Three Hints for English ResearchBy Connie LenzenAn article published in the 20 May 2004 issue of the Vancouver Columbian. |
With English research, we have an advantage over other foreign research. We do not need to learn a new language. However, it is still hard to locate records when we don't know what is available.
First hint: Mark Howells, husband of Cyndi of Cyndislist.com, wrote a guide to doing English research by using the resources of the Family History Library. Find it at http://www.oz.net/~markhow/uksearch.htm.
Second hint: If you are researching families who were in England in 1881, the first stop should be the LDS website, www.familysearch.org. You can either access it at home on your computer, or you can go to a Family History Center and use their computers.
The "Census" search option that is included in the "Search People" section includes the 1881 British Census.
Alfred Wilby, my daughter-in-law's immigrant ancestor, was born in 1867 in Heckmondyke, Yorkshire, England. At least, that is what we were told by a Wilby cousin.
The 1881 census shows a listing for a 14-year-old Alfred Wilby, born in Heckmondyke. He had brothers Fred, Frank, William, and Jonathan. These are all names that run in my daughter-in-law's Wilby family.
The 1881 census gives the name of the birth town for each person. It also gives the microfilm number for the census. That means the film can be ordered at the Family History Center and a copy of the page that contains the Wilby family can be made.
Third hint: The Public Record Office in England has scanned thousands of documents from their archives. The website is at http://www.pro.gov.uk/online/docsonline.htm.
Over one million wills that were submitted to the Prerogative Court of Canterbury from 1384 to 1858 are included in the online collection.
There are a number of Wilby wills that have been scanned, but the only Yorkshire person was Elizabeth, the widow of Richmond Wilby. More research would need to be done to determine if she is a family member.
Wills of famous English men and women have been scanned. William Shakespeare's five-page will was submitted to the court on June 22, 1616. The handwriting is in a script that we no longer use and takes a bit of pondering to decipher. It is amazing to think that something that is almost 400 years old has been preserved, scanned, and is available for us to view on the Internet.
© 2004
Connie Lenzen, CG
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