Family tree

I agree it is interesting for social history. On my mum’s father’s side, the men were ag labs( agricultural labourers), then helped to build the railways. Others worked down the pits ( coal mines). Girls went into service as maids. In the city, there were framework knitters, then lace makers.

baubles

I waste a lot of hours on various sites without getting very far. My family are Irish and they were poor, there aren’t a lot of records.

We have Irish forebears and a cousin in America tried to do some research. She got only so far but apparently the information on our mutual grandfather was somehow blocked or not available.

I know that the records office in Dublin was destroyed by fire at some point, and wonder if the papers were lost there. The family came from Belfast I think (my father remembered his grandfather had a Belfast accent) but this would be before 1922 before Ireland was divided, so their records may well have been in Dublin.

Only speculation, of course. As I have a cousin each on my mother's side and on my father's side working on it, I won't be starting on this adventure myself.

I do find it fascinating, though.

Family History is so fascinating!

I've discovered a gt-gt-grandfather born in India, who arrived back in England aged 3, following the death of his father in India (Yellow Fever) and the death of his mother (at sea) also from Yellow Fever).

Then I discovered a young woman (gt-gt-aunt) who was imprisoned for theft in 1850, after being 'framed for the theft by her employer/lover' - so lucky not to have been deported!

I've also been able to unravel the story of another gt-gt-aunt - on a different side of the family - who emigrated as a young, single woman (age 19) to the USA. Her family had remained in contact, but she'd never returned and died 10yrs after arriving in the US. My children are now in contact with the next generation - keeping up the family links!

My final 'mystery' involved my dad's 'birth father'. Dad was adopted age 3 after the death of his mother - by his mum's sister and her husband. She had married AFTER giving birth to him, but then died due to pregnancy complications. No record of who his father was, but had a DNA contact from somebody that was completely unknown to me. Talking with this person, the only 'in common' that we have is a surname from the background of my dad's 'Adoptive Father' - a person that there shouldn't be a 'blood connection' with! Looks increasingly as though his mother had an illicit relationship with her brother-in-law prior to giving birth and then married the first convenient man! After her death, her sister adopted my dad while her own husband was serving the the Royal Navy.

I'd never had an interest in Social History until starting all this - but it's the best thing I've ever started doing.

That's strange. The enumerator would surely write down whatever he or she was told (or heard). It wasn't uncommon for people not to know their year of birth or even their true date of birth or what was recorded on their birth certificate (which in itself may not have been true) but a mass of errors sounds very odd indeed.

I have found the 1939 Register very useful for tracing people who cared for early evacuees. I also discovered that my paternal grandmother (who I never knew) had been married four times because each change of name is recorded on the Register.

Hejira Agreed the 1939 Register can be very helpful if accurate as it has dates of birth. However, I have found a lot of them are completely wrong which has made me lose confidence. It has mostly been in Wales, and for some reason the dates of birth were correct but the year of birth was always one year out. Don't ask me why, it's a total mystery. I found numerous entries like that.

Chestnut

The 1921 UK census was taken on 19th June 1921 and will be released on Find My Past in January 2022. The population was less than 40 million and now it's 67 million. The 1931 census was destroyed in a fire in 1942 and there was no 1941 census, so the 1921 is probably the last we'll see in our lifetime.
There is a census this year on 21st March, but I've not heard anything about it yet.

Don't forget the 1939 Register, one of the most useful documents when researching more recent family history.

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/1939-register/

Been doing it for a while and wish I'd spoken to my Grandma when she was alive. Mum's side is trickier as there was a re-marriage and , I think, lots more children with second wife of Grandad on that side! DH is even harder as MiL was born abroad as was DH and SiL's!

Most people will be expected to complete the 2021 census online, though paper copies are going to be available.

The 1921 UK census was taken on 19th June 1921 and will be released on Find My Past in January 2022. The population was less than 40 million and now it's 67 million. The 1931 census was destroyed in a fire in 1942 and there was no 1941 census, so the 1921 is probably the last we'll see in our lifetime.
There is a census this year on 21st March, but I've not heard anything about it yet.

The same reason that is given for everything today kircubbin2000 - the pandemic.

The 1921 Irish census was destroyed. Why would the English one be delayed?

That’s a blow Cabbie on the other hand because it was delayed until June, both of my parents will be on it, they will be young babies as they were both born in the May.

The 1921 census is not out until next year, 2022.

Yorki you could just start with the family that you know ie. aunt, uncles, cousins etc. And your Grandparents. Try Free BMD at first.
Then go on to find Grt Grandparents, then Grt Grt Grandparents, and so on, my Mum and her Father were the youngest children of huge families and TBH there are just so many relatives that I gave up and just tracked down the information of Grandparents, when I’ve done that ( still so many brick walls and I’m back on some to the early 1700s). I’ll probably go to their brothers and sisters.
It’s kept me busy for years.
However the 1921 Census should be out this year which will be a great help to find more recent relatives.

Yorki

I would like to start searching my family tree, but the complexity is putting me off. You see I don't understand how it works when its all drawn up to look like the family tree. There's bits branching off here there and everywhere, I can't get to grips with it. I would find it really frustrating, but I wish I could find out more in a way that I could understand.

Family history is much more than just a tree when you start looking at the people's lives, the area they lived, their work, where they worshipped etc. But you have to start with a tree. You don't need to draw up your own tree though. Create an Ancestry account (free) and enter yourself, parents and siblings to start with, and it creates the tree for you. Then add grandparents and start searching for records (pay for that). Add new people as you go along and the tree will grow. Just check what you're entering is correct. Your tree is free because Ancestry allows you to enter information, but you have to pay if you want them to give you information.

My grandfather died on the kitchen table during an operation. He left 10 children and I'd love to know how they managed but my mother never talked about her childhood.We did meet a cousin after my aunt's death but he was not friendly as her will was not in his favour.

I have been researching my family for years. However one thing stands out in my family, they did not talk about death. So wishing I had asked before they died might not have helped.
My Mother told us about her Father, my grand father, who was killed in WW1 on the first day of the battle of the Somme. But what has amazed us was that she never mentioned that she had a brother who died of appendicitis when she was 12. This was long before the advent of the NHS and as he died in hospital they must have had to pay for his treatment. The family all thought she and her sister were the only children of her parents marriage, Also her Father volunteered to serve in the Manchester Pals regiment in December 1914, when the unknown brother was only a month old. Also, due to my grandfathers age, over 30, he could have claimed exemption in the early days of the war.

My mother never talked about her childhood but have an impression it was pretty grim. Over the last couple of years I have been on Ancestry and together with a cousin have found out all sorts of stuff. Turns out my maternal grandmother was married, had two children and then, somehow, ended up in a Poor House and had two more by ‘unknown father’. She then met my grandfather and had five more. They weren’t married until mum was 12. Mum never mentioned any of this except she told us her father had been married before and widowed. The only problem with searching out family trees is that the more you discover, the more people there are!

Family research can debunk family myths. My mother used to tell me in awestruck tones that she'd heard that she had an unknown relative who lived in Bournemouth, was really wealthy and had a huge house which boasted a music room. In the course of my trawls through records, I stumbled across this tycoon---he was a greengrocer who, yes, lived in Bournemouth, in a 3 bed semi and had a lodger in the front room who was a piano teacher.

grannie7. I see Liljan has kindly responded to your question.
There is a wealth of information free on Scotland’s People. If you need to see an actual record you buy credits at £7.50 for 30. A marriage certificate is 6 credits so £1.50 which is extremely reasonable. You have 2 years to use your credits.

grannie7

Esspee
Hi I have just gone on Scotland’s People and it’s asking me to pay for credits.
I thought you said it was free [I was researching my Scottish ancestors],but it’s not I initially thought it was a different site from the one I had used a long time ago but couldn’t afford the fees,but it’s the same one.
I am confused are you referring to a different site with a similar name.
I would happily pay for a years subscription but they way they do it’s just too much as in the past my credits have run out before I could use them up.

Scotland’s People has a wealth of information which you can access free of charge, buying credits allows you to view and download documents, I’ve never had credits removed. Yes it’s addictive...Happy hunting everyone.

I would like to start searching my family tree, but the complexity is putting me off. You see I don't understand how it works when its all drawn up to look like the family tree. There's bits branching off here there and everywhere, I can't get to grips with it. I would find it really frustrating, but I wish I could find out more in a way that I could understand.

My dad did a lot of research and I’ve carried on a bit more, records are lost for years back but we spread out.
DH and I started his and discovered his parents never married and that he probably has an older half brother - it’s not always things you want to know that you find!!

Thanks Grandmabeach. I think I will go for it and do the DNA test. You never know!

Esspee. My niece married a Bajan and lives in Barbados.. Now has seven grandchildren. when I was able I visited her every year but had to give up when I was in my eighties and arthritis made it impossible.