An A to Z of Family History

ABBREVIATIONS

When first writing your family tree, you will find it convenient to use abbreviations. There are no set rules for this, apart from - avoid using 'b' - it could be interpreted as born, baptised or buried! Here are some suggestions:

Born -	brn.
Baptised -	bapt. or C (christened).
Banns -	bns.
Both of this parish -	b.o.t.p.
Of this parish -	o.t.p.
Licence
(married by licence) -	lic.
Married -	m
(It is usual to put a = between husband and wife on a family tree).
Divorced -	div.
Unmarried -	unm.
Died unmarried -	d.unm.
Died without issue -	d.s.p.
(Latin - decessit sine prole).
Daughter -	dau.
Son -	s.

Do not use abbreviations for Christian names.

Months are best abbreviated by using the first three letters.

BANNS

All marriages from March 1754 had to be by banns or licence and a banns register had to be kept. Unfortunately they have not always been preserved by the parish.

If you are unable to find a marriage in the Marriage Register in the parish where you think it should have taken place, see if a Banns Register has survived. It might contain the entry you want giving the name of the parish where the marriage was to take place.

CIVIL REGISTRATION

It is almost 160 years since the General Register Office was established. From the 1 July 1837 it has been law that all births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales have to be registered. The indexes of all registrations since that date are kept at St. Catherine's House in London and it is open to the general public to view the indexes. St. Catherine's House is sited at 10 Kingsway, London WC8 6JP.

All postal applications for certificates should be made to the OPCS, General Register Office, Postal Application Office, Smedley Hydro, Trafalgar Road, Birkdale, Southport, Merseyside PR8 2HH.

DIRECTORIES

While researching your family tree, you may at some time need to consult a directory, this is a book that contains a list of the people living in a particular town, it will also list the many tradesmen in the area. Directories are available for viewing at the library of the town where you are carrying out your research.

ESTATE RECORDS

For the family historian who had ancestors who worked on large estates of the landed gentry or nobility. They will find that the Farm Bailiffs kept records of payments made to the workers. Many of these records will have been deposited at a Record Office, but not necessarily in the county you would expect. The reason is many landowners had estates in various parts of the country and preferred to have their records kept in one place. Some large estates have their own archives office.

FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE

This is a monthly publication that covers all aspects of family history, from the person who has just started tracing their ancesters to the old master who wants to keep in touch with all the latest goings on in genealogy.

GRAVEYARDS

Burial grounds were started in the 17th century by nonconformists. The first public cemetery was opened in 1827 in Kensal Green, London, with town and cities following suit.

By 1850 some churchyards were full, so the General Board of Health was required to establish cemeteries to deal with the problem. Cemetery records, some containing memorial inscriptions, are kept by the Cemetery Registrars and often indexed. Registers of old nonconformist burial grounds have been deposited with the Registrar General and are kept at the PRO, Chancery Lane, London.

HAMLET

Is a grouping of houses with no church. A hamlet was thus part of a large parish.

IN-LAW

In the 1851 census and earlier, the term daughter or son-in-law could mean step-daughter or step-son.

JAGGER

This term was often used in the mining industry for the man who carried ore on a pack-horse from a mine to be smelted. It was also used to describe a travelling pedlar or hawker, carrier or carter.

KEW

The Public Record Office at Kew holds most, but not all, of our national records. Some are still kept at the PRO building in Chancery Lane, London.

LYING-IN HOSPITALS

From the mid eighteenth century, these maternity hospitals were established in London and later in other cities and can be a useful source for missing baptisms of migrant ancestors. Most records are kept at the PRO, Chancery Lane, London.

MIGRANTS

This term is used to describe people who moved from one place to another within a country, unlike the term immigrants who moved from one country to another.

NEWSPAPERS

Newspapers can be an invaluable source for the family historian seeking information about their ancestors. As well as births, marriages and deaths, there are reports of war heroes' home-comings, acts of courage, awards, adverts, bankruptcies, wills and photographs of the area where your ancestors lived.

Newspapers dated before 1801 are stored at the British Library; after 1801 you have to contact the British Newspaper Library - both Libraries are in London.

Your own library may be able to help you with editions of local newspapers.

ONE-NAME STUDIES

If you have an unusual surname thenmore information could be found by joining a One-Name Family History Society. There are many of these Societies throughout the country, as well as the Guild of One-Name Studies (the G.O.O.N.S.), who have produced a register of One-Name Studies.

POLL BOOKS

These are lists of people who voted in Parliamentary elections. Copies of these books can be found in the larger reference libraries and at County Record Offices. The Society of Genealogists sell sets of fiche containing Poll Books for various counties around the country.

QUARTER SESSIONS

These can provide useful clues for the family historian, as a great many aspects of local administrations were dealt with by the Quarter Sessions. The county justices met four time a year and dealt with crimes such as assault, poaching, murder, riot and theft. The County Record Office is the best place to find quarter sessions reports.

UNION

A union is a group of parishes sharing the same workhouse. In 1782 the Gilbert's Act authorised parishes to get together for the purpose of setting up a 'proper' workhouse, but many parishes continued to act independently when dealing with the poor. In 1834 the Poor Law Amendment Act compelled parishes to unite into groups called 'Unions' to deal with the poor. The institutions that housed the poor became known as workhouses. Records of workhouses can usually be found in the CROs or local Reference Libraries.

VISITATIONS

Bishops or Archdeacons would periodically inspect their parishes for both spiritual and temporal matters. From these visits great amounts of records were generated which included lists of clergy, church wardens, school masters, charities, etc. (See the Visitations of Cheshire)

WAR MEMORIALS

The Imperial War Museum is administrating a national project to record the location and other details of all War Memorials in the United Kingdom. Although names are not being comprehensively indexed, they are being recorded for each memorial and a search can be made of the specific memorial, if requested. Write to the National Imperial War Museum Co-ordinator, Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road, London, SE1 6HZ.

YEOMAN

A man holding (but not necessarily owning) and working a small piece of land. It can also mean a manservant in a Royal or noble household.

ZZZzzzzz

is the sound of relaxation after a hard day of researching Family History.