The O'Neill - March Family History Blog

Original Newspapers

2012-08-13T07:00:00.000+01:00

Recently I’ve received two original Newspapers, one being The Times and the other being the Daily Mail (both in the UK). Both were kindly sent to me by Thomas Walker of Historic Newspapers (link to the site) and the dates of both Newspaper are for dates of birth for two of my family members, one being my Mum’s and the other being my Granddad’s. The Newspapers are fab and they came in really good condition and in a gift box with a ‘Certificate of Authenticity’ and these will go nicely with my collection of other Newspapers that I’ve bought with my families Date of Birth in mind. I guess I’m a bit of a nerd on that. There is just something about seeing what was happening in the world on the day/s the people in my family were born and I can show these to the younger members of my family as they get older, as long as they’re interested.

As with most people probably what struck me, out of interest, was the headline on front page of the Daily Mail with a photo of Winston Churchill underneath:

WINSTON BOWS OUT
“I’m not mobile enough to carry on as MP”

These are the type of things I’m curious about seeing when I order/buy Newspapers. It’s finding out the big stories as well as the small stories that surrounded my family members birth. It can help ‘bring them to life’ a bit more with Family that aren’t with us anymore and be fascinating to see for those that are still with us.

Historic Newspapers aim to have the Newspapers given as gifts but there is more to Newspapers than reading the stories featured it can help to see if any Ancestors have been mentioned as well, whether it be in the Announcements section for a birth or if they have been awarded a Medal during WW1 for example. Although, they could also be featured in the Stories as well. You never know.

Ancestors Life Stories

2012-07-31T07:37:00.000+01:00

Over the last couple of weeks or so I've been thinking about typing up some of my Ancestors life stories. Not, necessarily my Family History in general but the individual people that make up my Family History. At the moment I've no interest in publishing them in magazines or as books but to type them up for my family and future generations of my Family. What I may do is perhaps have one book (per person maybe) printed to pass around my Family but at the minute that is just a thought and not concrete but I thought this would be something really nice for my Family. I've a fair amount of research to cover to do it but it could be something worth seriously considering.

ShareHistory

2012-06-16T07:00:00.000+01:00

I've recently begun sharing my own personal history on ShareHistory.org. This site gives me the option to upload files to the site, such as PDF files, I'll be using it in conjunction with this Website but this Website (The O'Neill-March Family History blog) will be my main site. Here is a link to my profile on MartinLOM ShareHistory.org.

So far I've only uploaded 2 memories and 2 family trees but bear with me and more will be added soon.

Granddad O'Neill's Book

2012-06-11T07:00:00.000+01:00

Well, I am in the process of typing up my Granddad's book. It's called Mervyn Rain. I'm hoping that once I've typed it all up, I'll be able to have it self-published, which I'm quite looking forward to doing. My plan is to publish it as an e-book mainly but have certain amount published in Paperback to give to members of my family.

But I think doing this will take me longer to type up and publish than I originally thought. It turns out there is a second copy of the same book, his first draft, but with about 30-40 extra pages that he took out of his final copy. This isn't a problem in any way really, but I think the parts he took out would do well to be kept in the story. So, it means going through the books making sure it flows well and then editing the book for any spelling mistakes & grammatical errors that I come across.

Effectively I want both copies of the book on my computer in one form or another, whether that be by typing it up or finding a way of scanning it into my computer (the paper doesn't fit in to my Scanner easily) as I want to have digital copies of the books. But with the aim of editing it in a way that I'll be able to publish it.

4th Anniversary

2012-05-24T07:00:00.000+01:00

Julie O’Neill is my Aunt and today marks the 4^th Anniversary of her passing, so I couldn’t let the day go by without mentioning it. So this is Post is for and dedicated to her.

She was born in Leicester in 1957 and one of the most wonderful people you’ll ever meet. I have tonnes of memories of her but the ones that stick out the most is the one during Summer of 1996, I was 13 years old. She was staying over at my Mum & Dad’s house for about a week it was really hot at this point and during the week she stayed over she showed me how to make Bread. We made it together but she told me that it me that I’d made it, which I guess is true in its own way as she was telling me how to make it and I was mixing everything together and baking it, put it mildly. But I’ve always saw it as both of us making it.

Another memory that sticks out just as much was in early Summer in 1997 and we both went to Kwik Save (an old Supermarket in England that I don’t think is running anymore for those who don’t know)near to where I lived at the time and whilst we were there doing some shopping we picked up ingredients to make Ginger Biscuits, the recipe which we stumbled across by accident in, what I believe, was a magazine. Making them was my idea and she helped me make them, I thought it was great.

Every year, in the evening, (including her birthday as well as today) I light a candle and place it outside next to my front door as a mark of remembrance and this year will be no different.

Aunt Julie, you're still missed very much.

O'Neill Family Historian - Ancestry

2012-05-12T19:44:00.004+01:00

I have to admit that I am chuffed right now. I have just been contacted on Ancestry.com today by a Family Historian on the O'Neill side of my family referring to my Granddad O'Neill as she saw at least the part of my family history referring to him and she is willing to share information & photos on my O'Neill Family History. This seems quite the coincidence as it was only the other day that I posted in here saying that it was my Granddad O'Neill that I've had the most difficulty in researching.

I will update again if/when I hear anything.

Granddad O'Neill

2012-05-10T07:30:00.000+01:00

I have to admit, the one person thay I'm struggling to find anything about in my research is my Granddad O'Neill. Granted, I've found his Birth, Marriage & Death Certficates, but that's pretty much it. I'll also admit that I'm not 100% sure which avenue to go down next. I've tried everything I can think of. I know that there are areas in which I can perhaps search but it's narrowing it down to find out anything new about it. I am hoping that if I try agsin at getting what I know and what I want to know in front of me it'll help me find a place in which to go next. *Heres hoping*

Family Photograph’s

2012-05-04T07:00:00.000+01:00

Believe it or not, there can be whole variety of vital clues in an old photo family as to who your Ancestors were, when the photo was taken and what a person’s occupation was, amongst others. So, writing on the back of the Photo doesn’t necessarily need to be there for you read to find out important information on your Ancestor/s. What you discover will differ with each Photo, for example if a person was in the Military you may find out if they were in the Army, Navy or Air Force and what Regiment they served with, all of which are dependent on what they are wearing at the time of the Photo. Or if it of a photo of Ancestor next to their new Car then you could find out when it was taken by the model of the Car and what your Ancestor was wearing.

So, there are a number of ways to find out any clues about your Ancestor. Some of which I’ve mentioned already.

- Fashion
Fashion can change quite quickly and looking into different trends of fashion over the years can help you narrow down when a Photo might have been taken, although some trends will be fairly obvious, like with the 70’s and Flares for example.

- Military
If you find a Photo of an Ancestor that was in the Military you may be able to find out a few clues. The Uniform he/she is wearing will tell you whether they were in the Army, Navy or Air Force (bear in mind that the Air Force wasn’t created until 1918). If your Ancestor was wearing their Cap or were holding in the Photo then look for their Cap Badge, every regiment, ship & Air Force Division, had their own Badge on their Caps meaning you’ll be able to find out which Regiment, Ship & Air Force Division they served with. Their Uniform, including their Caps, will also show you if they were an Office or not. The Uniforms have also changed over time and will tell you which period the photo was taken in.

- Type of Photographs
Over the years Photographs have been printed on a variety of different things, each type of print will help you date the photo. What they’ve been printed on includes, but isn’t limited to: Metal (e.g. Tin-type or Ferrotype), paper and cardboard (Carte-de-visite, Cabinet Card, A Photo Postcard) & Glass (An Ambrotype in a case or a Glass-plate Negative).

- Background
The background can help you as well. It may help you find out where a Photo was taken, was it Pub, Castle, Back Garden or at work? For example and may also tell you what their interests were, all of which depend the type of photo taken. If your Ancestor ran a Pub and there is a photo of them stood at the front of a Pub then it could help narrow it down for you if you’re been unsure where the Pub is and/or what it was called. Granted, there are lot of Pubs with the same name (like the Nag’s Head for example) but if you can at least estimate where they were living then it’ll help narrow it down. You may find that your Ancestor was a big reader if you find a Photo of him/her near a bookshelf with tonnes of books in it. You won’t necessarily find these types of photo’s but the point is to look to see what and who (if anyone) else is in the Photo, you could very well find out something about your Ancestors personality.

There are also various places on the Internet for you to search to see if anyone may have upload Photos of your Ancestors (whether that’s because they just so happened to be in a group photo at a workplace or because you may be related in some way). But bear in mind that there isn’t any central governing places online to find photos. There are plenty of places to find them but at least most are User dependent in what Photos they have, meaning that’s it’s up to the individual user of each site to upload Photos, not the website itself.

I hope all this helps. It’ll hopefully be enough to at least get you started with your Family Photos.

Useful Links:

Ancient Faces http://www.ancientfaces.com/

Family Old Photo’s http://www3.familyoldphotos.com/

Dead Fred http://www.deadfred.com/

Ancestry UK Photographs http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=1093

Ayrshire Roots – Date Old Photo http://www.ayrshireroots.com/Genealogy/Reference/Date%20old%20Photographs%20z.htm

Your Family Legacy – Researching Old Photographs http://www.webyfl.com/researchingoldphotographs.aspx

Mum's Birthday

2012-05-02T19:47:00.001+01:00

Today is my Mum's Birthday and this is just a quick post to wish her a very happy birthday and that I hope she's had a good day.

Military Records

2012-04-30T07:39:00.000+01:00

When researching an ancestor that was in the Military there are a few things that will help get you started in finding them:

· Name & Regiment

· Medals (if applicable)

· Date & Area of service (e.g WW1 in France or WW2 in the Somme)

If you don’t know most of these don’t worry. Finding out about your Ancestors has become easier than ever, even if you have a name & nothing else to go with but finding out as much as you can beforehand doesn’t hurt either. Your best starting point to finding out any of these is asking members of your family, which if nothing else should give you a good place to start searching. It is important to help you find Military Records if you can find out whether your Ancestor/s were in the Army, Navy or Air Force (RAF for example). But as far as I’m aware there wasn’t a separate Air Force until March 1918.

Some of the things you may find out online about your Ancestors are:

- Their physical appearance (e.g. through discharge or pension records or photographs).

Medal Awards.

- Appearing in the Newspaper (e.g. a local paper or in the London Gazette after earning a Medal).

- Photographs.

And some of the thing you might come across at home or after visiting relatives or even visiting memorials:

- Medals

- Cap Badges

- Photographs

- Postcards and/or Letters home

- Stories from Family Members

- Their name on War Memorial or Gravestone

It can often vary on what you will discover about your Ancestors time in the Military as not everything has survived or readily available to the public and sometimes your Ancestor may not have, understandably, wanted to talk about his/her experience during the either of the World Wars. But I’ll explain more on this later on.

An almost Constant stream of paper evidence starts from about 1750 and one of the best, if not the best, places to visit is The National Archives, they hold discharge records & medical records that may very well tell you when/where your Ancestor enlisted and which ship or regiment they enlisted on and/or when they were discharged.

War Diaries exist, mainly from WW1 & WW2, if you’re lucky your Ancestor might be mentioned. But usually Soldiers aren’t mentioned by name and it’s Officers that are mentioned, if anyone is on the Unit/time you are looking at.

If you’re unable to visit The National Archives (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/) then their website could hold clues to help you as they have a Downloads page called DocumentsOnline (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/) which includes, but isn’t limited to WW1 & WW2 Campaign Medals, War Diaries, Victoria Cross Registers, WW1 Airwomen's Records & records for the Royal Hospital Chelsea.

If any of your Ancestors died during either of the World Wars then you may find details on them through the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (http://www.cwgc.org/), since 1914. It hold details over 1.5 million Servicemen & Service women who died during the World Wars and about 60,000 civilian people who died during bombing raids.

Ancestry.co.uk has plenty of online records for you to search through which includes but isn’t limited to: WW1 & WW2 Campaign Medals, Discharge Records, Pension Records, Service Records & records for the Royal Hospital Chelsea.

It will be worth mentioning that there was a street fire when a bombing raid struck the War Office repository in Arnside Street, London in September 1940 and due to fire & water damage, some records haven’t survived – so called the Burnt Records or Burnt Documents but others have survived, some of which can be viewed online, there are an estimated 2.8 million service records that survived or reconstructed from the Ministry of Pensions.

Useful Links

Ancestry.co.uk Military Records - http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/category.aspx?cat=39

Military Genealogy http://www.military-genealogy.com/

Forces Reunited - http://www.forcesreunited.org.uk/

Commonwealth War Graves Commission - http://www.cwgc.org/

The National Archives DocumentsOnline - http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/

The National Archives - (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

Lots to Do - Family History

2012-04-20T07:30:00.000+01:00

I've been going through my Family History folder and my Family Tree Maker software last night and I've realised I've been quite slack with my Family History. I have a 'To-Do List' on Family Tree Maker and it turns out that I have 18 things listed and I've only done 3 of them, which for me is quite bad. I think I need to pick up the pace again. It's not that I haven't wanted to do them, it's been a case of thinking that there wasn't that much at the minute that I could online when it turns out there is something to do (like looking through the Trade Directories & BMD Indexes) and finding the time to visit local Archives for the things I can't do online (like looking for an Obituary for my Ganddad O'Neill) and it seems now a case of not finding time but making time to visit local Archives.

RMS Titanic #2

2012-04-15T07:59:00.000+01:00

Easter Break Over

2012-04-15T07:35:00.002+01:00

As of yesterday, for me, the Easter Break was over and I'll be back to Posting as normal. Did everyone have a good Easter? What did you do? Did you find anything new in your research? Or did you have a break from your research?

RMS Titanic 100th Anniversary

2012-04-14T07:35:00.002+01:00

Picture courtesy of Wikipedia

Today marks the 100th Anniversary of the RMS Titanic striking an Ice Berg in the Atlantic on it's maiden voyage from Southampton, UK to New York, USA.

If you'd like to search the Passenger & Crew Lists then The National Archives UK are letting people search them online for FREE. You can visit the by clicking here.

You also able to, as far as I am aware, download PDF files of at least some of the Passenger & Crew List records for Free as well. All of the Records I've seen so far have been free to download. But if you're unsure please contact The National Archives.

If no one minds me asking, does anyone have any Ancestors that were on the Titanic that they are aware of?

Easter Break

2012-04-04T07:35:00.005+01:00

Hello everyone,

Just quick post to let you all know that I might not be posting any Blog entries until just after Easter. If time permits I'll write a blog entry but if I don't it will be because of a busy Easter Break. I am in the process of writing an entry on Military Records and on the RMS Titanic and unless I come across anything in my own reasearch to Blog about, these will be my next posts.

I wish you all a happy Easter!

Civil Registration UK

2012-03-30T07:15:00.001+01:00

Civil Registration, is basically the registration of Birth, Marriage & Deaths. In England & Wales it started on the 1st July 1837 (Scotland in 1855 & Ireland in 1864 (This doesn’t include non-Catholic marriages, for which registration began in 1845 in Ireland)).

Birth, Marriage & Death’s (or BMD’s) are one of the vital Official Documents to the Family Historian as they give detailed information about a Person/s at three of the most important times of their lives.

You can’t view the BMD Certificates online in the UK but you can view the BMD Indexes on various Family History Sites, such as Ancestry.co.uk, FindMyPast.co.uk, Genesreunited.co.uk & TheGenealogist.co.uk and at various Archives across the country. Now you don’t necessarily need these Indexes but they do make it easier and quicker to get the Birth, Marriage or Death Certificate that you’re after. On the website for the General Register Office for England & Wales (www.gro.gov.uk) it can take 15 working days for a Certificate to be despatched on a standard delivery without the Indexes but with the Indexes it’ll take 4 working days and this is why I, personally, use them and the price of each Certificate is £9.25 for the standard service & £23.40 for the priority service (prices are believed to be correct as of 29^th March 2012).

If you’d rather obtain a certificate by filling a paper form then you be able to get the relevant form from your local Council and prices may differ so please check with them beforehand to confirm prices and whether they give out forms for e.g. Leicestershire County Council charge £9.00 for a Birth Certificate via a form.

The Indexes are spilt into two sets; one by your local register office & one by the General Register Office. So effectively the General Register Office holds a national index and your local register office holds a local index are in Book form but copies have been made into Microfilm and/or Microfiche and local Archives will hold these copies. Don’t let this put you off. All Indexes are featured in the National Indexes but each County/District holds copies for their own County/District and places like Ancestry.co.uk, FindMyPast.co.uk, Genesreunited.co.uk & TheGenealogist.co.uk all hold the National Indexes. It’s just worth bearing this in mind if you decide to visit places like a local archive or library as they’ll only have indexes relevant to their County or District. But it’s worth pointing out that a lot of places require a subscription or credits to view BMD Indexes. The best way, I think, around this is to visit www.FreeBMD.co.uk who offer, as you may have gathered by its name, BMD Indexes for free. Ancestry.co.uk also offer free BMD indexes between 1837 & 1915 but these were transcribed by FreeBMD and then used on Ancestry. If you want to use Ancestry.com for BMD Indexes then you may be able to use it for free at your local library if you’re a member but check with them to see if they offer this service.

Another good place to find BMD’s for free is www.FamilySearch.org

What’s on the Indexes?

Well, they all are pretty much all the same but differ slightly for each life event but each Index, are organised by Birth, Marriage or Death and Year, Quarter & Surname. The Quarter is referred to as a quarter in a year divided by 1) January, February March 2) April, March, June 3) July, August, September & 4) October, November, December.

After each name it has ‘District Name’, Volume No.’ & ‘Page No’. On top of this:

Birth Indexes from (1912) onwards include the Mother’s Maiden Name.

Marriage Indexes from (1912) onwards include the Spouses Surname/Maiden Name but both people have their name entered in the Index in separate places according to their surname but have the same Index Number (a handy way to check spouses name to see if it matches so you know if you have the right People).

Death Indexes include the age of the at the time of passing from 1866 onwards

Please note that these are records are compiled by when a person was registered for a Birth, Marriage or Death and not when the person was born, married or died but the actual Certificates tell you the date of the event. So if you someone was born on 25^th June 1890 but not registered until the 6^th July 1890 then they’ll appear in the July, August, September Quarter of 1890.

Useful Links:

www.FamilySearch.org
www.FreeBMD.co.uk
www.gro.gov.uk
www.TheGenealogist.co.uk
www.findmypast.co.uk
www.genesreunited.co.uk

Bird (Surname) Meaning & Origin

2012-03-28T07:00:00.001+01:00

FIRST:

The surname Bird is English. It derives from the pre 7th century word bridde, meaning a bird, or nestling, and as a surname was originally given as a nickname to one thought to bear a fancied resemblance to a bird. This may have been from bright dress, or bright eyed and active, or perhaps to some one with a beautiful singing voice. It may also be derived from the Old English burde, meaning maiden or girl and used as a derisory nickname. The surname was first recorded towards the end of the 12th century.

Variations: Byrd, Byrde, Bride

Jewish- translation of various Ashkenazic surnames meaning bird, such as Vogel

Taken from: Geni.com

SECOND:

English and Scottish: from Middle English bird, brid ‘nestling’, ‘young bird’ (Old English bridd), applied as a nickname or perhaps occasionally as a metonymic occupational name for a bird catcher. The metathesized form is first found in the Northumbrian dialect of Middle English, but the surname is more common in central and southern England. It may possibly also be derived from Old English burde ‘maiden’, ‘girl’, applied as a derisory nickname.Irish: Anglicization of Gaelic Ó hÉanacháin or Ó hÉinigh, in which the first element (after Ó) has been taken as Gaelic éan ‘bird’ (see Heneghan).Jewish: translation of various Ashkenazic surnames meaning ‘bird’, as for example Vogel.

Taken from: Ancestry.com - Bird

The Census UK

2012-03-27T07:25:00.004+01:00

The Census in the UK was introduced in 1801 and has occurred every 10 years since, excluding the 1941 Census due to World War Two, but it’s only since the 1841 Census that they have any real use to the Family Historian as before this it was merely a basic head count with few personal details other than numbers in a Household. In Ireland, the first census was taken 20 years later than England, Wales & Scotland in 1821

The Census returns that are currently available to the public to search are the 1841 to 1911 Census’. Each Census Return has a 100 year privacy law so won’t be released to the Public (via Libraries, Record Offices or Online etc.) until 100 years after the Census was conducted.

Each Census records the details of a Household on one day/night every ten years, usually at the end of March/beginning of April in the respective census year. It would usually be the Head of the Household that would fill in the Census Form but if they weren’t able to read or write then the Enumerator (the person who distributed the forms) would help them fill in the Form, which were generally helpful but could lead to inaccuracies in the data, such as misspelling of a Person/s name, incorrect age etc. because they might not have heard the Person correctly.

There are various places that you can search the Census, including, but not limited to, www.Ancestry.co.uk, www.ancestry.com, www.findmypast.co.uk, www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk, & http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/

Most census’ have more detail with every Census taken, so there is more detail about a Household in the 1911 Census then there is in the 1841 Census, for example. But all the Census Returns include the Area where a Household lived, the names of the People in the Household, their age and their profession (if any) . From 1851 onwards Census included the names and relationship of every individual to the Head of the Household, I.e. Wife, Son, Daughter, Lodger, Servant etc. The Census didn’t just record your average House either, it recorded, Hospitals, Workhouses, Asylums, Orphanages & Prisons.

The Census Returns in Ireland were, unfortunately, largely destroyed in 1922, in the fire at the Public Record Office. But the Census for 1901 & 1911 weren’t destroyed and are available to view for free at http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/ this includes a transcription of the Census Returns and a digital copy of the original Census Forms.

The People that brought you www.FreeBMD.org.uk are also branching out and have created www.FreeCEN.org.uk to help provided Free to View Census Returns (along with www.FreeReg.org.uk for Parish Registers). This is a volunteer based Project that’s still a work in progress but definitely worth checking out and is updated frequently, so if what you are after isn’t the site yet, keep checking back and it will end up being put on the site.

Another great way to view the Census is to visit your local library or Record Office. Some (but not all) Libraries & Record Offices/Archives have free access to Ancestry Library Edition for its members and joining a Library and/or Record Office is generally free. Ancestry Library Edition is basically Ancestry.com for Libraries there are few differences (if any) that I’ve noticed between Ancestry Library Edition & Ancestry.com. I would suggest checking with your local library and Record Offices before venturing out to use Ancestry Library Edition just in case they don’t have it. Also it may be worth booking a Computer in advance, if possible, to make sure you’re able to use their Computers when you want to use them, but your local Library may have Drop-In Computers that you wouldn’t need to book but you may have to wait depending on how many people wait to use them at the time.

If you cannot find an Ancestor in a Census then there are few reasons why and how you can try to find them. The some common reasons why People can’t find their relatives is because:

1. Misspelling of a name – Try a variation of the original name you entered as their name may have been misheard or misspelled during transcription to Family History Websites. For example Jones may become Johns, or Wilder may become Wilde.

2. There visiting a friend, neighbour or relative – Check on the Census Neighbours, Friends and Relatives (if possible) to see if your Ancestor shows up there instead. Up until the 1911 Census, the Census Records are written by Street, making it a little easier to search for Neighbours.

3. Moving House – There is 10 years between each Census and some families may move around a fair bit either for Employment or to somewhere more affordable. Check nearby to see if they’ve house but stayed in the local area and try to match up what you already know with what you’ve found.

4. Age Alteration – Sometimes People will lie about their age for one reason or another or even sometimes, especially in the earlier Census’ they just won’t know. Try using an age bracket when searching, say +/- 2 for example

Useful Links:

www.Ancestry.co.uk
www.ancestry.com
www.findmypast.co.uk
www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk
www.genesreunited.co.uk/
www.census.nationalarchives.ie/
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/census-records.htm
www.FreeCen.org.uk
www.1901censusonline.com/
www.1911census.co.uk/

Elizabeth (Surname) Meaning & Origin

2012-03-26T07:35:00.001+01:00

From Ελισαβετ (Elisabet), the Greek form of the Hebrew name אֱלִישֶׁבַע ('Elisheva') meaning "my God is an oath" or perhaps "my God is abundance". The Hebrew form appears in the Old Testament where Elisheba is the wife of Aaron, while the Greek form appears in the New Testament where Elizabeth is the mother of John the Baptist.

Among Christians, this name was originally more common in Eastern Europe. It was borne in the 12th century by Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, a daughter of King Andrew II who used her wealth to help the poor. In medieval England it was occasionally used in honour of the saint, though the form Isabel (from Provençal and Spanish) was more common. It has been very popular in England since the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th century. Famous modern bearers include the British queen Elizabeth II (1926-) and actress Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011).

VARIANTS: Elisabeth, Elsabeth, Elyzabeth (English), Elisabeth (Biblical)

Taken from: http://www.behindthename.com/name/elizabeth

Herbert (Surname) Meaning & Origin

2012-03-23T16:06:00.002Z

Herbert (Surname) Meaning & Origin

- It originally comes from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements:

Heri, hari (army) + berht(bright, famous).

- Somewhere along the way, someone began using it as a surname. That usually happened when

someone would say, "My name is Jean, son of Hebert." The father's given name would become

the son's surname.

In France ---

It appears to have spread throughout northwestern France. The following HEBERTs appear in early times:

Girard and Gabriel HEBERT (of Canchy)
Guillaume and Jacques HEBERT (of St. Malo)
Louis and Jean Francois HEBERT
(of Colombieres)
Michael HEBERT (of Isigny)
Herve and Henri HEBERT
(of Torigny, Bayeux in 1543)

Gabriel and Francois HEBERT (of Escrameville)
Jacques and Pierre HEBERT (of Tour)
Jean HEBERT (of Tour)
Daniel, Etienne, and Adrien HEBERT (of Cambe)
Jean HEBERT (of Varaville, in Caen)
Charles HEBERT (of Gonneville,
Sieur de Varaville around 1548).

As we approach the Acadian time period, we find Jean HEBERT, Seigneur of Boulon, at Caen at the beginning of the 17th century.

In England --- This Old French name was brought to Britain by the Normans, where the most common variant was HERBERT. The surname HERBERT first appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086. Some say it also derived from the given name, Hubert. The earliest use in England is by William, son of Herbert, who was granted the manor of Norbury, Derbys., in 1125 and was the first to use it as a surname. In the 13th century, names such as Adam HEBERT and Henry HEBERD start appearing in records. The first record of HEBERT being used as a surname is a roll of Oxfordshire, England in 1279, which lists a Reginald HEBERT.

Taken from: Acadian-Cajun.com

Gann (Surname) Meaning & Origin

2012-03-20T07:35:00.005Z

Gann Meaning & Origin

The meaning of Gann come may come from a profession, such as the name "Gardener" which was given to people of that profession. Some of these profession-based last names might be a profession in a different language. For this reason it is useful to know the ethnicity of a name, and the languages spoken by it's family members. Many modern names like Gann are inspired by religious texts like the Bhagavadgītā, the Bible, the Quran, and so forth. Commonly these names relate to a religious phrase such as "Worthy of praise".

Evolution of the Gann name

The evolution of Gann starts with it's early ancestors, when the name was created. Even in the early generations of a name there are variations in that single name simply because family names were infrequently written down at that stage in history.

Gann ancestors have moved across various regions all throughout history. It was commonplace for a last name to change as it enters a new country or language. As families, tribes, and clans moved between countries and languages, the Gann name may have changed with them.

Gann country of origin

The nationality of Gann can be complicated to determine in cases which country boundaries change over time, making the original nationality a mystery. The original ethnicity of Gann may be in dispute based on whether the name came in to being naturally and independently in multiple locales; e.g. in the case of surnames that are based on a craft, which can crop up in multiple places independently (such as the last name "Gardener" which was given to people of that profession).

Taken from AncientFaces.com

Finding Lost/Living Relatives

2012-03-15T07:35:00.003Z

All Family Historians have gone out to find our Ancestors, whether it’s through the Census, Civil Registration or Parish Registers, to name a few but what about living relatives? We’ve all got cousins, Aunts, Uncles etc. however distant they may be, somewhere out there.

Everyone has their reasons for researching their Family History, whether it be a love of History or wanting to know where you came from but you could be onto a winner if you look for those Long Lost relatives or those ‘how come I never knew about you’ relatives. It’s an unfortunate truth that families grow apart leading to having distant relations that you’ve never heard, whatever the reason for Families growing apart, it could definitely be worth looking for living relatives.

If you are able to get in touch with another branch of your family then they could very well add to your knowledge of your family history by filling in any gaps, there may be stories, facts and other relations that they know of that for one reason or another weren’t passed down through your side of the family. They could fill gaps like when Great Uncle Bob was born or where Great, Great Granddad Arthur worked in his 20’s and so on. You could perhaps even discover another Genealogist within the family.

One thing to try is to see if anyone else is researching the same Family, and if you come across anyone then chances are they’ll be some sort of relation to yourself. You may be able to connect with other Family Historians and see if they are researching the same Family on websites like, www.genesreunited.co.uk, www.ancestry.co.uk, www.myheritage.com or www.tribalpages.com to name a few. Many People have uploaded their family trees to these sites, so you will be able to search through them to see if there might any family links. You might have to register to see these but registration is usually free. Once registered and searched through any of trees, you should be able to contact the owner of the tree if you come across any possible ancestors so you can share information to try and establish any family connections.

Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates could prove useful in finding living relatives, but it might not be a straightforward as working backwards in time to find Ancestors. The main trouble with working forwards in time instead of backwards, for example, is that if you use a Birth Certificate it won’t tell you when a person will be married whereas if you used birth and marriage certificates whilst working backwards in time then you can get a rough idea of when and where a person was born. But there can be a way around it, from 1911, in England & Wales, 1903 in Ireland and 1929 in Scotland, the maiden name of a mother appears on the Birth Indexes, so this can make a little easier to determine the likely references any brothers & sisters of any given ancestor, it’s not fool-proof and you can’t take it as 100% but it might give you a starting point, it’ll be more feasible if your ancestor had a distinctive name.

If you’ve found a living relation but not their address there are online resources to help find out their addresses:

Phone Directories are a handy first point of call:
www.thephonebook.bt.com for addresses and telephone numbers and it’s free but drawback to this site is that names are listed as first initial and last name NOT the full name.

www.eircomphonebook.ie is the telephone directory for the Republic of Ireland

www.192.com is directory that offers free and pay-per-view searches of resources. They have listings for the telephone directory and business listings and both are free to search but you have to buy credits or a subscription if you want to search through the Electoral Roll information. 192.com has archived the Electoral Roll information from 2002 to the present so you can look back on previous years to help locate your relatives.

Useful links:

www.genesreunited.co.uk
www.ancestry.co.uk
www.myheritage.com
www.192.com
www.eircomphonebook.com
www.thephonebook.bt.com
www.freebmd.org.uk

Slocomb Surname Meaning & Origin

2012-03-13T07:49:00.003Z

The background of last names split and recombine over time and are not necessarily tied to hereditary relations because not all family names are passed down from parent to child. Actually, names like SLOCOMB are given for reasons completely unrelated to bloodlines. The SLOCOMB surname has a long and varied history which spans many generations.

The early origin of SLOCOMB dates back several hundreds of years, making most of the details of the family name difficult to trace accurately. As the community approaches the history of a last name in this manner, a page like this one becomes a living document to people researching SLOCOMB history. Uncovering the origin of any family name is a fuzzy, but highly rewarding endeavor. Because of this, we depends on contributions from users like you to paint a complete picture of the origins of this surname.

SLOCOMB meaning

The meaning of SLOCOMB come may come from a craft, such as the name "Bishop" which may have been taken by church officials. Many of these craft-based last names can be a profession in a different language. Because of this it is essential to understand the country of origin of a name, and the languages spoken by it's progenitors. Many modern names like SLOCOMB are inspired by religious texts like the Bhagavadgītā, the Quran, the Bible, and so on. Commonly these family names are shortened versions of a religious sentiment such as "Lamb of God".

Evolution of the SLOCOMB name

The evolution of SLOCOMB begins with the origins of thefamily name, when the name was first taken. Even in the earliest days of a name there have been different spellings of that name simply because last names were infrequently written down back when few people could write.

It was not unusual for a surname to change as it enters a new country or language. As these families emigrated between countries, the SLOCOMB name may have changed with them. SLOCOMB family members have migrated across various regions all throughout history.

SLOCOMB spelling variations

In early history when few people could write, names such as SLOCOMB were transliterated based on how they sounded when people's names were written in public records. This could have led to misspellings of SLOCOMB. Knowing misspellings and alternate spellings of the SLOCOMB last name are important to understanding the possible origins of the name. Family names like SLOCOMB transform in their spelling as they travel across villages, family unions, and countries across time.

SLOCOMB country of origin

The nationality of SLOCOMB may be very difficult to determine in cases which regional boundaries change over time, making the nation of origin indeterminate. The original ethnicity of SLOCOMB may be in dispute as result of whether the surname came in to being naturally and independently in various locales; for example, in the case of names that come from a professional trade, which can appear in multiple places independently (such as the surname "Bishop" which may have been taken by church officials).

Surnames related to SLOCOMB

Related surnames are distinctly different from names related through marriage. Those types of lineages are best expressed with a SLOCOMB family tree, rather than the list format shown here. Sometimes last names like SLOCOMB can transform into other surnames when they migrate into different countries, are used in multiple languages, or split into multiple branches for any of a number of reasons.

Taken from: http://www.ancientfaces.com/research/surname/SLOCOMB/slocomb-family-history-and-family-tree

STEVENS/STEVENSON - Name Meaning & Origin

2012-03-12T07:35:00.004Z

STEVENS/STEVENSON - Name Meaning & Origin

Definition: A variant of Stephens, derived from the given name Stephen, meaning "crown, wreath, or garland." A patronymic name for "son of Stephen."

Surname Origin: English

Alternate Surname Spellings: STEPHENS, STEVENSON, STEPHENSON, STEPHEN, STEVEN, STEFFAN, STEFFANS

Taken from: http://genealogy.about.com/library/surnames/s/bl_name-STEVENS.htm

Towers Surname, Meaning & Origin

2012-03-11T07:58:00.002Z

Towers Surname, Meaning & Origin:

A link to to the Towers Meaning & Origin can be found here at Towers - HouseofNames.com. Due to what possibly seems like Copyright, I am unable to copy & paste the details in here but it seems like it gives the most detailed information on the surname compared to other sites.

But a brief description in my own words is that it appears to have come over to the UK/British Isles during the Norman Conquest in 1066 and is of French/European Origin. There are various different spellings of the Surname, including but not limited to, Tower, Toures & Toure. In the British Isles the surname settled in Lancashire and seems to indicate that the original bearer of the surname lived in a Tower of a Castle, in Lancashire.