Oklahoma Genealogical Society
Hunting
Your Ancestors in England
from
“The Third Annual Oklahoma Conference on Genealogy”
Taken
from the Oklahoma Genealogical Society Quarterly Vol. 9, No. 4, December
1964
Transcribed
to Electronic form by Jo White
[Partial
transcription. All addresses are from
1964]
Dr.
Conrad Swan, Rouge Dragon Pursuant of Arms, College of Arms, London, with able
assistance from Dr. Donnell MacClure Owings cleared the way for further
searching for our immigrant ancestors and removed our fears of language
difficulties and correspondence formalities so
that – the only barrier now – is our own delay and lack of sufficient research on this side of
the ocean to enable us to be specific in our inquiries.
Mr.
and Mrs. Earl G. Darby of Manhattan, Kansas were among the several out of state
genealogists including a large Kansas delegation who attended the Conference. The following is a report of Mr. Darby,
Editor, as published for their members in Kansas Kin, Vol. II, No. 4,
November 1964, pp 38-39, the publication of the Riley County Kansas
Genealogical Society, on part of Dr. Swan’s lecture:
“HUNTING YOUR ANCESTORS IN
ENGLAND”
“It
was the privilege of your editor, Earl G. Darby and Mrs. Darby, to attend the
Third Annual Conference on Genealogy, October 16th and 17th
at the College of Continuing Education, Oklahoma University, Norman,
Oklahoma. It was a pleasant, worthwhile
two-day meeting, exchanging ideas with others and learning from the
well-informed faculty. Following is a
short digest of a talk by the guest speaker, Dr. Conrad Swan, Rouge Dragon
Pursuivant (sic) of Arms, College of Arms, London on ‘Genealogical and Heraldic
Records in the British Isles’. (England
and Wales)
“Dr,
Swan said, ‘If I were tracing my ancestry in England or Wales I would first
contact the College of Arms, because that is the official State Department
which has kept the family records. The
greatest source of information as been the Heraldic Visitations for the years
1530 to 1687. All persons who bore arms
were summoned to come and prove their privilege to bear them. The pedigrees resulting from this proof were
placed on record. Also since 1658 there
have been a series of voluntary registrations, some of which contain many
colonial entries as well as Irish, Scottish and Non-British. The address of the College of Arms: Queen
Victoria Street. London, E C 4, England.
Ask any officer a specific question and get the cost. The also do original research. If you must do your research by mail, write
the above address [as of December 1964, Transcriber], state your question, and
ask the cost.
“Should
there be nothing for you at the College of Arms, write to the English
Department of Registration for records of births, marriages and deaths. Their records go back to 1 July 1837. Here you should learn the residence of your
ancestor. The address is: Somerset House, The Strand, London, W C 2,
England [as of December 1964, Transcriber].
With
that information you should learn earlier facts form the census returns
available at the Public Records Office, Chancery Lane, London. Here are the census returns from 1801 to the
present. Early returns are of little
value to the genealogist but beginning in 1841 they give the name of the head
of the house, the name and relationship of each person to the head, age,
occupation, and exact place of birth. These
are not indexed by name so it is necessary to have the name and location as
obtained from Somerset House. Late
1800’s and early 1900’s are hazardous dates for genealogists due to the
Industrial Revolution. Many returns
from the early 1900’s lack information because those in Devon and elsewhere
resented the counting of people. Before
search can be made in any census less than 100 years old, it is necessary to
tell your relationship and what will be made of the information; to be sure it
will not be used for litigation purposes.
“Ecclesiastical
Records are of great value to the genealogist.
They are of two kinds: first, Parish Registers of the Church of England
(Protestant Episcopal); second, Non-Conformist, which is all other churches. It usually refers to Protestant, not Jews
and Roman Catholics. All except Parish
Records have been collected and are now housed at the Public Records
Office. Parish Records are kept by the
vicar of the local parishes.
Information on them varies greatly, depending on the date and the local
vicar. Here are a few records dating
back even earlier than 1538 when Parliament ordered that records be made. However, only about one in 15 started
keeping records at that time. The genealogist
should remember that the vicar is obliged to let the records be searched but is
not obliged to do the search. Enclose a
self-addressed envelope, an international stamp coupon, and ask for the name of
a qualified researcher. Then write the
researcher for fees.
“Besides
the records of births, marriages and deaths there are other records in each
parish. In 1667 Parliament attempted to
encourage the wool industry by requiring that everyone be buried in wool. Some relative of the deceased was required
to report within eight days after each burial. In his report he told his relationship to t he deceased.
“Records
of the poor are in the Parish Chest, telling who moved from one parish to
another, information concerning work houses, and records of the pest houses
(village hospitals). Accurate records
of illegitimate children were kept by church wardens who were careful to
discover the father so he could contribute to the keep of the child. With these sources many records are
available for the poor. Careful records
have been kept concerning the nobility.
It is the middle class whose ancestry is more difficult to trace.
“The
Public Records Office is also the repository of Military Records, dating from
1754 to the present. If your ancestor
was not an officer, you must know his name and regiment. Navy pay books date back to 1669 but you
must know t he name of t he ship. These
records contain names of many British soldiers in the American Revolution and
Tories (United Empire Loyalists) of the colonies.
“Other
sources of information at the Public Records Office are: in quisitions Post
Mortem which give land owners under the King and records of the children; Feet
of Fines from 1190 to 1833 are land records; Close Rolls, means closed or
private, are orders from the Crown to an official; Patent Rolls are royal
grants of land and appointments; Subsidy Rolls, really tax rolls, give the name
and the amount of the tax.
“Wills
and Their Whereabouts, by A.J. Camp, 1963, is a good book to read before
searching for wills of your ancestor.
There are two courts: the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Somerset
House and the Court of York, St. Anthony’s Hall, York. The Court of Canterbury is most important
for colonist ancestors.”
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