Beyond the Parish Register: Finding Seventeenth-Century Ancestors through Place
Your ancestors left traces in far more than parish registers. This short talk introduces a selection of name-rich records that reveal the people who lived in a seventeenth-century community, including tax records, manorial documents, probate, parish records and other local sources. Using practical examples, it demonstrates how researching the place itself can uncover families, neighbours and connections that would otherwise remain hidden.
Unlocking Local History Through the North Riding of Yorkshire Register of Deeds
A search into one house’s history led to North Yorkshire Archives – and to one of England’s richest, least-used records of everyday life. The North Riding Register of Deeds names not only buyers and sellers but mortgagees, trustees, beneficiaries and witnesses, each with an abode and occupation. Drawing on 2,103 transactions from Richmond and Teesdale, this talk shows what emerges when the registers are examined systematically: a property market made by middling families, and by women, far more than the standard account recognises.
Using Place to unravel the mysteries of an undiscovered photographic collection
The W & C Everett Collection raised a lot of questions: Where were the photographs taken? By who? And when? This talk will explore how place helped unlock the secrets of this family collection – from Kent to Nottingham, Devon to London, and across the Channel to Europe in the late Victorian and early Edwardian eras. We’ll also explain how Historic England Archive can support your family history research with archival photographs and documents relating to place.
Tracing Those Who Travelled
Records of ancestors who travelled around the UK in the 19th century can be hard to locate, but if you have potential locations in mind you may be able to search for clues in county record offices. This talk explores lesser-known sources which may assist in tracing those family members who moved around the country.
Navigating Online Archive Catalogues
Online Catalogues have transformed access to historical records. Exploring these systems allows us to discover exactly what a repository holds, and how we may view material. However, finding the right document often requires more than a simple keyword search. This talk explores practical approaches to searching, interpreting, and making the most of online archive catalogues, helping you to uncover valuable sources that might otherwise remain hidden.
Back through the farm gate: Tracing the occupants of an Irish farm
Irish research is often seen as difficult – but does it have to be? Using a single farm as a case study, this talk demonstrates how maps, land records and other sources can be used to identify a holding and trace its occupants back into the nineteenth century.
Victorian Love Letters
Among a friend’s family papers is a remarkable archive chronicling an extraordinary courtship. In 1897, Frederick Graham placed a newspaper advertisement seeking “A Wife”. Beatrice replied, and over the following 12 months they exchanged heartfelt letters, meeting only twice before marrying in April 1898. Their correspondence reveals a lovestruck Fred and a more cautious Beattie, offering a rare glimpse into the rituals and emotions of Victorian courtship. This brief talk explores the contents and the process of producing a book based on their correspondence, now preserved at Derbyshire Record Office alongside the original letters.
Using Inquisitions Post Mortem
This talk covers one of the most important sources for Medieval genealogists: Inquisitions Post Mortem. As they are concerned with land and who that land would be passed to, they are crucial records to have in the Medieval genealogist’s arsenal. In addition to learning what they are and what they contain, this talk will cover where they can be accessed and why you might want to use them. By the end of the talk, you will hopefully be eager to find out if your own ancestors appear in these records!
The 20th Century Domesday: See Your Ancestor’s Home in 1910
The Lloyd George Domesday Survey created an extraordinary snapshot of Britain between 1910 and 1915. Its maps and valuation records can reveal the precise outline of an ancestor’s property, who owned and occupied it, its value, and a detailed description of the buildings and land. Learn how these remarkable records can bring your ancestor’s home and neighbourhood to life.
Making a start on New Zealand Research: Births, Deaths and Marriages
Making a start on New Zealand Research: Births, Deaths and Marriages