Collateral lines
Think of your collateral lines as the branches of your family tree. They
are the people who have the same common ancestor as you but are not lineally
related and include nephews and nieces, cousins, aunts, uncles and, further
back, great aunts and uncles.
When gathering your research, always
make a note of your ancestor’s siblings as this practice will often come to
your aid if you reach a sticky patch researching your direct line. You might,
for example, lose sight of your great grandmother but, because they shared the
same parents, be able to pick up the trail again by concentrating your search
on her brother.
It is also worth remembering that
your overall family picture is enhanced by an achievement or some notoriety of
an ancestor’s brother or sister, so it is a good idea to take a sideways step
now and again!
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War graves
Searching for an ancestor who died
in either WWI or WWII usually comes under the heading of ‘modern records’ and I’ve
had reason to search these records for a member of my own family as well as on
the behalf of other people.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has a database that lists the names of 1.7 million men and woman of
the Commonwealth forces who lost their lives in the two world wars. This ‘DEPT
OF HONOUR REGISTER’ is fully searchable online and is an indispensable resource
as it gives the cemetery or the memorial where each individual is commemorated.
And if one of your ancestors was a
civilian and a casualty of the Second World War, you can also search the
database for them as it gives information about the 67,000 civilians who were
killed as a result of enemy action.
To get a more in depth look at a campaign in which your ancestor may have taken part, take a look at the HISTORIES area of the CWGC website.
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Researching Titanic Ancestors
The transatlantic liner Titanic, on
its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York, set sail on 10 April 1912 calling
at Cherbourg in France and Queenstown in Ireland where more passengers were
taken on board.
At the helm was Captain Edward John
Smith and, along with the officers and crewmen, hundreds of workers were
employed to ensure things ran smoothly for the thousands of passengers. Workers
included chefs, medics, bakers, barbers, cleaners and orchestra members and
just about everything else.
There were three classes of
accommodation and of course, the different classes never mixed: The luxurious first
class would be a temporary home to over 300 – mostly Americans – while the
comfortable second class held mainly Britons. The steerage passengers were a
variety of nationalities and most were making a one-way journey to the New
World.
By the third day, the Titanic,
having made good progress, had reached the North Atlantic Ocean. On 14 April, lookouts,
on watch for icebergs, spotted a vast object in the water and warned the
bridge. But, too late to alter direction, the ship hit an iceberg at 23:40.
The rest, as they say, is history.
But history is genealogy and this is where the following links may come in
handy as they give names of passengers, crew and victims. I’ve had call to use these records myself when I did some research for a client
whose ancestor was believed to be employed in the Titanic’s engine room.
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. Solving an illegitimacy puzzle
Uncovering an illegitimate child in your family tree
needn’t hinder your research too much; a number of records kept in local county
archives can help identify the father’s name.
Parish Registers
Spotting the entry for an illegitimate child is fairly
easy. Generally, the mother’s and child’s names will be appear with a word such
as: ‘natural’, ‘bastard’, ‘base born’, ‘misbegotten’ or ‘spurious’.
‘Reputed’ and ‘imputed’ are two words you might find cropping
up alongside the entry. If, for example, a child is said to be the ‘reputed
child of William Morgan by Mary Brown’, this will tell you that William has
admitted responsibility. On the other hand, if imputed is used, then this
implies that the girl claims William is the father, but he hasn’t acknowledged
paternity.
Sometimes things are more
straightforward; a father’s name might appear as in ‘Eliza Brown, daughter of
Mary Brown and William Morgan’. A child who is given two surnames is another
clue worth pursuing: ‘Eliza Morgan Brown, daughter of Mary Brown’.
Poor Law Records
Up until 1834, when the Poor Law Unions were introduced, each
parish was accountable for its own poor, with the overseers responsible for
collecting money by means of the poor rate. The record books kept by the
overseers can include payments made to mothers of illegitimate children and
money collected from reputed fathers.
A formal examination could be
made to determine a child’s father either before or after the birth. These
sworn statements, made by the mother before a Justice of the Peace, reveal things
such as the date of birth and the sex of the child, the putative
father’s name, place of residence and his occupation.
Quarter Sessions Records
A case against the putative
father might be brought to the Quarter Sessions if not settled privately. The
documents will give the man’s name and place of residence.
Bastardy Bonds
These bonds, used before 1834, were signed by the father
if a case was found, absolving the parish from financial responsibility and
guaranteeing payment of maintenance until the child reached seven years of age. The Bastardy Bonds required two guarantors – one
guarantor often being the man’s own father – and were commonly used in the 17th
and 18th centuries.
Further Clues
If you have suspicions that a particular man might be the
child’s father, it is worth checking to see if he has left a will. There may be
a reference to his ‘natural’ son, for example, particularly if he had no
legitimate sons.
Another possibility is that he took on an illegitimate
son as an apprentice or perhaps paid the boy’s fee. The Apprentice Indentures
will give the name of the apprentice and the master as well as the parish to
which the child belonged and this information could help you to piece together a
missing part of your family tree puzzle.
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