Family History was the topic of the May 2007 SHS meeting, when SHS member Gillian Nursaw-Smith presented details of various family history resources and where to look for information. A useful check list of these sources was circulated to all SHS members with the August 2007 Newsletter. This information is presented here.

S & N Genealogy - Telephone 01722 716121

• Telephone for full catalogue
• CDs for all Census Years and Counties
• Parish records - Marriages etc.
• Kellys Directories
• Pigots Directories
• Other Directories
• Landowners
• Titled and Gentry
• World War 1
• Ships
• Telephone directories
• Maps
• Many more
• Telephone to order discs and other material

On Line information via:

• 1901 Census - British Government
• Pay via Vouchers (from Libraries) or on-line with credi/debit cards
• Need to be accurate when entering data i.e. it has to match with what is on their data (see below)
• Family Search - a free site where you can access birth, marriage, death and children details world wide. These details tend to become less available after 1875.
• Complete and searchable data for the 1881 Census
• All searches in Family Search will look for similar spellings
• Ancestry.co.uk - go to website and become a member using credi/debit card. £70+ for UK Subscription. Higher subscription for World membership. Many aspects of information available and growing. Highly recommended.
• All Census and counties
• You can copy the original census image to file and/or print
• Telephone Directories
• Others
• Local Village and Historical Society Websites

Books and written data re: Local History and parish records. Family memories

Name corruptions

Apart from the Family Search site most of the others require details of names to correspond with the details on their data. The data is only as good as the input and first names can show as initials. First names can show as nick names e.g. Lizzie for Elizabeth. The surnames can easily be corrupted e.g. Wynn instead of Winn. Do not make assumptions that the current name (as at 2007) is the original spelling or that the name has always been spelt the same way. In many cases the census writers transposed information incorrectly and sometimes families directly connected have ended up with slight differences in the surname.