The meeting started with Society Chairman, Viv Carter, thanking Sheila Harris on behalf of members for organising speakers for our monthly meetings via zoom. Sheila joined Hilary Blandford during Lockdown to organise Kent’s virtual programme. A double act that has continued over the past 3 years, during which time Sheila was responsible for finding and booking the speakers for our varied online programme. Unfortunately, Sheila is now having to stand down due to personnel issues and will be a hard act to follow. Viv then introduced Tricia Baxter as the incoming virtual programme organiser.
Talk: Debbie Bradley ‘Migration through the UK’
Debbie started her talk with a case study of her own family. She told us that her paternal side were easily found as they had stayed put in the same area for centuries. However, her mother’s side were not quite as obliging. Not only did they travel the length and breadth of the country and abroad but their names were not always recorded correctly. Plus there were split marriages and bogus remarriages. This made it tricky to follow them through the records.
Her first subject, George Henry Clarke, was employed on building some of the many canals that were being constructed in the 19th century. As he had Locomotive Attendant in his job title, Debbie had at first presumed he was working on Railways. Later she found out that the Locomotive he was attending was driving a canal excavating machine. George was born in London and married in Yorkshire. His first child was born in Essex and another in Aberdare Wales. During which time his name underwent at least 6 different versions. Debbie also found enumerating errors that nudged her off track a little such as; recording Romsey Hants as Ramsey Cambs and the enumerator moving several places of birth down one line when copying from the schedules to his main book.
Debbie said that it was helpful that George Henry’s wife Elizabeth, being of Scottish descent, followed traditional Scottish naming patterns with their childrens’ middle names and that these names were often unusual. Debbie also traced family members through the records such as via a daughter and via witnesses on marriage certificates to find the main subject of research. She also contacted other people who were searching the same tree to pool findings. She went to several of the places her ancestors had been found living which made her research all the more interesting.
When tracing Elizabeth Clarke’s father George Dollar Debbie found that he was born in Scotland and joined the Royal Artillery which had taken him to foreign parts with postings to Gibraltar and Newfoundland. Amongst reasons to be aware of when people go missing in a census is that Military men and sometimes their families may have been posted overseas, or stationed at the opposite end of the country. They may even be travelling on census night such as onboard a ship that is not in UK waters.
What did Debbie Learn?
• Families did move around a lot
• Always check Witnesses
• Always search for siblings and extended family
• Be aware of name changes
• Try searching on just a first name in the census
• Check for mis transcribed places such as Ramsey and Romsey
Reasons for moving - what persuaded them to go
• Work – improved wages
• Population growth - better life for their family. London was a favoured place with people from all over settling there as it was truely thought its streets were paved with gold.
• Agricultural depression - forced off lands - fleeing famine.
• Industrial revolution - People moved to big cities in the Midlands from Ireland, Manchester, Liverpool etc.
• Parish Overseers – arranging apprenticeships sometimes in far flung places from their home town or village. Absconded apprentices are often described in Newspapers
• Family disputes – baby out of wedlock – marrying a disapproved spouse.
• Military postings - Army, Navy and Merchant Navy personnel and sometimes their families sent overseas
• Police - and other organisations with steady incomes
• Prison
Debbie gave some instance of the above from her own research.
Travelling about the country was often on foot. But there are many instances of movement by ships such as travelling from Newcastle to Norfolk on a Collier. Herring girls often followed the catch along the coast. Movement became easier with the onset of railways which became far cheaper than coaches and horse had been.
Debbie ended with the thought:
You think your Ancestors did not move? – Think again!
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Report by Tricia Baxter
incoming Speakers Secretary for Kent FHS