Family History For All

Emigrants from England to North America After 1776

2012-05-22T17:04:00.000+01:00

Another article from my monthly newsletter. Get your own copy here.

Emigrants from England to North America After 1776 © Lorine McGinnis Schulze

The Public Record Office in Kew, England holds records regarding emigration to Canada, and some for the United States of America. The chief sources of information are the records of the Colonial Office, and those of the Board of Trade and the Treasury.

Modern records of the Board of Trade can give assistance in tracing emigrants. The sea going Passenger Lists, Outwards (BT 27), from 1890 to 1960, contain the names of the persons leaving the United Kingdom from ports within England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland for final destinations outside of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea.

The lists are arranged under the names of the ports of departure. Many lists earlier in date than 1890 were destroyed by order of the Board in 1900, but a few escaped destruction and are included in this series.
Records of the Colonial Office
Colonial Office records mainly deal with the North American colonies which later became Canada. The following records are available:

Colonial Office: Emigration Original Correspondence, 1817 to 1851 (CO 384 ) includes letters from settlers, or prospective settlers
Entry Books, 1815 to 1833 (CO 385 ) has names of settlers
Land and Emigration Commission papers, 1840 to 1876 (CO 386 ) also has names.
Colonies, General: Original Correspondence (CO 323 )give some details of land grants and applications.
Entry Books (CO 324 , 1662 to 1872, and CO 381 , 1835 to 1872) give some details of land grants and applications.

The following correspondence for North America has emigration records:

CO 6 , British North America Original Correspondence, 1816 to 1868
CO 326 , General Registers, 1633 to 1849
CO 327 , British North America Emigration Registers, 1850 to 1863
CO 328 , British North America General Registers (including emigration 1864 to 1868)
CO 329 , British North America Registers of Out-letters, 1872 to 1880

Records of the Treasury

Correspondence of the Treasury, to 1920, is in T 1 , Treasury: Papers. Registers in T 2 , T 3 , and T 4 , and indexes in T 108 , show colonial business handled by the Treasury, and include references to individuals in the colonies or planning to emigrate.

The following records contain references to America.

Treasury: General Out-letter Books, 1668 to 1920 (T 27 )
Minute Books, 1667 to 1870 (T 29 and T 99 )
Entry Books of Royal Warrants, 1667 to 1857 (T 52 )
Entry Books of Warrants relating to the Payment of Money, 1676 to 1839 (T 53 )
Entry Books of Warrants concerning Appointments, Crown Leases and other, 1667 to 1849 (T 54)
Order Books, 1667 to 1831 (T 60 )

Records of the Foreign Office

Passport Registers, 1795 to 1898 (FO 610 ) contain entries, in chronological and numerical order, of the names, destinations and referees of all those who applied for passports. Indexes of names in FO 611 give the date of issue and serial number of each passport (1851 to 1862, and 1874 to 1898).
Records of the Board of Trade

Board of Trade Outwards Passenger Lists, 1890 to 1960 (BT 27 ) are lists of passengers leaving the United Kingdom by sea, arranged by date and port of departure. The name, age, occupation and place of residence of each passenger is given. Lists earlier than 1890 no longer exist.

Registers of Passenger Lists, 1906 to 1951, are held in BT 32 . Before 1920 they give, under the different ports, the names of ships and the month of arrival and departure. After 1920 the exact date of arrival and departure is recorded. Before 1908 the registers relate only to the ports of Southampton, Bristol and Weymouth.
Other Record Sources
Privy Council Registers, 1540 to 1978 (PC 2 ) contain entries about the colonies as well as petitions and letters of people going there or already resident there. Also see the Calendar of Acts of the Privy Council of England, Colonial Series, 1613 to 1783.

Audit Office Declared Accounts, 1779 to 1827 (AO 1 ) include references to the pensions and allowances paid to emigrants, American loyalists and others in the colonies, as do the Declared and Passed Accounts, 1803 to 1848 (AO 2 ), which also give lists of establishments in some of the colonies. The Various Accounts, 1539 to 1886 (AO 3 ) list the names of some individual settlers.
TS 12 , 1675 to 1921, West Jersey Society Records relate to tracts of land in West and East Jersey, Pennsylvania, New England and elsewhere, divided up as shares of the company. The records contain names in the original correspondence, minute books, registers of shares, original deeds, and papers about claims.
Ministry of Health Poor Law Union Papers, 1834 to 1890 (MH 12 ) include material about parish-assisted emigration under the New Poor Law of 1834, arranged alphabetically under county and union. Correspondence between the General Board of Health and the Colonial Land and Emigration Commissioners, 1853 to 1854, is in MH 13/252 , and between the Poor Law Authorities and the Emigration Commissions, 1836 to 1876, in MH 19/22 .

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Disclaimer: Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information on The Olive Tree Genealogy pages, all transcriptions are subject to human error, and researchers should always check the original source of any list.

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How Censuses Work and How They Can Help You

2012-05-21T16:54:00.000+01:00

Here's a great article by Isla Campbell on using the census. Taken from a copy of my newsletter. If you would like to receive your own copy of my newsletter, click here

How Censuses Work and How They Can Help You - By Isla Campbell

The history of the census is a long one, but in its most recent incarnation, the census that is performed in the UK is utilised for a number of tasks. Primarily, it acts as a way to count the population. This is what the census has always been for -- a way to accurately record how many people there are in the country, who has died and who has been born. In the last century, the census has been amended to include more information, such as relationship between household members, religion and other details. However, these cannot be accessed by the public due to the 100 year rule which does not allow members of the public to see any records in the last century. Since 2011 is a census year, 1911 has just been made accessible.

The 100 year rule doesn't really stop people from having access to many excellent resources when tracing their family trees. Censuses going back to 1841 include information on the names of people in households (after this it sadly records just numbers). From 1851 onwards, the people were not only named but their relationship to the ‘head of the house' was also listed, meaning you can see whether or not they were related to the head of the house or worked as a servant. Censuses also recorded the ages of citizens, though these were not always accurate: the age was frequently rounded down to the nearest five years. Still, this means that ages are at least a close approximation.

Censuses can be highly useful when attempting to trace one's ancestors. If you have names, locations, ages or any other information then you can search through census databases and find your ancestors' entries recorded into the census. This is a fantastic resource that thousands of people have turned to in the tracing of their family tree, and is one that can only be expected to get better in the future as every upcoming census strives to be more informative than the last.

One thing that you should remember, however, is that although censuses are impressively accurate in the recording of population numbers, census takers weren't always as thorough when recording birthplaces: sometimes, the place of birth was written as the place the census was taken when this may not be correct, so bear this in mind when using censuses to help you trace your ancestors.

Using a census is an excellent source to help you trace your ancestors and a wonderful addition to the many resources you will also be using in your hunt.

Isla Campbell writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

About the Author
As a fan of article content and as a professional working for a digital marketing agency, Isla Campbell hopes you enjoyed her article but urges you to treat it as corporate content with business interests in mind. Click here to view more articles by Isla Campbell.

How I got started (In Family History) by John Lindley

2012-05-20T13:33:00.000+01:00

Here's a nice post from John Lindley originally posted in my newsletter a few years ago where John explains how he got started with his family history

How I got started by John Lindley http://www.lindleyancestry.co.uk/ How I got started Meaning and Origin of LINDLEY.

When I was boy I thought how unusual my surname was, not only was I the only boy in my class with that name, but I was the only boy in the whole school.

I asked my father about this and he said that although he was born in Conisborough my Grandfather was not. He said he was born at either Hunslet or at Thornhill Lees. He was not sure.

When I became interested in family history I decided to find the meaning of the name and its origins. I did this by looking at surname books such as the one by George Redmonds-about 1973 – now out of print, it covered surnames in Yorkshire-mainly the West Riding. The name originates from 2 places in Yorkshire called Lindley, one at Huddersfield and one at Otley. The LIND part means Lime Tree and the LEY part means clearing- so Lime Tree Clearing.

FAMILY Information. By this I mean, speak to relatives in your family – interview them! You may say that you have never interviewed anyone in your life, but I say that you interview people every day – You may ask your husband or wife ‘how they have gone on at work’? or your children ‘how they have gone on at school’? You are asking them questions and you get answers -(sometimes) Some questions to ask your relatives:-
   1 Where and on what date you were born?
   2 Do you know if and where you were Christened/Baptised
   3 When were you married and where?
   4 Have you got your marriage certificate?
   5 Where did you work?
   6 What are/were your parent names? Include middle names and maiden names
   7 Do you have any old Photographs of the family?
   8 Do you have any old documents or certificates?

These are just a few of the questions you can ask, there are many more. With this information in mind I asked my parents all about themselves and got lots of information, writing it all down for later use. So I now knew some detail about my parents and also about my Grandparents on both sides, but be warned, only try one side of the family at a time when new to FH.

As I have said my father mentioned that my grandfather (who died in 1955) had come from either Hunslet, near. Leeds or Thornhill Lees, near Dewsbury and that he had been a Glass Blower at the KILNER glass works at Conisborough. At the local library I came across 3 very useful books, namely books that helped

1. COAL MINERS, GLASS WORKERS AND POTTERS A profile of the DENABY area from 1801 – 1871 By J E MacFarlane MA
2. Tracing your Family Tree By jean Cole and Michael Armstrong
3. Family History and Local History By David Hey

The Book on COAL MINERS, GLASS and POTTERY was my first real clue to finding my ancestors. The book shows the 1871 census for Mexborough, Denaby and Conisborough and lists all those who worked in the Mines, Glassworks and Potteries. I went straight to the GLASS workers and found 3 LINDLEY’S WILLIAM, JOHN and JAMES. John and James were from HUNSLET and William was from ALLERTON BYWATER Hunslet was the place my father had mentioned to me, so I knew I was on the right track, but Allerton Bywater had not been mentioned.

THE CENSUS The census started in 1801, but it was not until 1841 that the records contained any personal details and not until 1851 did it include place of birth, relationship to Head and marital status. It is one hundred years before the census information is released so the 1901 census will not be available until 2001. Armed with the information from the book I decided to look at the1881 census for Conisborough and Denaby. I found the family living at the Glass House Houses at KILNER BROS glass works, on the 1881 CD's the name was down as 'Findley' so watch out for misspellings.

The Glass works is now part of the site of the EARTH centre at Conisborough. The head of the family was my Great Grandmother MARY ANNE LINDLEY widow, and 2 children, my Grandfather and his sister LILLEY. My grandfather WILLIAM HENRY was 16 and at the glass works as an apprentice glass blower, and LILLEY was down as a scholar, I checked her out and found out she went the local BOARD school at Mexborough some 4 miles away- these school records are at the Doncaster Archives. My great grandfather must have died prior to the census, so, I decided to check in two places, the PARISH RECORDS of Conisborough St Peters at Doncaster archives and the SOUTH YORKSHIRE TIMES newspaper available at the local library. Both came up with the answer, my great grandfather who was WILLIAM LINDLEY- the 3rd person mentioned in the COAL MINERS, GLASS and POTTERS book, had died in JUNE 1880. I then checked the 1871 census and found the family living at the same address, but with William as the HEAD and from ALLERTON BYWATER (this was mentioned in the COAL MINERS, GLASS and POTTERS book) with quite a few children.

Some of the children came from THORNHILL LEES near DEWSBURY. This was the clue that my father had given me, in fact that is where my grandfather was born in 1865. I next checked the 1861 census for Thornhill Lees and again found the family there, some of the children were born as early as 1854,and my great Grandfather William Lindley was down as a Glass Worker at the KILNER glass works at Thornhill Lees. The next step was to check the 1851 census at HUNSLET- LEEDS, these was available at the Leeds Central library. The family were there, wife Mary Anne, Mother in law Anne Edwards- widow and 3 children, John, James and; a William- a child by a former marriage. This meant that William Lindley had been married before – but when? The child William was 10 and worked at the FLAX Mill in Hunslet. I checked the marriages in the LEEDS area at the archives at Sheepscar and found that William my Gt Grandfather had married a JANE LISTER in 1846 at Leeds St Peter. So Jane had died between that date and the 1851 (Census). Checking the burial register for Hunslet I found Jane had died in late 1849 of Cholera (an epidemic in Leeds at this time) and that William had married Mary Anne Edwards in the March of 1850 and a few weeks later had given birth their first child, which meant that Mary Anne was pregnant before Jane had died! The child William I found was baptised William Lister at Swillington – no father’s name mentioned on the Birth Certificate, the young William took the name of Lindley - we shall never know the true father.

So up to now I had verified the book details which contained the 1871 census of Conisbrough. THE IGI The IGI is an INDEX as you know and is a very good guide, but at times not all that reliable. I soon discovered that the name LINDLEY was very common, particularly in West Yorkshire. My Great Grandfather was from Allerton Bywater according to the census records, so I looked for a William Lindley at Allerton Bywater and could not find one.

I discovered by visiting Allerton Bywater, that the church there was not built until about the 1850’s. The parish church people used was before that date was KIPPAX. Re checking the IGI and Registers ,I found a William Lindley Baptised at KIPPAX in January 1814, and the fathers name was JOHN and he was from Allerton Bywater, a farmer (this occupation was also on William’s marriage cert’) I found 2 more children Ann and Luke and then no more.

Looking at the Burial Register again I discovered that John died at the age of 31 in 1819, this then gave me a clue to his birth date. John was married to a MARY according to the registers. When did John get married? and where? I found the marriage at Leeds St Peter in 1813 and the marriage was a Licence marriage- and that the Mary was a Mary Coldwell. Marriage Bonds and Allegations Licence marriages can be most helpful, a copy of the marriage BOND (not the licence) may be available for Yorkshire at the Borthwick Institute at York. These documents often give valuable information, such as age, occupation and consent if a minor. Printed books of 'Marriage Bonds and Allegations are available from the Borthwick and currently start at 1715 and go through to 1837 in several volumes. These books are available for purchase. They would be an excellent research tool at the society's workshops as each volume has several hundred entry's.

I then checked the Kippax Baptism records and found that John was Baptised in 1788 and that his father was a WILLIAM further checks in the register revealed several more children, but none after 1788. Looking further back I found no more Lindley’s at Kippax only in the early 1600’s.

With the aid of the IGI and Registers I found the family again at CASTLEFORD and traced them back to the 1650’s. The Castleford Registers do not exist before 1650, and the Bishops Transcripts are very scarse before 1650.. Marriages and an important find I discovered something strange about the marriage of William Lindley of Allerton Bywater who was born in 1744 at Castleford and married in 1777 at Castleford to a Betty Hippon, it was a Licence marriage- The marriage bond said that Betty had the consent of her father Mr George Hippon. I thought the insertion of MR was a little strange and soon discovered that it was a Gentleman family and that it was referred to as MR in many documents of that period. 7

The Hippon's were from Featherstone, and looking in the Featherstone Registers I soon found the family going back to the start of the registers. This is where my interest in Heraldry comes in, I decided to look at the VISITATION books, these are books in printed form. They are copy's of the Heralds visits from the College of arms in London to various counties, starting in about 1524. The visitations took place at random intervals usually every 30 to 40 years. They stopped in the 1680's and they recorded the gentlemen families and families of higher society up to the level of Duke's I found the Hippons who were in fact an Heraldic family and their pedigree is well documented as far back as the 1400's Land Tax Records At this point I decided to fill in some background information and looked at land tax for the late 1700’s and discovered 3 returns in the 1780’s. These were available at the Wakefield Archives, I obtained copy's of these documents and they show what tax/rent my ancestors were paying in the late 1700's.

Wills The next item I looked was WILLS, many original wills are kept at the BORTHWICK at York. Even the poorest of families often made a Will and just because your ancestors were say Agricultural labourers it does not mean they did not make a Will. I found a Will of William Lindley of Allerton Bywater for 1789 and it went into quite some detail. Wills are very important.

Protestation Roles Protestation Roles are LISTS of signatures of people who signed allegiance to the King in this case Charles 1st in 1641/2. These are available if they exist for the area you are interested in from the House of Lords in London. The House of Lords as an archives department and they are normally very helpful. There is a cost to obtaining these, but again are an important research tool, they can locate your ancestor and let you know his allegiance.

Manorial Records Next I turned my attention to Manorial records and found that they did exist for Castleford They started in 1592 and ran until the 1800’s. These records if available are often kept at the archives and in this case are at the Leeds archives at Sheepscar. They are in Latin until the early 1700’s, so I had to get someone to look at them on my behalf. It was soon discovered that the Lindley name was cropping up several times, but I cannot at present connect the Lindley’s between 1592 and 1650, but they must be connected somehow because after 1650 they are related to me and there were so few people in a village set up in those days. Quote from two Manorial records extracts : In May 1698 a 'Richard Lindley' was fined for making an affray and drew blood of one Charles Lapidge. Another incident by the same Richard was that he did ‘smite the Steward of the court and was fined 10 shillings. He must have been a hot-tempered man. This Richard was my descendent.

Hidden Wills Sometimes Wills can be ‘Hidden’ in documents and one such Will I found in the manorial records of 1688. A Richard Lindley (deceased) had left property etc to his sons and wife and it is quite detailed, so look for these. It told me of a son John who was Richards heir this John was born before the start of the Castleford registers and was living in Leeds at he time of his fathers death. So do look for 'Hidden' Wills, they often occur in land registry deeds. Finally There are many other records that are available, that I have not used, but the ones outlined here have brought me some success. One of the key points in family history is that you must be persistent in your efforts. In some of my research I came across a Heraldic Lindley family- but that is another story! By John Lindley Copyright © John Lindley 2003

2012-05-20T12:29:00.002+01:00

Family History For All

2012-05-20T11:37:00.000+01:00

Introduction: Learn all about tracing your family tree. You'll find lots to help you with your quest. If you're an absolute beginner, then rest assured, you will learn many shortcuts to save you years of research.
Have you ever wondered about your roots? Where you came from, or who your ancestors were?

Genealogy/Family History Research, is the worlds most popular hobby, after fishing! It is a fascinating hobby, that is also very rewarding. Most of your family will become interested in your new hobby and you will make numerous new friends, especially when you come across a whiff of scandal! But be warned! It is also very addictive and contagious. Remember also, family history is not just an endless search through dusty archives, it can also lead to some amazing revelations.

So if you are searching for your ancestors, tracing your Family tree, Researching relatives, Grandparents or Distant cousins. Family search or whatever you want to call it! You will find the information here, in the best free family history tutorial site on the Internet. http://familyhistory4all.co.uk/

Using Family Records in Your Research

2010-06-25T00:47:00.000+01:00

Introduction

There is a considerable variety of material that might be considered within this heading. Family documents can either provide the framework for a pedigree, provide personal information to expand the family story or possibly contribute to both. The value of family documents is not always immediately apparent. These notes provide some indication of the possibilities and problems that they present.

Family Bible

Possibly the greatest treasure in any family is the family bible. This may date from the early 19th century or even earlier and will usually contain "genealogical" pages for the family to record births, marriages and deaths. Caution is however, needed and the following points must be watched. Firstly, it was common to enter earlier family details immediately the bible had been purchased. These might be copied from another earlier bible or from memory. There is possibility of error in either case. Note the publication date of the bible and the dates of the entries. If the entries pre-date the publication date by a lengthy period, treat them with particular caution. Also, watch out for a "run" of entries in the same ink, pen and handwriting. This may be a sign of entries transcribed from elsewhere at a single sitting. Be aware also that the birth dates of illegitimate children or children born within the first few months of a marriage may have been adjusted to "legitimise" them. Obtain certificates to confirm details in all cases.

Birth, Marriage & Death Certificates

You may be fortunate to find original certificates or later copies. This will save the need to purchase copy certificates and will speed up your early research. Original certificates are particularly valuable since it is not unknown for certificates to be lost or mis-indexed within the registration system. It is also possible on a modern copy, if it has to be transcribed from a poor quality microfilm that an error may be made. For example a birth certificate, which names the mother as Mary Ann HARMROYD, was transcribed as Mary Ann ARINROYD.

Diaries, Birthday, Address and Autograph Books

These will frequently contain names and various details of friends and family members. It may be difficult to work out which is which. Birth dates will often be noted but frequently the year will not be recorded. This can still be useful when faced with two possible birth index entries. Marriage and death dates may also be found in such books. Ages at death may also be noted. Addresses may be particularly useful when searching census records or electoral registers for the family.

Records of Military Service

These might include discharge papers, pay books, medals, citations, items of uniform (badges etc.) or other items. They will each provide some useful data but the key piece of information you will be looking for is the name of the regiment or vessel in which the ancestor served and possibly their service number. These are essential details to access the wealth of material, which can be found in military archives. Medals can usually be identified by reference to specialist textbooks and their identity may suggest further lines of investigation.

Cemetery and Undertakers' Receipts

While it can sometimes be moderately difficult to find a death certificate, it is often a much greater problem to locate a burial. Cemeteries usually issue receipts for payments for burials and these frequently note the grave number. Even if an undertaker's receipt does not name the cemetery, it will probably give the date of burial or will have been produced shortly after the burial, which makes it much easier if one has to ask the cemetery staff to search their registers, which are frequently not indexed. A receipt for a headstone may also help but note that this may frequently be erected months or even years after the burial.

Identity Cards

Systems of registration were imposed during both world wars. The cards do not contain much information but can still be of help. Firstly, they required the new address to be entered on the card when the person moved so providing a record of movement throughout the war years and some years after. Secondly during WW2, cards for children aged 16 or less noted the fact and named the parent. Date of birth is not recorded.

Photographs

While they will not often provide much help with relationships, family photographs add a considerable amount to our understanding of the family. They can show the clothes our ancestors wore, their hairstyles, where they lived, worked and holidayed and many other aspects of their lives. The principal problem is that seldom are the subjects clearly identified, if they are identified at all. It is therefore important to use the knowledge of other family members to the full. Even if names are not provided, it may be possible to identify individuals with some certainty from their presence in group photographs (particularly weddings) or their association with a known house or business premises. Some clues may be obtained if the photo can be dated and there are several books that assist with this using clothing, hairstyles, poses and photographic processes as clues.

Education and Work Records

Family records may include such items as school reports, university publications and documents relating to employment. In addition to such information as is contained in the documents themselves, they may point you to other sources, school records in local record offices, university alumni books or business records deposited at record offices or still held by the businesses concerned. For professions such as medicine and the law, there are professional registers and other sources available.

Clubs, Societies and Other Organisations - Membership Cards & Publications

These will at the very least provide some indication of the person's interests and pastimes. If the organisations are still in existence, they may still hold records, if defunct, records may have been deposited at local record offices (for example friendly societies, trades unions, charitable organisations etc.). Newsletters and other publications by the organisation may also contain information if the person was an active member. They may even contain an obituary of your ancestor. An indication that the person was a member of an organisation may be found in non-documentary form such as a badge or official regalia.

Postcards and Letters

These may contain valuable personal information that might not be found elsewhere but even the most trivial holiday postcard will link a name and address at a particular date (postmark if legible). With postcards, it is often difficult to identify the sender since they are usually signed with forename only and rarely carry the sender's home address.

The Preservation of Family Sources

If the history of your family is important to you, so must be the preservation of family documents and artefacts. Take copies whenever possible in case they are lost at a later date. Make sure the possessor is aware of your interest. They may hand them over into your care or make others aware of their value to you. If possible, encourage them to specify arrangements for their care within their will or by enclosing a note with the items with instructions concerning their disposal.

Much more info can be found by visiting:
http://familyhistory4all.co.uk

Family History Goes High Tech

2010-06-09T23:59:00.000+01:00

It is estimated that 50 million Americans are researching their roots. They come from various walks of life, economic levels, ages, religions, races, and from many professions. For some people, it is a hobby on which they spend a few hours a month. For others, it’s an obsession. Either way, they all share a common bond of seeking information about people who came before them.

In the past few years, resources devoted to genealogy have exploded on the Internet and in the marketplace. One of the more notable products is Family Tree Legends 5.0 by Pearl Street. This commanding and highly-developed genealogy program is designed to make is easy for you to collect, display, and organize information about your family history.

In addition to capturing your notes, medical facts, pictures, and multimedia files in one easy application, the new version also:

• Lets you share CDs and DVDs of your data with friends and family. You can even distribute it with a free version of the Family Tree Legends software.
• Allows synching of GEDCOM files to your handheld device.
• Provides you with a Correspondence Tracker which can track all your correspondence with other researchers in one convenient linking manager.
• Utilizes Smart-Matching Technology which can compare the names in your files to those in a GenCircle Pedigree database. Some product reviewers boasted a 100% accuracy rating using the Smart-Matching feature.

Family Tree Legend 5.0 provides free email based-technical support and has received the Family Tree Magazine’s Five Star Rating. If that still has you straddling the fence, consider the Full 30 Day Money Back Guarantee that Pearl Street Software provides with their products.

Special offers provided from the manufacturer allow you the opportunity to purchase a standard version of the software for only $29.95. The “all-the-bells-and-whistles” premium version costs approximately $79.95. Seems like a bargain for a colorful, easy to use, well-designed program which can house your files and pictures in one convenient location.

For lots of great advice plus our popular FREE Newsletter Visit: http://familyhistory4all.co.uk/index.html

Family History and Retirement

2010-05-30T11:05:00.000+01:00

Some time ago I met a gentleman who was waitng for a bus. As we were chatting he asked me what day it was. I replied that it was Thursday, why? He said since I retired every day seems the same.
I said "don't you have any hobbies?" and he replied "I never had time when I was working and now I'm too old to learn something new"
I told him that I was coming up for retirement soon and have the perfect hobby. I told him about my involvement in family history research.
The chap said he didn't have any family so it would be a waste of time him doing that.
I gave him a challenge 'If I can find you some family would you be interested?'
"But I don't have any family" he said. "Just answer the question" I replied.
"Well I suppose I would" he went on..."It would be nice to have someone to talk about old times to and perhaps to visit. It would give my life some purpose as I feel useless at the moment."
I encouraged my new friend to come along to the next meeting of our Family History Society which was in two days time.
I was a bit skeptical whether he would show up but at 7pm there he was. We went in and I introduced him - 'John' was his name - to some of my friends. Within five minutes John met someone who he had worked with several years ago. He chatted for a while with his old workmate, then the evenings talk started. The talk was about local historical buildings and the businesses that occupied the buildings.
"My uncle used to run a business in that shop" John whispered to me, pointing to a slide that our guest speaker was showing.
At the end of the meeting John told me that he had enjoyed his first evening out since he had retired and said he would like to join the society. I got him signed up right away.
John never misses a meeting now and has even started researching his family tree. He's even met several 'Distant Cousins' who he keeps in touch with regularly.
John thanked me for introducing him to this facinating hobby. He now has plenty to keep him occupied. John now has 'Family' again. He has a great social life and a wonderful hobby.

If you are coming up for retirement, take a tip from John. "Join your local 'Family History Society' you won't regret it."

Find YOUR local Family History Society here: http://familyhistory4all.co.uk/family_history_societies.htm

Browsing Old Cemeteries

2010-05-17T21:35:00.000+01:00

Browsing Old Cemeteries

It is often assumed that family historians and their hobby is a bit of a bore!
Not a bit of it...Enjoy just ONE PAGE of several of family historians humor. More can be found at: http://familyhistory4all.co.uk/articles.htm

A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
And, one who can enjoy browsing old cemeteries...
Some fascinating things on old tombstones!

Harry Edsel Smith of Albany, New York :
Born 1903--Died 1942.
Looked up the elevator shaft to see if the
car was on the way down. It was.
=============================
In a Thurmont, Maryland , cemetery:
Here lies an Atheist, all dressed up
and no place to go.
=============================
On the grave of Ezekial Aikle in
East Dalhousie Cemetery , Nova Scotia :
Here lies Ezekial Aikle, Age 102.
Only The Good Die Young.
=============================
In a London , England cemetery:
Here lies Ann Mann, Who lived an old maid
but died an old Mann. Dec. 8, 1767
=============================
In a Ribbesford, England , cemetery:
Anna Wallace
The children of Israel wanted bread, And
the Lord sent them manna. Clark Wallace
wanted a wife, And the Devil sent him Anna.
===============================
In a Ruidoso, New Mexico , cemetery:
Here lies Johnny Yeast... Pardon him
for not rising.
===============================
In a Uniontown, Pennsylvania , cemetery:
Here lies the body of Jonathan Blake.
Stepped on the gas instead of the brake.
==============================
In a Silver City, Nevada, cemetery:
Here lays The Kid.
We planted him raw.
He was quick on the trigger
But slow on the draw.
================================
A lawyer's epitaph in England :
Sir John Strange.
Here lies an honest lawyer,
and that is Strange.
=================================
John Penny's epitaph in the Wimborne,
England , cemetery:
Reader, if cash thou art in want of any,
Dig 6 feet deep and thou wilt find a Penny.
==================================
In a cemetery in Hartscombe , England :
On the 22nd of June, Jonathan Fiddle went
out of tune.
==================================
Anna Hopewell's grave in Enosburg Falls ,
Vermont :
Here lies the body of our Anna,
Done to death by a banana.
It wasn't the fruit that laid her low,
But the skin of the thing that made her go.
==================================
On a grave from the 1880s in Nantucket ,
Massachusetts :
Under the sod and under the trees,
Lies the body of Jonathan Pease.
He is not here, there's only the pod.
Pease went to God.
==================================
In a cemetery in England :
Remember man, as you walk by,
As you are now, so once was I
As I am now, so shall you be.
Remember this and follow me.
To which someone replied by writing on the tombstone:
To follow you I'll not consent.
Until I know which way you went.

Enjoy your Family History

Jim Ackroyd: http://familyhistory4all.co.uk/articles.htm

Family History Website - Guestbook

2010-05-10T14:25:00.000+01:00

If you have your own family history website, then you really should set up a guestbook. It's easy to set up from your control panel or you can do a Google search for free guestbooks and then link it to your site.

I have guestbooks on both my family history sites:
http://familyhistory4all.co.uk
http://ackroydancestry.co.uk

My wife also has a guestbook on her sites:
http://ackroydfamilyresearch.co.uk
http://nolanancestry.com

We both get lots of interaction with our visitors using guestbooks and we have also discovered lots of distant relatives as a bonus.

So be sure to add a guestbook to your website.

Forums and blogs such as this one are also great ways to allow your visitors to interact with you.

Good luck with your websites

Jim and Carol Ackroyd

People are fascinated with their family history

2010-05-08T19:48:00.000+01:00

People are fascinated with their family history:

Who am I? Where did my ancestors come from?
Are there any kings in my background? How about villains?
How in the world will I find out? Do I have to go to libraries?
Dig up old information and hunt through microfilm records?
Maybe I can just find it online! Then reality sets in…
I found a ton of genealogy web sites.
How do I search through each one? What information do I start looking for?
Do I really have to search for each person in my family tree individually?!
I don’t have that kind of time. I just want to know more about my family tree!

The answer is: http://familyhistory4all.co.uk

You'll find loads of advice to help you. Once you've learned the basics, it becomes fun...and addictive!

Family History For All - Newsletter

2010-05-06T15:42:00.000+01:00

If you are interested in researching your family history then subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
Benefits include:

New articles every month
Previous newsletters archived
FREE eBook download for every subscriber
Tips and advice to help you with your research

Subscribe here: http://familyhistory4all.co.uk/newsletter.htm