the family it was though I've often wondered whether she'd like to see it. Wife has always been against showing her so I've not.

[Cornish Steve]

Mike: Those "awkward" aspects of family history can, in the end, be the most exciting and emotional - sad though they may be.

 

My mother was orphaned during WW_II (her mother went to work at a hospital across the river in Plymouth, which took a direct hit). She would never speak about her father, but I eventually found this was because she was illegitimate. Of course, in rural Cornwall, this was a shameful scandal to be covered up. Having managed to glean from an aunt a name, approximate age, and date of his death, I began the search and soon obtained a copy of my maternal grandfather's birth certificate. Since, at the time (about 32 years ago), I worked in central London, I spent a fair few lunch hours in the records office and there discovered my mother had two half-brothers, a half-sister, and several cousins - all much older than she was. Most had passed away, but I went in search of one of the younger cousins - calling everyone in local telephone directories with his name. Eventually, I found him (he correctly answered a couple of questions about his family), and we were both quite excited.

 

Then came the interesting part: getting to meet him. My mother, who didn't want these secrets to come out, wouldn't join me, but my wife did. We went to this rundown part of Plymouth and rang the doorbell. After a period of silence, we heard footsteps coming down the stairs (he lived in the upper half of a council house). When the door opened, my wife's jaw dropped: She later told me that it was like seeing a 70-year-old version of me! That, more than anything, confirmed all the research. He and his wife were wonderful people. They had no biological children but had spent most of their lives fostering troubled kids. They were very poor materially but, I venture to say, rich in the impact they had on the lives of others. The guy died soon after, so I'm very glad I didn't delay the research. Once the older generation passes away, important stories die with them.

 

The reason I mention this, Mike, is that, years later, my mother regretted not meeting the cousin she never knew. We believe he once quietly visited the store where she worked, looked at her intently without approaching her, and then left. Before she died, my mother mentioned how much she wished she had introduced herself. Of course, it depends so much on family circumstances, but, underneath it all, I suspect we all do really want to know about our ancestors and details of their lives.

Edited December 29, 2016 by Cornish Steve

[Cornish Steve]

Has anyone done a family history trace? If so, how far back did you get?

 

My great, great grandfather came to Liverpool in the 1840's. We know he came from County Cork but don't know the exact location. During the Easter troubles in Ireland in the early part of the last century, the main Post Office in Dublin was burned down which resulted in all the central records being lost. This means that the only records left are church records and as there are hundreds of churches then unless you know exactly where your ancestors lived, it is almost impossible to find the information. He married in Liverpool in 1849, aged 28 and his marriage certificate states that his father's name was Michael. I would guess that he was born circa 1800. So that is as far as I can get back. Very interesting project. I must admit that I did retain someone to do the leg work for me as most of the information was located in Liverpool. But I have census forms, birth, marriage and death certificates, old Liverpool maps, old family photo's etc.,

all nicely tucked away in a binder with the obligitory 'family tree'.

Anyone who is considering this but hasn't started then my advice is - do it. One of the most interesting things I have done.

 

 

John: If you have the time, do reminisce into a mic. Trust me: future generations will be very grateful.

 

Here's a recording my grandad made in his early 90s. I am so very glad he thought to do this and send a cassette tape.

 

[Hafnia]

Let me know the best sites and fancy doing it.

[johnh]

Steve, thanks for posting your granddad's tapes. My experiences couldn't match with that by a country mile. I do intend to put mine on paper - when I get my printer fixed!

 

When I had a look at the family history on my Mother's side (family name Salmon) I found a sister of my mother's grandfather who died in the Liverpool workhouse in her forties. That was in the 1840's.

[johnh]

Let me know the best sites and fancy doing it.

 

Haf, there are multiple sites covering genealogy, probably the best known is Ancestry.com. However, it is my view that you can easily be led up the wrong path by using websites. Finding the same name doesn't mean there is a relationship. Tracing back through records, step by step, is the only sure way. eg birth certificates give parent's full names, as do marriage certificates.

 

Census forms are also a good source of info. They are also very interesting as they give details of other families living in the same street/road.

Most of the occupations are now history!

Edited December 29, 2016 by johnh

[Cornish Steve]

Let me know the best sites and fancy doing it.

 

I would reiterate John's comment about ancestry.com. It can be useful, but you'll encounter many spurious links. If you use it, try to verify every link using another independent source. If you can't verify, then reject.

 

Some people have spent years going into their family history and have published their results online. I was able to tap into two such projects, and they proved to be a great help. Search for last names in your tree and see whether any such projects show up.

 

As mentioned earlier, Cornwall has a fantastic database (see the link below). Some English counties have an equivalent, and some don't. Maybe you'll strike it lucky.

 

http://www.cornwall-opc-database.org/

[johnh]

I lived in a market town in Lincolnshire for several years and worked with a guy whose family had lived in that area for just about ever. He did his family history trace researching local church records for birth, marriages and deaths. He got back to the 1500's. In my experience most people seem to get back, as I did, to about 1800.

[rubecula]

Managed to trace father side of the familiy to the early 1700's Sadly my Mums family is not so easy/

 

Grandfather was a twin born in 1884, great grandad was born in 1848

 

I started by using my grandad's wedding certificate obtained from the registry office. Parent's name on there and from there I checked the census records.

 

Fascinating stuff.