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Nows a good time to try to gather together all the bits and pieces
of paper that your family may have hidden in the bottom of wardrobes.
You could look out for:
The Family Bible - this is a great source of information. Families
often recorded the dates of the major events in the fly-cover.
Memorial cards and obituaries
Official documents - school reports, apprenticeship papers, graduation
certificates and occupational pensions.
Military service records, medals and pensions.
Society/club membership papers - trade union cards, diaries, scrapbooks,
letters, newspaper cuttings.
Photograph albums - and family
heirlooms can also be a great source of key pieces of information.
FAMILY CERTIFICATES
The Birth Certificate This gives you the name of the child
and where and when he or she was born. It also lists the parents names,
their occupation, mothers maiden name and whether either or both of
the parents are deceased. The information about your parents in turn leads
you to
The Marriage Certificate - The marriage certificate gives the name
of the bride and groom, their ages, occupations and places of residence.
It also gives the names of the four parents, their occupation and whether
theyre deceased. This leads you to
The Death Certificate - This gives you the name of the deceased,
time and place of death, age, parents' names and occupations, and name of
the spouse if married. Nb. Any certificates from the 1970s
onwards will also include the birthdate of the deceased.
HOW TO KEEP NOTE OF THE INFORMATION
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If you simply
want to record names, then a family tree is all you need.
You may also want to keep note of information other than the bare facts:
What did people look like? What did they do? Did they have any odd sayings,
pet or nick-names? Why not keep files along with your family tree - to
include photos, extra information, or any documents you find in your search?
LOCAL HISTORY
You might also want to look into local history. Its all very well
knowing names, but that doesnt paint a picture of what that person
was actually like. Finding out about local history can fill in some of the
blanks and flesh out the picture. Local history societies use local sources,
go on original data, and could give you a picture of what your forebears
did and how they lived.
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In the 19th Century many of our ancestors were illiterate – not much was written down. Names might change through the centuries. Misspellings add to the confusion.
Documents of former times were usually written by hand – but there are books and courses available to help you decipher the writing. |
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Unless otherwise stated images copyright © SCRAN.
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