2 - Great-Great-Granddad was a Cordwainer?

The census is one of the most useful tools available to the genealogist. Since its inception in 1801 it has been carried out every 10 years with only one exception -when the second world war got in the way. The first useful census for our purposes is that of 1841 but this is limited in its information. It holds the names and the ages of each person in the household with the ages of the adults rounded to the nearest five years. From 1851 it also lists the place of birth of each inhabitant and this is the information we are after.

We are very lucky in Lincolnshire as there is a very active Family History Society who, over the years, have indexed all the censuses (or should that be censii!!). This makes it very easy to find anyone of your surname at ten year intervals through the 19th century. Copies of the index are held at the Reference Library, Free School Lane, and at the Archives in St Rumbold St.. If you want to be able to work at home they can also be bought through the FHS. Be prepared though, while some of the enumerators had wonderful copperplate handwriting a few of them could spend their time today writing out doctors prescriptions!!

Census material is held at Lincoln Archives apart from the 1841 which is in the Reference Library. So, armed with the reference numbers from the index to the relevant census, it is an easy matter to check on the entry which interests you. Staff at both places are very helpful and will show you where the films/fiche are kept and how to use the viewers. It is advisable to book in advance as there is only limited space.

The poor of the 19th century were very suspicious of the census thinking that the information could be used against them. When asked the question by the enumerator they could be quite evasive in their answer. Sometimes of course they did not know the answer as the elderly then could be unsure of their age and occasionally the enumerator would 'guess-timate'. Great-Great-Great-Granddad, who moved to Branston from Great Hale when he was but a few months old would have given his place of birth as Branston as "I have always lived here". The moral to this is don't believe implicitly in all that is written. The enumerator and the residents are only human and mistakes are sometimes made.

Most of the Lincolnshire population in the 19th century were involved in farming and the majority of these are classed as Ag. Lab (Agricultural Labourer). Over the years old occupations disappear and new ones replace them. In 1881 William COOLING, aged 67, born in Branston, married and living with his family at Branston gives his occupation as Cordwainer. Later this is replaced by cobbler or shoemaker.
With the family information and census material, with luck, we should now have a line of ancestors back to the early 1800s. The next thing to do is to join all the pieces of information together and for that we will use the Parish Registers.

 

Bits & Bobs

Croxby Baptisms

5th May 1861 - Emma daughter of John & Emma Taylor of Croxby - Labourer.
In the margin    *God-Mother made a mistake and gave the wrong name — it was to have been Eliza.

Start at the beginning

Who, When and Where?

So you have decided that you want to draw up your Family Tree but you're unsure on the place to start? The answer is no former than your nearest elderly relatives, but is also happens to be one of the major snags with tracing a Family Tree. No matter when you start it always seems to be ten years too late. Remember Auntie Hilda from Hatcliffe? Passed away aged 98 - now she knew all the family members and what stories she used to tell. Each of our relations have a unique insight into the family most which is not written down. While we can draw up - if you are really lucky - the Family Tree all the way back to 1538, it will be as dry as dust if you are unable to add in some personal information of the ancestors.

We need information from our relatives to take us back to the last century. The magic date to aim for is that of the last census for which information is available (census information is not released for one hundred years) and at the moment this is 1891. To do this all that is needed - hopefully - is long chats with the family members. Genealogy suffers from reverse ageism. The older the relative the more important can be their contribution. Back to the heading - Who, When & Where? The line you are tracing - be it Mother's or Father's - you need to know - Who were they?. When were they born? Where did they live? Did they go on holiday and stay with a relative? What did they do for a living? The list is almost endless. The fact that they went on holiday and stayed with grandparents in Skegness may point you to the area they came from. A really good method of bringing the memories flooding back is to go through the old photograph albums with the person you are 'interviewing' and try to identify the subjects and who they were related to. Try never to ask a question which needs a yes or no answer; chatting on one subject can open up memories on a whole range of items which might be of interest and provide a key to linking in another family group.

Having got this far try to draw up a small tree for each family group. These can then be used like a jigsaw to connect each family together with the father/mother of one family are the son or daughter of another. There are forms available to help make it easier and these will be found advertised in the genealogical magazines. The Church of the Latter Day Saints also do a form to record family members and it can be bought from your local LDS Family History Centre.

Were you successful in getting the line back to 1891? Unsure of the dates? Never mind. Over the coming weeks I hope to cover all the main sources of information that can be consulted and used to make up the Family Tree. The information is out there and it is just a matter of finding it. It does help of course, if you know what is available and where it is kept.

Bits 'n Bobs - Don't forget your local newspaper is a source of information.

Clixby - December 7th 1837 On Saturday last an inquest was held at Clixby, before George Mams Gent. Coroner on the body of William Booth, a servant in husbandry to Mr M Jackson, late of that
place who was found dead in bed.
Verdict - Visitation of God.