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ACROSS MY DESK:
1841 English Census -- now Online
This just in from Jane Hewitt. Myrt :)
From: Jane Hewitt jane@origins.net
Sent: Friday, April 08, 2005 11:52 AM
1841 English Census -- England's First -- now Online!
-Another generation of census data available exclusively at British Origins
These are exciting times for genealogists and family historians. Hot on the
heels of the 1861 census, the earliest name-inclusive census of England is now
available on British Origins at http://www.britishorigins.com.
While the ancient Egyptians and the Babylonians were conducting censuses long
before Joseph and Mary returned to Bethlehem for the census there, England had
to wait till 1841. English genealogy researchers who had previously to scroll
through miles of microfilm can now, with the click of a mouse, take their family
trees back another couple of generations.
People are becoming more and more interested in how their ancestors lived - what
they did, what the social conditions were like - and are increasingly aware that
they need to look beyond birth, marriage and death records. Census records don't
just allow you to put family units together - parents, children, and other
relatives - but identify servants, and give occupations. So you get a picture of
people's lives from their occupations and the type and number of servants, eg
personal maid, housemaid, upper floor maid, cook, groom. Rat catchers and
lamplighters are in stark contrast to the professions of today.
Researchers using the 1841 England and Wales Census can unveil the lives of
prominent figures from this period, such as John Russell, more commonly known as
'Jack Russell' who created the self - named famous breed of dog.
Jack Russell, a parson in Swimbridge and also a keen Devon huntsman, was
pre-occupied with the idea of creating the perfect hunting dog .When he was
given a dog whilst studying in Oxford, he bred it with a Devon hunt terrier and
the Jack Russell terrier breed was created (also know for some time as a Parson
Terrier). His entry can be found within the Devon records of the England and
Wales 1841 Census.
The Origins Network, specialists in British and Irish genealogy, provide
exclusive access to a rich and growing collection of records which put flesh on
the bones of one's ancestors. These include a unique collection of
apprenticeship records, which identify the apprentice's father or mother, where
they lived, what their occupation was, to whom and where the apprentice moved,
and the trade into which they were apprenticed. There were a surprising number
of women apprentices entering many different trades, including tilers and
bricklayers, armourers and braziers, founders, fletchers and pin makers.
Many of the records tell true and personal stories. Applications for militia
service are particularly rich. The 1904 application of John Byrne, of Clonmel,
Co. Tipperary, to join the South Tipperary Artillery tells us, under "next
of kin", that he had a brother in Plymouth, Devon, two sisters in Chicago,
and three sisters in Queensland. The 1894 application of Joseph Hogan, of
Liverpool, who joined the Royal Lancaster regiment, informs us that he was born
in Hyderabad, India, was a musician who had worked or studied with a Mr
Heintzman in Toronto the year before, had served in the Derbyshire Regiment for
12 years before that (so had clearly been boy soldier), transferred to the
Wicklow Artillery militia in 1895, and bought himself out of a 6-year engagement
in 1897. (Was this to get married?).
Joseph was 5 ft 5 in tall, weighed 133 lbs, had a chest measurement of 34½
inches, fair complexion, dark blue eyes, and light brown hair. Truly putting
"flesh on the bones".
Wills are a well-known source, and British Origins provides exclusive access to
some of greatest UK sources. Wills provide information on the kind of property
your ancestors owned, how much money they had, who they left it to. For example,
Robert Goodwin's 1803 will showed that he left money to three illegitimate
daughters, by two North American Indian mothers, and to an illegitimate son. The
1731 will of Nicholas Foster, of Riccall, Yorkshire, was signed "his
mark", indicating that Nicholas was illiterate. He was not a well-off man,
leaving only a guinea each to his four children, Thomas, John, Anne and Suzanna,
and everything else to his wife, also Suzanna.
A further new addition to The Origins Network, an index to petitions to Trinity
House for charitable aid by disabled seamen or their widows, provides access to
an extraordinary amount of genealogical information. The petitions, covering the
period 1787 to 1854, give a career history for the seaman, names and ages of his
dependants, and other documents typically including baptismal and marriage
certificates. For example, Emily Darnell's petition of November 1851 shows that
her husband, Thomas, went to sea aged 10, serving for 24 years, lastly as master
of the 113 ton coasting vessel Caroline, before being lost at sea in "the
Gale of 25 September", leaving 5 children under 14 years: Thomas (10),
Emily (9), Elizabeth (5), Harry (3) and Ann (1). Accompanying documents include
baptismal and marriage certificates, the latter showing that Emily's father,
James Artis, of Warntham, was a bricklayer, while Thomas's father, William, was
also a Yarmouth sea captain; strangely, Emily's birth certificate gives her
father's name as Joseph Artis. Many of the seamen fought or were taken prisoner
during the Napoleonic Wars.
Put together all these records and we have, not just names on a piece of paper,
but the beginning of bringing our ancestors back to life. However to make the
picture even richer British Origins is augmented by a wonderful gallery,
containing rare 19th century books, photographs, maps and gazetteers.
In addition to British Origins, The Origins Network also offers unique Irish
genealogy collections via Irish Origins http://www.irishorigins.com
including census records, wills, military papers, Irish/USA emigration boat
passenger lists, town plans, and more, as well as an Irish gallery featuring
books, photos, maps and other rich vintage material from Ireland.
With all this information on line it is increasingly easy to make your ancestors
become real people. We can build up a legacy to pass on to future generations
from our armchair.
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About The Origins Network www.originsnetwork.com
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The Origins Network (formerly Origins.net), specialists in British and Irish
genealogy, was founded in 1997 and offers online access to some of the richest
ancestral information available for genealogy research at http://www.originsnetwork.com
Origins Network services include subscription access to exclusive English
genealogy related collections on British Origins http://www.britishorigins.com
and to Irish genealogy related collections on Irish Origins http://www.irishorigins.com,
expert Scottish Old Parish records research on Scots Origins http://www.scotsorigins.com
plus Free access to a state-of-the-art specialized search engine for genealogy,
Origin Search http://www.originsearch.com
.
Genealogical data unique to The Origins Network includes Irish and English
census records (including exclusive access to the 1841 English census -
England's first), marriage registers, wills, valuation records, emigration
passenger lists, court and apprentice records, as well as images such as
original survey maps and vintage photographs. Most of this information is not
available anywhere else on the internet.
Partnerships with leading archives and genealogical societies in the UK and
Ireland, including the Society of Genealogists, Eneclann Ltd, The National
Library of Ireland, and the Borthwick Institute for Archives, allow The Origins
Network to provide exclusive online access to key sources, with an increasing
emphasis on access to primary records, and to material which puts the
"flesh on your ancestors bones"
For all enquiries, please contact:
Jane Hewitt, Origins Network, 12 Greenhill Rents, London, UK EC1M 6BN
jane@origins.net - phone: +44 (0)207 2516117 |
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