Although usually taking place over five sessions, Julie Goucher managed to squeeze an abundance of thought-provoking ideas, handy tips and useful information into one evening. Her talk was in two main parts.
The first part looked at ‘Enabling Research in Europe’. There are many challenges and considerations when undertaking European research. Chiefly, the history and geography of the continent have changed (and continue to change) over time. A map of Europe now looks very different to a map of the same area in the early 1800s. Therefore, consideration needs to be made as to which country’s records one may need to access. The turbulent history of Europe also means that our ancestors may have travelled, or been displaced, across borders, and even outside of Europe. Another consideration is how foundlings and illegitimacy were handled in your country of interest. Then there are the different naming patterns for babies born in different countries. Julie gave the examples of Spain and Portugal where differing naming patterns might easily confuse those unfamiliar with their systems. Other considerations include language, religion, border changes, political unrest and the effects of empires (to name but a few). To sum up, context is key!
The second part of the talk was entitled ‘Research Starting Points’ and consisted of a multitude of resources which could be of use to those wishing to track down ancestors from various European countries.
Julie suggested that Forebears.io was a good place to start in order to gain an idea of the geographical spread of a chosen surname.
Family Search was also recommended. Searching a surname to gain a sense of numbers could be useful, although Julie cautioned to be mindful of different spellings.
The Guild of One Name Studies was signposted as a possible useful resource.
Referencing her own research, Julie talked of the use of DNA results in providing further lines of enquiry.
Julie had also collated lists of resources for different countries and regions of Europe which could prove invaluable. With increasing numbers of records appearing online, social media connecting researchers around the world and options on many websites to view in different languages, the ability to research remotely is increasing.
Unfortunately, there is no central register of Births, Deaths and Marriages across Europe. Records are held locally, often at town level, so information can be challenging to find. However, armed with the knowledge gained from Julie’s talk, I for one certainly feel better equipped to continue the search.
Report by Helen Stenhouse