20
votes
No trace of grandfather in 1891 or 1901 census?
I note that Charles Thomas Gigg was baptised on 13 Feb 1887 at St James Norlands, Kensington. His mother is given as Hannah Sarah Gigg, of 5 Mary's Place, single:
Source: Ancestry.co.uk, London, ...
- 18.7k
19
votes
England - What are some possible reasons an ancestor would name his accountant in his will as a beneficiary?
That does not list the beneficiaries, it lists the people to whom probate was granted, which is the executors of the will. If there had been no will, or if they were not the named executors, then it ...
- 4,418
19
votes
England - what are some possible reasons that my ancestor only listed his daughters in his will and none of his sons?
The obvious thing to check is whether the other children had died prior to the will being drawn up.
Transcription
To help you in this case, I have transcribed the will below:
Extracted from the ...
- 5,166
16
votes
Accepted
England - What are some possible reasons an ancestor would name his accountant in his will as a beneficiary?
As Tom says in his answer, the people mentioned are the executors of the estate. The record you are looking at is the National Probate Calendar, which is basically a detailed index of probate and ...
- 18.7k
14
votes
What "hidden" clues are there in the GRO Indexes of births and deaths?
Understanding precisely how the GRO indexes are organized can give us key information about individual entries. The marriage index is a whole other kettle of fish, so this answer pertains only to ...
- 18.7k
11
votes
Average time between birth and baptism in the Church of England?
I decided to perform a little experiment with some data from the relatively small parish of Caunton, Nottinghamshire. The baptism register from 1785 to 1812 reliably recorded the date of birth. During ...
- 18.7k
11
votes
What is the first word in this baptism record?
Imprimis is Latin for "firstly". The word commonly appears in lists in parish registers and wills, preceding the first item.
- 18.7k
10
votes
Accepted
Reading comment in 1825 baptism register?
The note reads: "According to the Cert[ifica]te of the Rev[eren]d G. Morland transmitted to me 30th August."
An Act for the better regulating and preserving Parish and other Registers of Births, ...
- 18.7k
10
votes
Accepted
Would having the exact same GRO Birth Index reference mean two children born to the same parents were twins?
Yes, it is fair to infer that Mary and Sarah were twins.
The indexes were compiled quarterly, meaning that children born over nine months apart should appear in different quarters. If one was ...
- 18.7k
10
votes
How accurate are birth dates on the 1939 Register?
For my one-place study of a parish in the East Midlands, I transcribed all entries in the 1939 Register. I then individually cross-referenced the birth date of each entry with a secondary source (...
- 18.7k
10
votes
Accepted
Take a punch at this (or...identifying a boxer?)
The "B" page of "Find your boxing ancestors" on boxinghistory.org.uk lists several Butlers but only three with the first initial "G" (as his shorts appear to be monogrammed "GB").
The first of these, ...
- 4,427
10
votes
What does "living 15 Rich. II" mean for the year an ancestor was alive in England?
This format of this date is called a Regnal year. It was commonly used in England, and is simply the number of years into the reign of the named monarch. A list of regnal years of English monarchs is ...
- 18.7k
10
votes
Privacy restrictions for ordering death certificates in England?
First I feel obligated to say that there is no such thing as a UK death certificate. There are death certificates for England & Wales, then there are death certificates from Scotland, and there ...
- 18.7k
9
votes
Accepted
What was the weather like?
Newspapers are the obvious source but thin out as one gets further back.
One resource that is clearly a labour of love, records Historical Weather Events in the UK, collected (it looks like) from a ...
- 11.5k
9
votes
Accepted
Did bigamous marriages need to be annulled?
Professor Rebecca Probert ("a leading authority on the history of marriage law and practice in England and Wales" to quote the blurb on her book) has written a useful book:
Divorced, Bigamist, ...
- 311
9
votes
Looking for marriage of Annie Elizabeth to James Spencer Ward, ca 1900 in Cheshire?
Interestingly, James and Annie's headstone seems to hold some key information about Annie's ancestry and therefore her marriage. It can be found on FindAGrave:
As you can see, the Wards were buried ...
- 18.7k
9
votes
Were bodies shipped overseas to be buried?
It would have been very uncommon, if it ever happened, in the 1600s. And if it did happen, I imagine it would have only have been for a person of significant wealth or importance.
The journey across ...
- 18.7k
9
votes
What is the house number on this 1891 Census record?
The UK and Ireland censuses are available from multiple places: Ancestry, FindMyPast, and MyHeritage to name a few. FamilySearch has transcripts, but it links to FindMyPast for the images.
I can ...
- 2,291
8
votes
Accepted
Was it common for parents to baptise a baby/child if they knew he was sickly and likely going to die soon?
To answer the question about baptising sickly children - yes, absolutely. The Church of England has an abbreviated form of the Order (i.e service) of Baptism to be used in homes etc. in such ...
- 11.5k
8
votes
Converting historic pounds, shillings and pence (£sd) to modern worth?
The Purchasing Power of British Pounds
from 1270 to Present page, in response to typing in 1750 (Initial Year), 100 pounds (Initial Amount) and 2016 (Desired Year), returns:
In 2014, the relative ...
- 11.1k
8
votes
Accepted
Looking for marriage of Annie Elizabeth to James Spencer Ward, ca 1900 in Cheshire?
I assume that the children you have found in the birth indexes are these ones:
Eveline Edith WARD 1903 Q4 Chester 8a 380
Rose Gertrude WARD 1905 Q4 Chester 8a 364
James Spencer WARD 1907 ...
- 4,418
8
votes
Accepted
How to interpret "in descent from"
The phrase "9th in descent from Edward I" means that Edward I appears 8 lines above her in her pedigree (i.e. Edward I was her 6x Gt Grandfather). What follows is a little complicated, but the lines:
...
- 5,166
8
votes
Accepted
Field family motto
There is no such thing as a family coat of arms (or whatever). Arms are granted to specific people and may then descend to eldest sons etc. Anyone else with that surname is not legally allowed to ...
- 11.5k
8
votes
Seeking informational resources on “Robinson” family name origin?
As it is a patronymically derived name ..."Robin's son", the likelihood of there being any single attributable geographic origin is very unlikely.
Surname distribution maps derived from census ...
- 1,356
8
votes
Providing evidence of Consent of Parents for Marriage by minor in England in early 1800s?
The rules had been set out in Hardwicke's Marriage Act 1753.
The Act required that, for a marriage to be valid, it had to be performed in a church and either after the publication of banns or the ...
- 5,166
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