Free Family History Mini-Class 2024: Lesson 5

 

Eassie Old Church, Angus, Scotland

In this week’s mini-class, I'm looking at graveyard research, and how to get the most out of visiting your ancestors' final resting place.  But it's not just a matter of grabbing a pen and paper and heading off to the cemetery...  

Before you go...

☙  Speak to relatives who may know the whereabouts of family graves, or have paperwork relating to burials. 

☙  Contact cemetery or local authorities to find out about a graveyard’s opening hours.  They may offer look-up or research services - sometimes for a fee - which could make your search easier. 

☙  Check for the existence of layout plans or maps for large cemeteries. Public libraries (and their websites) or council offices sometimes hold copies of these.  GENUKI is a useful source of information about burial grounds - as are the groundskeeping staff in the cemetery.  If you can't find a plot, ask them for help. 

☙  Use online sources to identify ancestral grave sites and memorial inscriptions - try the websites and mobile apps for FindAGrave, BillionGraves, and, for those who died in wartime, Commonwealth War Graves. Smaller churchyards and other burial grounds may also have been surveyed and the inscriptions made available on the Internet, so a good online search should track those down.    

☙  Family history societies produce indexed cemetery publications which you can buy directly from them, or from organisations like the Scottish Genealogy Society.  Public libraries often hold copies of these monumental inscription books for local parishes.  Search their online catalogues to find out what they have on their shelves.  Digitised versions of these and similar, older books may also be found in online e-book repositories - Internet Archive, HathiTrust, FamilySearch Digital Library, or Project Gutenberg, for example.

During your visit... 

☙  Don’t try and scrape lichen or moss off gravestones as this can do more harm than good. A safer way to clean a memorial is to wash it carefully with water, using a damp cloth, and perhaps a very soft brush afterwards to remove dirt residues. However, it's important to get permission from the cemetery or headstone owners if you feel the need to clean headstones, no matter how good your intentions are.  Resist the temptation to use abrasive cleaning materials which can cause irreparable damage to masonry, as in the case of some well-meaning folk who did some DIY and caused an SOS: When Helping Is Harmful.  

☙  Damage to memorials can also be inflicted by taking a rubbing with chalk, crayon, or any other materials to try and read or record the engraving on a stone.  Record the inscription with a photograph instead.  This will allow you to take a note of the plot's location as well as the information on the headstone. 

☙  Use non-invasive methods like foil reflectors, artificial or natural light/shade to help highlight worn and hard-to-read inscriptions.  Or do what my friend Anne did and wait for the sun to providentially break through the clouds!  You can learn more about looking after gravestones from Historic Environment Scotland.  

☙  Be careful of unstable stones and soft ground.  Follow cemetery authorities’ advice regarding visits, health and safety, and care of graves.  Take heed of signage on site which may alert you to hazardous areas of the cemetery. 

☙  Look on the back of ancestral headstones for more names - sometimes there wasn't enough room on the front for everyone! 

 

After you return home... 

☙  Check dates and names from headstones with certificates and other sources. Beware of gravestone "typos" – for example, if a name was added well after the event, or if the deceased’s age was uncertain, the inscription may contain inaccuracies.  

☙  If you’ve photographed headstones, you may decide to upload them to FindAGrave or BillionGraves, along with a transcription of the wording on them. Sharing what you’ve found can connect you with others researching the same families. 

☙  Add what you’ve learned to your records, remembering to use pencil if you haven’t double-checked the information yet. 

☙  Share your findings with your family, especially those relatives you asked for help beforehand. 

Next time, I'll look at how you can tell
the good from the bad on the Internet.

Free Family History Mini-Class 2024: Lesson 4

 

Image by Dmitriy from Pixabay

In this lesson, I take a look at organising the information you find about your family.  This could be on a visit to a record office, a graveyard, or in conversation with a relative.  It may be a good idea to start with what you have at home; for some suggestions on how to go about that, check out my post on shoebox genealogy. Whichever method you choose, you’ll need something to help you make sense of all the details you’ve collected and recorded in your notes. 

To start with, you should decide if you’re going to store your collected data on paper, in electronic format, or both.  

Paper options

☙  A good hard-backed notebook, with a page for each individual or family. The kind with built-in alphabetical index tabs is ideal.

☙  A loose-leaf folder or lever arch file for family sheets, which you can organise by surname or family line. This is a really flexible system - polythene pockets can protect your records and keep related documents together.

☙  Index cards, one per person – but beware, this can grow very rapidly and take up quite a bit of space!

☙  Once things really take off, you may want to splash out and get a filing cabinet.  This is a great method for storing copies of documents as well as your family history notes and charts.

Electronic options

☙  If you’re comfortable using database or spreadsheet programs, you might like to consider adapting an existing package like Access, a cloud-based app such as Google Sheets, or a free office suite of programs. 

☙  Install specialised genealogy computer software on your laptop or PC – check out some of the many free packages available to download.  Take advantage of free trial versions before deciding on one with the features you want.

☙  Use a genealogy website with online tree hosting facilities – and you don’t need to have a paid subscription with them.  In a previous blog post I compare a few of these companies’ free offerings. 

☙  Consider using a mobile app on your phone or tablet, which you can use to check your pedigree while you're on the go. Whether that's at an organised family history event or an informal get-together with relatives, it can be very handy. If you've already shared your tree on one of the big hitters like Ancestry or FamilySearch, downloading their app allows you to sign into your account with them and view your tree. Note: a paid subscription isn't necessary in order to use Ancestry as a tree-hosting site, and all of FamilySearch's tools and resources are free to use.

Next time, I'll look at how to plan and
carry out a cemetery visit in search
of family gravestones.

Free Family History Mini-Class 2024 : Lesson 3

  

Image by inspirexpressmiami from Pixabay

Once you’ve identified the repository that holds the records you need to search, you can start to make preparations for your visit there.

Here are my suggestions for ensuring nothing gets forgotten:

☙      Contact the archive to give them as much advance notice as you can about your visit.  Request an appointment, where necessary, as well as to pre-order any materials that require notice to consult.  Make the most of archive staff's expertise in the records and the local area by asking them for advice regarding your search. 

☙      Make a list of all the records you want to see, alongside the names of the people you hope to find in them, including the reference numbers from the catalogue, to avoid wasting time by having to look them up again - for example, Helen Macpherson, Register of Paupers Admitted into the Easter Ross Union Poorhouse, CRC 8/5/1.

☙      Put together a file or database to take with you that contains details of all the relevant family groups that you will be researching

☙      Review the rules and visitor information on the repository’s website or in their literature to ensure you are properly prepared, for instance...

• Whether you can buy food there or need to take your own, and if there is somewhere on the premises you can eat

• If change is required for lockers or cloakroom - you won't be permitted to take your coat, bags, or food and drink items into the search area. Many archives provide clear plastic carrier bags to allow you to bring essential research kit to your seat

• ID requirements. You may not get into the archive without specific forms of identification, so be sure to take the correct paperwork with you on the day

• If you'll be allowed to plug your laptop in to charge in the search room

☙      Practice some palaeography if you’re going to be consulting records with unfamiliar handwriting styles.  I’ve listed some websites to help with that. 

 ☙     Prepare a research log book or use pre-printed log sheets to keep track of what you find, what you don’t find and, most importantly, which records you’ve searched. This is a good safeguard against re-doing the same work at a future date.   Download and use this ready-made log sheet. 

 

In the next class I'll explore some of the 
options for organising your family information.

Free Family History Mini-Class 2024 : Lesson 2

  

Image by G.C. from Pixabay

In this lesson, you can learn how to identify which record office, archive, or library you need to visit in order to move your research forward.  If you missed Lesson 1, you can catch up here.

To prepare for a visit to an archive...

☙  Do your homework by reading background material on the place and time your ancestors lived in, and find out what types of records they may have generated: for instance, consider court documents, rental rolls for tenants, electoral registers, and school records. 

☙  Use the websites of archives in your ancestors' city, county, or country to learn what kinds of records they hold, and what information those contain.  Specific subject guides are often available to download and study.

☙  Search online catalogues.  Some apply just to individual archives and are found on their websites, while other catalogues such as the UK's National Archives' cover the country as a whole - check out their guide to mining the catalogues.

☙  Be aware that as well as official government records, archives are held by charitable, religious, business, private, and academic organisations.  If you know that your ancestor worked in a specific occupation, for example shipbuilding, you should investigate what relevant archives exist.

☙  Contact the archive(s) you plan to visit if you're not sure what records will help you.  Archive staff are well-versed in the records they hold and can advise you on how to get the most out of them.

☙  Make sure that the documents you want to see will be available at the time of your planned visit.  Some archive records require advance notice to be produced for searching - you should see indicators of this in their catalogue entries.  Records undergoing conservation may also be unavailable, but staff can check this for you.

The next mini-class will focus on practical

preparations to make for your research trip.

If you've a question about this lesson,

just post it in the comments below. 

Free Family History Mini-Class 2024 : Lesson 1

In the first of this series of mini-classes, here are some do’s and don’t’s to remember when writing down your family information: 

☙      Print rather than write – you may like to use block capitals to highlight surnames.

☙      Pick a format and stick with it. For example, if you prefer to put the surname first, be consistent.

☙      Use pencil when adding information to charts, then go over it in black ink (for permanence) once you’ve confirmed it as accurate.

☙      Write names out in full if known – avoid abbreviating for speed’s sake as you may not remember what the abbreviation stands for!

☙      ALWAYS record a married woman’s details using her maiden name, if known. Don’t be tempted to fill in a blank space with her married name, as this will only cause confusion.

☙      Record dates in a clear format – e.g. 8 Oct 1840 rather than 8/10/40 which can be interpreted in more than one way.

☙      Write places with smallest area first – parish, county, country – with any farm names or townships before the parish.

 And to help you get started, here's a family group record you can print off and use as many times as you like.

Follow the the blog by e-mail to make sure you don't miss any of the classes - just use the link in the sidebar.

Please comment below if you have any questions about this lesson!

The next mini-class will cover identifying record sources.

This Week's Frugality

 

Image by Michael Schwarzenberger from Pixabay

Some money-saving suggestions to help you with your family tree:

The Society of Genealogists is offering a free online talk, presented by Else Churchill, on English poll books. 

What are poll books? Find out in an article by Dr James Harris, a Research Associate at Newcastle University. 

Legacy, part of the company MyHeritage, offers a new version of its free family history software to help you organise your tree, store it on your device, and keep it private if you wish. There are a number of other packages available; check out reviews in family tree magazines for up-to-date details about the latest programs.

The National Library of Scotland’s digital “Scotland’s News” Collection consists of 18th, 19th, and early 20th century Scottish publications. Some of the newspapers it contains are the Scots Courant, Caledonian Mercury, Clydebank Leader, and a selection of 1926 titles from around the country.

I’ve recently been in touch with a cousin who has agreed to take a DNA test to find out more about their forebears. It can be helpful if more than one member of an extended family tests – learn more about Connecting with Your Biological Family.

At the moment, you may be able to take advantage of discounted prices on some DNA test kits. The best value as far as I can see are

Ancestry 

and

MyHeritage 

These companies market DNA test kits as Father’s Day gifts. Warning: unexpected parent details may be the result, not necessarily bringing great news to an unsuspecting dad. I think it’s really important to be aware of the potential downsides to these tests’ results. Read about the Pros and Cons of DNA in Genealogy Research. 

Friends and Family History

 

Image by Fuzzy Rescue from Pixabay

The last few months have been full of catching up with friends I haven’t seen for some time, and in one case meeting a former work colleague I’d only ever talked with on Zoom!

While reflecting on these joyful catchups, I realised that although it wasn’t necessarily the origin of our friendships, it was certainly a shared interest. Here are some online family history resources in honour of these friends’ different ancestries. 

Pat

Although she has a variety of ancestral origins, Pat’s maternal roots are firmly in England. A key resource that I’m sure she’s used (I certainly have when researching English relatives) is Online Parish Clerks. Run by volunteers, these focus on specific parishes or counties, listing the whereabouts of records that cover the area. Warwickshire, for instance, has an excellent parish clerk site which gives the addresses of local archives and heritage centres as well as links to online record sources and reference websites. It also explains the OPC scheme and how to get involved, if you’re interested.

Amanda

There aren't many Englishwomen as proud of their Scottish roots as Amanda! She loves the county of Perthshire where her family hale from, which bonds us a bit as my maternal ancestry is from the same area. Keekin for Kin is a downloadable, free booklet produced by Perth & Kinross Council, aimed at those curious about their family tree. It’s beautifully produced and full of helpful pointers. It mentions Perth’s Black Watch Museum, and I can heartily recommend the archive services there – I’ve previously blogged about my experience at https://scotsancestors.blogspot.com/2022/04/on-trail-of-my-military-mcintoshes.html

Julia

American by heritage but Scottish by residence, Julia has recently been thinking a bit about her ancestry. I recommended the FamilySearch website to her, but in retrospect I should also have told her about the U.S. Library of Congress website. It hosts historic newspaper collections which you can search by keyword, as well as maps dating back to at least the Civil War era. Other collections include music, photographs, and moving images. It’s an absolute treasure trove!

Sheila

A proud Londoner, Sheila is slightly related to me by marriage 😁 and is a keen genealogist, which makes her a fantastic relative to have! Layers of London lets you explore the social history of her city, and it’s totally fascinating to look at the places where people used to live. Different aspects like health, housing, crime, industry, and war are highlighted, allowing you to search for a particular place, or just browse a neighbourhood or street through time. Warning: it can take up more of your time than you expect.

Claire

Born and bred in Ireland, Claire doesn’t need me to tell her about any of the available online Irish resources – it’s what she does for a living! However, I’m a bit of a novice when it comes to these, so it’s always a schoolday when I receive Claire’s e-mail newsletter. She shares helpful techniques for tracing Irish genealogy, especially using DNA, and addresses a variety of related topics in her blog. You can catch up with that, and subscribe to her newsletter at https://cbgenealogy.ie.

Oh, and Claire – Shropshire bastardy bonds 😉 

https://www.shropshirearchives.org.uk/blog/finding-old-poor-law-records