What's new in Essex Family History and Essex
Country Life
This month most of the
work has taken place behind the scenes.
The two main index
pages of Essex family History have become cluttered with the material
added in the past few months so new clearer index pages have been
developed.
The index pages and
several new web pages will go live in the neaxt 7 days.
The Essex Family
History Offline database continues to grow and now has over 7,000
entries.
This database contains
information gathered from a variety of sources such as people named in
local books, church headstones, marriages and other local material
most of which is not available on the website.
To comply with data
protection rules the index primarily covers the period from 1200 to 1900
although there are a more recent names relating to obituaries or
confirmed deaths.
Searches in this
database are free on contact with Essex Family History.
Website of the month- Old Maps
Maps are a useful tool
for people researching family history in understanding the lives of our
ancestors and for veryfying facts.
Comparing maps of
varying ages also helps to assess dates which is helpful in family history
but essential in house history searches.
Old maps is a
commercial site that sells copies of ordnance survey maps. Importantly for
family historians it allows free viewing of it's maps.
Essex Maps include
1873,1880,1897,1922,1924 and 1938.
The 1880 map allows
very detailed magnification showing individual street names and
houses.
To use the site simply
enter the place name ie Southminster, then use the direction arrows until
your destination is centered and finally use the magnification bar to the
side to enlarge the image.
Repeating the process
with the other maps allows you to build a pciture of the changes in the
area of search from 1873 to 1936.
The Family History Mentor Spot
This
month we are looking at occupations and their use to family
historians
Each
census from 1851 to 1901 will list occupation as part of the details and
unless the occupation is unusual their peice of information is often noted
and disregarded.
Often
the occupation can provide a valuable clue to finding further information
or at the least undertsanding why your ancestor moved to new areas many
years ago.
During the 1800's many large employers maintained detailsed records
and the growth of Unions and trade associations added to these databases.
This information was supplemented by staff magazines, apprenticeships and
wage books many of which are held in Essex Records Office and several
available on cd or online.
As an
example, if your GG Grandfather is listed as a railway engineer in
Essex then consulting the Great Eastern Railway or the National Railwayman
Database may well bring fresh information on his
life.
The occupation may
help you make new searches in the existing census ie
if he is listed as
a seaman then his absence in census's may be down to voyages so a census
search for vessel
If
the occupation is a trade then checking trade directroies such as Pigot,
Kelly and Whites may produce a positive
listing.
The
London Gazette lists official notices , appointments and business
bankrupts. Their archives are searchable and so the sudden change of
occupation from a draper to a pauper or clerk may be answred by a search
of bankrupts that were common in the late
1800's.
The
amount of data available is increasing daily and so a Google search on the
relevant occupation and either genealogy or family history may well bring
up some useful sites.
To
sum up - Every piece of information on your ancestor can prove an
important lever to further information. Use of occupation requires
imaginative use but can provide access to information that you would not
find on any other basis.
Snippets
Cindy's List is the most extensive listing of genealogical web
sites in the world although it's sucess and the vast increase of family
history sites seems to have caught up with
it.
As a
result there are 8,900 sites back to May 2004 that have not yet been
listed on the site many of these contain useful new
information.
Although Cindy's list remians the first place to search don't
assume that subjects not listed are not available - they may be one of the
8,900 pages in waiting.
******************************************************************************
Family Search - (Church of the Latter Day saints) are developing an
improved web site with much improved search and
graphics.
One
of the better free searches is a list of emigrants from the UK arriving at
Ellis Island , New York.
*****************************************************************************
Essex
Police Museum have not put online a list off 3,295 Police Officers serving
in Essex from 1840 to 1930. The search is free although there is a small
charge for copies of their certificate of service. Very useful if you have
ancestors in the Police.
|