Ian Waller started with tthe observation that the average person generates over one hundred records throughout their lifetime!
We are all familiar with civil birth, marriage and death records and census returns. Ian guided us through a range of other records which could prove invaluable in developing our knowledge and understanding of our ancestors and the finer details of their lives, from birth to death. Below are listed a variety of sources he recommended:
Into this World: birth and baptism
Certificates of baptism often give the actual date of birth.If struggling to locate a birth or baptism, try looking in workhouse records, which can be found in local county record offices. Non-Anglican birth registers are also kept.
Parish and church magazines list births, marriages and deaths of parishioners. They also provide information about other family members and activities that our ancestors may have been part of, so can help to get a ‘feel’ for life at that time.
Early Years
School admission registers are often located in local record offices and can provide information such as father’s name and occupation, address, date of leaving the school. School log books give day-to-day information about the life of the school. They list when families moved away, any outbreaks of illness and give an idea of what it was like to attend the school.
Confirmation records may also give baptism details.
If struggling to find ‘lost’ children, child migration records could provide clues. If a child became ‘orphaned’ (only one parent living), try looking in migration records. Many children were sent to Canada. They might have been sold to an agricultural gang.
Some boys undertook on-board training instead of an apprenticeship. This would provide a basic education and seamanship skills. Records are often stored in the local records office in the place where the ship was based.
University Alumni records can be of use. Remember that some ‘commoners’ were admitted so don’t rule these out.
Marriages
Banns records can be of use to tell you if someone married in another parish, although these don’t guarantee that the marriage actually took place.
Marriage licenses can give details such as occupation, age and relatives.
Illness
Vaccination registers can give details of those who were (and weren’t) vaccinated. Some parents wouldn’t have a birth registered in order to avoid vaccination. Most of these are in local record offices. Although some may be in Poor Law Board of Guardian records.
Hospital admission registers are some of the easiest to find. Patient visiting orders were issued to whoever was visiting a patient and collected at the time of the visit. Some hospital archives retain these. Patient case records (if they survive) give lots of information. Most Great Ormond Street Hospital records up to 1920 are now digitised. Pre NHS infirmary records could be in hospital records or board of guardian records.
Asylum records. Case records and admission registers can be very useful.
Field hospital registers can provide lots of information. You need to know where your ancestor was (from regimental diaries).
Military notifications of hospitalisation can be found within National Archive regimental records.
Working Life
Apprenticeship records – lots of these are with livery companies and trade guilds.
For rural ancestors, landed estate diaries and log books can offer details such as wages and day-to-day activities.
For relatives in domestic service, servants’ tax records can show who they worked for, what job they were doing and the tax paid.
Many companies have deposited their employment records with their local records office so it may be possible to locate employment applications and contracts. Some companies (such as Young’s Brewery) have their own archive.
Many trade union records are held at University of Warwick and some are available on Ancestry and FMP.
Profession directories, year books, specialist trade magazines, staff magazines and newsletters can all give greater insight into the lives of our ancestors, even if they are not mentioned by name.
The Public Face
Provincial newspapers can be a great source of information about events in the lives of families and may even contain photographs.
People called themselves what they liked when they liked! If a legal change of name took place, the record should be held at the National Archive.
Serving King and Country
Medal cards and the actual roll can provide details of other people in the same regiment who our ancestor would have served with.
Officers’ commission warrants, protection certificates, pay lists and musters can provide information. Although navy musters are highly abbreviated, they can prove useful, as can merchant seaman tickets.
Many soldiers’ personal diaries are deposited with military museums.
Personal effects records were made for soldiers who died in WW2.
Seaman competency certificates may be found, although only a sample were kept.
Prisoner of war records are at National Archive or International Red Cross.
Soldiers’ pension record cards give details of marriage and children.
Travel
Passport and travel documents are located at National Archive.
Records of India and the Far East are at British Library Asian Studies. These can give details of birth/ baptisms abroad and events on board ships.
Empire children - those who went officially were recorded and inspectors went to check and wrote progress reports.
Upon Hard Times
Parish or guardians apprenticeship records can provide information.
Overseers’ accounts - these might include payments made to families, settlements, removal from a parish.
Before being taken in to a poor house, an inventory was made of possessions. These could be located within parish records.
Bastardy bonds might be found if the mother required poor relief.
Militia relief orders would show if the parish paid for the upkeep of a family while someone was serving.
Workhouse records are a good source of information.
Desertion from workhouse records are listed in the Poor Law Union Gazette (in newspaper archive).
Land and Property Ownership
Tithe redemption records are on The Genealogist.
Land tax records are almost like a twelve-monthly census return and were for both owners and tenants.
Every property in the country was surveyed between 1910-1915 for the 1910 Finance Act Valuation. There is a guide on National Archive and the field books have been retained.
Fire insurance registers are held at the Guild Hall library.
Title and other deeds are often not catalogued. Property and marriage settlements are often sitting in boxes in local record offices.
Dealings with the Law
Chancery and equity court records; ecclesiastical court records and manor court records can prove useful.
Criminal records might be found although often newspaper reports are better.
Prison records and habitual criminal records might help.
Licences to trade for victuallers, dance halls, game keepers, etc. are often in Quarter Session records.
Separation and divorce records are appearing on Ancestry.
Debtors and bankrupts - bankruptcy directories and court records are located in Quarter Session records.
After Death
Grave stones and war memorials can be of use, as can both cemetery and grave registers.
There are death and burial records within workhouse records.
Death memorial cards and photographs may be in family collections and often appear on eBay.
Records offices are starting to collect undertaker’s records.
Why look for these records?
They can help to bring our ancestors to life. Each one was a person, not just a birth, marriage and death. Looking at other records can help us to learn about them as individuals, their lives and their characteristics.
Report by Helen Stenhouse