Newsletter – 10th
November 2022
From Remembrance to Thanksgiving
TOTALLY FREE access to Findmypast ENDS 10AM MONDAY
Masterclass: How to get the most from
Findmypast
Society of Genealogists finds new home
Queen Elizabeth’s driving licence sold at auction
Adultery, Bigamy, or Calumny: the ABC of genealogy
Baby reunited with family after 40 years
The LostCousins
newsletter is usually published 2 or 3 times a month. To access the previous issue
(dated 31st October 2022) click here; to find earlier articles use the customised Google search between
this paragraph and the next (it searches ALL of the newsletters since February 2009,
so you don't need to keep copies):
To go to the main
LostCousins website click the logo at the top of this newsletter. If you're not
already a member, do join - it's FREE, and you'll get an email to alert you
whenever there's a new edition of this newsletter available!
From Remembrance to Thanksgiving
Armistice
Day is 11th November, commemorating the signing of the armistice in
1918, but since 1956 Remembrance Day has been fixed in the UK as the second
Sunday of November – falling just before Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday in
November), when Americans remember an important landmark in their history.
This
year Remembrance Day falls on Sunday 13th November, and it’s usual
for the big subscription websites to make their military records available free
(as Ancestry did earlier this week). However this year Findmypast have gone further,
offering free access to almost all of their records…...
TOTALLY FREE access to Findmypast ENDS 10AM
MONDAY
From
10am (London time) today until 10am on Monday 14th November
Findmypast are offering FREE access to ALL of their records other than the 1921
Census. In other words, it’s a 4-day free trial of their Pro subscription,
which until this time last month was their top subscription.
There’s
no catch. Unlike other free trials you won’t have to provide payment details,
nor will you have to cancel before the end of the trial. And you won’t be
excluded if you’ve taken a free trial before – this offer is open to all (though
if you have a Pro or Ultimate subscription you’ll already have access to the
records). Please use the relevant link below:
Please
note that ALL four of the websites provide access to the same records. But with
billions of records and newspaper articles to search and only 96 hours in which
to do it, how can you make the best use of your time? Start by reading the next
article…..
Masterclass: How to get the most from
Findmypast
From
time to time I’m contacted by readers who don't get the same excellent results
as me when they search at Findmypast – so I'm going to tell you how I transform
their searches….
The
first thing you need to appreciate is that there are two ways of searching at
genealogy websites. One is to enter lots of data on the Search form in the hope
that some of it might lead to the record you're looking for – this type of
search can work well at Ancestry, where it typically produces lots of results
(though most of them won't be relevant).
The
other approach is to put the minimum amount of information on the Search form,
see how many results you get and – only if there are too many results to glance
through – filter the results so that you're only left with those that are most
relevant. This type of search works best at Findmypast.
Because
I'm so busy I prefer the second type of search – most of the time the record
I'm looking for is on the first page of search results, so I get there very
quickly. I even cheat by using wildcards rather than type long surnames in full
– this has the secondary benefit of sometimes picking up records that might
otherwise have been missed.
How
minimal should your searches be? If I'm searching the census I'll typically
enter just a forename, a surname (possibly using wildcards), and an approximate
year of birth. I rarely enter a place of birth as this tends to vary so much
from one census to another, but when I do I enclose it in wildcards, eg
*London*
Different
surnames require different tactics. The surname Smith is very unlikely to be
spelled differently or mistranscribed – but you are likely to get lots of
results, so you'll need to narrow your search in some way. By contrast, when
I'm searching for my Vandepeer ancestors I'm more concerned about misspellings
than anything else, so I'll typically search for v*d*p*r* and leave the other
boxes empty.
Tip: even as you’re
filling in the search form Findmypast are looking to see how many records they
have that match what you have typed so far; a running total is displayed on the
Search button so you'll know when there's no point entering any more
information.
Put
these tips into practice and you'll immediately see the difference. But don't
stop reading, because I've got another, even more important, tip for you – one
that even Findmypast won't tell you!
Did
you realise that at Findmypast there can be three or more ways of searching for
the same historical record? Would you like to know which of those three ways I
use myself? Yes, I thought so…..
The
gateway to all of the different approaches is the Search menu:
Let's
suppose that you were hoping to find one of your ancestors in the 1881 Census -
you could choose Search all records,
or narrow down your search by clicking on Census,
land & surveys. But I wouldn't choose either of those options - I'd go
to the precise record set I'm interested in by clicking All record sets, the option beginners are least likely to choose
(but the one I use 99% of the time). Choosing All record sets allows me
to find out what record sets Findmypast has which are relevant to my research.
Why
do I search specific record sets, rather than starting with a wider search,
then homing in? Because it's usually the only way to access some of the key
search options. For example, when I search the 1881 Census directly the Search
form offers an enormous amount of choice:
But
over half the fields - the ones I've highlighted in red - don't appear on the
Search form when you choose Census, land
& surveys. So do what I do - whenever possible focus in on the specific
record set of interest, whether it's a census, a collection of baptism
registers for a specific county, or one of the hundreds of other record sets.
Tip: one of the secondary
benefits of using this approach is that you'll get to know the records better.
Because they come from many different sources there are all sorts of quirks -
for example, some parish register transcriptions will be very detailed, others
very basic.
Here's
a table of links that will enable you to jump straight to some of the key
resources at Findmypast without going through the Search menu (all searches are
free, so you don't need a subscription unless you want to look at the records
themselves, though you will need to register or log-in):
|
1881 British census (FREE transcription) |
|
1939
Register (England & Wales) |
*
these links will take you to the baptisms for the county – from there you can
easily access other records
Note: there are a few
record sets which currently can't be found by searching in the way I've
described; for example, if you're looking for the Chelsea pensioner records
you'll find them under British Army Service Records because Findmypast have
grouped together all army service records. Other instances reported to me in the
past involve Australian cemetery records.
Finally,
another useful tip - one that even regular users of Findmypast frequently miss.
When you search an individual dataset you'll see a list of Useful links & resources to the bottom right of the page - and
when the records in question are parish records there will usually be a link to
a page with a list of parishes that are included, showing the dates that are
covered.
Society
of Genealogists finds new home
The
Society of Genealogists has been looking for a new home for some time. My
advice was to choose a location out of London with good rail connections – but,
perhaps understandably, they’ve decided to stay in the capital.
I
haven’t been to Wharf Road in Islington since 1976, when I had lunch with the Royle
family – and no, I haven’t made a spelling mistake! The Royle family I dined
with owned a printing firm which was a well-known publisher of greetings cards
(though they also printed company annual reports, which was the reason I was
there). You can find out a little more about Royle here.
It
is anticipated that the SoG will re-open on their new site next summer.
Queen
Elizabeth’s driving licence sold at auction
In
1945 the young Princess Elizabeth was serving with the Auxiliary Territorial
Service (ATS) when she was issued with a provisional driving licence. This week
it was auctioned for £6800, several times the pre-sale estimate – you can see
it here.
Adultery,
Bigamy, or Calumny: the ABC of genealogy
The best articles in this newsletter aren’t written by me, but by
readers with a story to tell. And what a story this one turned out to be!
I have just re-read an article from the 18th February
edition of Peter’s newsletter. Entitled All about
Eva, it describes how Jane in Australia made some fascinating discoveries
thanks to a potent combination of diligent research and good fortune.
I was particularly struck by the comment made in the first sentence
‘If the ancestors want to be found, they will reveal
themselves’ – because I too have had an interesting experience where I
had the distinct impression that my ancestor ‘wanted
to be found’.
But first let me give you some background:
|
1810 |
My great-great-great grandfather, William ADAMS, was born in
Great Bowden, just outside Market Harborough in Leicestershire |
|
1833 |
William ADAMS married Ann WEST in East Farndon, just across the
border in Northamptonshire |
|
1834-1839 |
Three sons are born: William Henry in 1834, Frederick in 1838
and Charles (my great-great grandfather) in 1839 |
|
1841 |
The family are recorded living in Market Harborough, where
William was working as a hairdresser |
|
1851 |
William ADAMS is in Manchester working as a hairdresser and
living with Ann and two young daughters: Frances I (or possibly Frances J) aged
5 and born Kettering, and Elizabeth aged 2 and born Coventry; however his
sons William Henry, Frederick, and Charles (my ancestor) were not at home |
|
1861 |
My great-great grandfather Charles ADAMS is living in Barnsbury,
London with his widowed mother, recorded as Ann HARRIS aged 43 and shown as born
in East Farndon, Northamptonshire |
That’s pretty much all I knew: try as I might, I could never find
a death for William ADAMS, nor a marriage for Ann ADAMS to a Mr HARRIS. Nor for
that matter, any record of their three boys in the intervening years, other than
a possible 1851 census entry for young Frederick in Lambeth, south London, but
that seemed a bit unlikely, so I had simply noted it and moved on.
And that is where it was left until a few weeks ago, when the
unexpected happened! One Sunday evening in late September I was looking at my Ancestry
DNA matches and typed a name from my paternal side into the search box. The closest
match that came up wasn't particularly promising as that individual was shown to
be connected to my maternal side, but I decided to have a look anyway, as I do
have other crossovers in my tree.
When looking at the tree of my match I came across a William
GREEN. I am not aware of anyone in my family with the surname GREEN so have no
idea why I even bothered to look at his profile, but I am so glad I did!!!!!
I noticed that William GREEN had been born in the same village as
my 3G grandfather William ADAMS – and only a year later. This seemed like an
interesting coincidence and out of curiosity I looked at the 1861 census the
tree owner had linked to. This showed William GREEN living in Bradford – but nothing
could have prepared me for the maelstrom of mental and physical feelings that
nearly overwhelmed me when I looked at that record!
© Crown Copyright Image reproduced by courtesy of The
National Archives and with the kind permission of Findmypast
Not only was this William GREEN born about the same year and in
the same place as my ancestor, he was also shown as a hairdresser – hardly a
common occupation.
I then looked at the rest of the family. The eldest daughter was
Frances Jane GREEN, aged 15 and born in Kettering – could this possibly be the
same person I’d found on the 1851 Census? Remember that William ADAMS, hairdresser
was living in Manchester and his eldest daughter was Frances I (or J) ADAMS aged
5 and born Kettering.
The next shock came when I realised that the two younger children,
Sarah GREEN age 10 and Walter GREEN aged 7 1854, were both born in Manchester –
where my ancestor had been in 1851.
It took me a while to recompose myself and my first coherent thought
was that I needed to get someone else to look at this. The first person I
thought of was Peter Calver as I felt confident he would quickly cut to the
chase and let me know if I was building castles in the air, or whether there
was any realistic possibility that William GREEN and William ADAMS could be the
same person.
Peter responded to my email quite quickly and had clearly done
some sleuthing himself: he agreed that on the face of it, it seemed very likely
to be the same person.
He added some of his own research too: searching the GRO’s online
birth index [so pleased they made this enhanced index available!] he had found
a birth registration in Q4 1845 for Frances Jane GREEN born Kettering to a
mother whose maiden name was PALMER. He had also found Walter ADAMS Q3 1854,
Manchester to a PALMER mother. In addition he had found an Elizabeth GREEN born
Q3 1849 Coventry, again with a PALMER mother.
© Crown Copyright Image reproduced by courtesy of The
National Archives and with the kind permission of Findmypast
Elizabeth was particularly significant as in the 1851 Census
William ADAMS had a daughter age 1 who was born in Coventry – but there was no
matching birth registration for an Elizabeth ADAMS.
William GREEN [1861] and William ADAMS [1851] surely must be the
same person. But who on earth was the PALMER mother? And why did my ancestor
change his name – was he running away from something?
I was also faced with the possibility that the Ann ADAMS living
with my 3G grandfather in Manchester in 1851 was not my 3G grandmother. As you
can see above, that census showed her birthplace as Kettering – not East Farndon, where
my 3G grandparents had married. East Farndon was also given as the birthplace of
Ann HARRIS in 1861:
© Crown Copyright Image reproduced by courtesy of The
National Archives and with the kind permission of Findmypast
Of course, census birthplaces are a notorious source of errors –
and Kettering is only 13 miles from East Farndon. Nevertheless, it was another ‘red
flag’.
If William ADAMS and William GREEN were the same person, did this
mean that my 3G grandfather was a bigamist? And why was my 3G grandmother going
by the name HARRIS in 1861 – was she also a bigamist?
To find out more meant waiting for copies of the birth
registrations – and so, like me, you’ll have to wait until the next instalment
to discover what happened next!
Many thanks to Berry for involving me in her research and allowing
me to publish the story – look out for part 2 in the next issue of the
LostCousins Newsletter.
Please
use the relevant link below so that you have a chance of supporting LostCousins
when you make your purchase (if you’re not taken to the offer page first time,
log-out from your Ancestry account then click the link again).
Ancestry.co.uk
(UK only) – REDUCED FROM £79 to £59
Ancestry.com.au
(Australia and New Zealand only) – REDUCED FROM $129 to $89
Ancestry.ca
(Canada only) – REDUCED FROM $129 to $79
Ancestry.com
(US only) – SAVE $40
Ancestry.de
(Germany) – REDUCED FROM €69 to €59
Tip:
remember to follow the advice in my DNA
Masterclass – just reading it isn’t enough, you have to actually do what it
says (and you can start while you’re waiting for your results!)
Baby
reunited with family after 40 years
More than 40 years ago an unidentified couple were found murdered
in a wooded area of Houston. DNA enabled the couple to be named – which
prompted their family to ask what happened to their baby.
You can read all about this heart-warming story in this online article.
We genealogists think of DNA as a tool for researching our ancestors,
but in Queensland,
Australia police are hoping that DNA will help them identify a
killer whose victim died in a hotel room in 1982. You can read more about this
story here.
Talking
of catching killers using DNA, the latest novel from Nathan Dylan Goodwin (one
of my favourite 
living authors), is The
Sawtooth Slayer.
Whilst
it’s only the second book in the Venator Cold Case series – about a small
company that specialises in using genetic genealogy to identify murderers, rapists,
and victims – I’m already getting to know the main characters quite well.
The
story is set during the early days of the COVID pandemic, and the Venator team
are working from home – a factor that complicates things for them, but makes
life easier for the reader. Another factor that makes this book different from
the series opener is that Madison Scott-Barnhart, the boss of Venator, is faced
with a critical decision – should the team take on a live case, one in which
the survival of a serial killer’s next victim could well depend on their ability
to identify the perpetrator?
I
can’t reveal her decision, but I can tell you that once you start reading you
won’t want to stop – though that’s what I’ve come to expect from this author.
Highly recommended!
Amazon.co.uk Amazon.com Amazon.ca Amazon.com.au
Note:
Amazon UK have chosen two books from the Forensic Genealogist series for their
Kindle Monthly Deal – during November you can purchase Hiding the Past and The Foundlings for just 99p each!
As
I was finalising this newsletter I heard Mike Batt – progenitor of The Wombles
– being interviewed on Boom Radio, an upstart radio station which plays a lot
of music that I enjoyed in my youth (and still do).
He
named Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water as one of the tracks
he most admired. I’ve always been a fan of Simon & Garfunkel (and had the
privilege of seeing them perform in Hyde Park in 2004), but for me the track
will always be associated with an article I wrote for the Southampton
University magazine in 1972, in the middle of a long sit-in organised by the
Students Union.
I
didn’t choose the headline, but if I tell you that I played for the university bridge
team you might be able to figure out what it was…..
This is where any major updates and corrections will be
highlighted - if you think you've spotted an error first reload the newsletter
(press Ctrl-F5) then
check again before writing to me, in case someone else has beaten you to
it......
Peter Calver
Founder, LostCousins
© Copyright 2022 Peter Calver
Please do NOT copy or republish any part of this newsletter without permission - which is only granted in the most exceptional circumstances. However, you MAY link to this newsletter or any article in it without asking for permission - though why not invite other family historians to join LostCousins instead, since standard membership (which includes the newsletter), is FREE?
Many of
the links in this newsletter and elsewhere on the website are affiliate links –
if you make a purchase after clicking a link you may be supporting LostCousins
(though this depends on your choice of browser, the settings in your browser,
and any browser extensions that are installed). Thanks for your support!