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Ask the expert – 'old school' research methods

Our resident expert Stephen Rigden, pictured below, answers your queries.

From Linda Jones:

‘How can I trace a maiden name? I know my ancestor was called Mary Ann, born in Liverpool in 1838. She married a John Jones, born in Liverpool in 1842 and their first child was born in Crewe in 1868. Mary Ann and John Jones are very common names in Liverpool.

John was an engine tuner who eventually ended up in Swindon with his family. John’s mother was Mary and we think his father was another John. Any tips would be helpful.’

Stephen says:

‘Dear Linda,

Thanks for your email. This is an example of when it may be best to use ‘old school’ family history methods. We’re all spoilt nowadays by the proliferation of vital records available online; however, not all answers can be found with ease online and without resort to paper!

In this case, where you have a marriage between two people with very common names – John Jones and Mary Ann with an unknown maiden surname – the easiest and surest answer is to purchase a birth certificate to ascertain the maiden name. Of course, it could be Smith or Jones or Williams, but on the other hand it may be more unusual and, in any event, you would then be able to conduct a more focused two-surname online search for John marrying Mary Ann.

I suggest that you buy the birth certificate of whichever of their children either most interests you, or means the most to you; or (given that there will be so many Joneses each quarter of the registration calendar) the one who has the most distinctive name. You can order the birth certificate online from the General Register Office, which will post it out to you (usually with three to five days if you’re in UK) for the statutory fee of £9.25.

I had hoped that you might be able to avoid buying the birth certificate, if the baptism of their first child (in Crewe, in 1868) was included in findmypast.co.uk’s Cheshire parish registers collection. I should emphasise that these are Anglican registers. There are 17 baptisms entries for Jones in Crewe in 1868 +/- 1 year. From spot-checking these, however, it appears that they do not usually record the mother’s maiden surname. So back to paper certificates…

When the certificate arrives, it should show the maiden surname of Mary Ann, as well as others details such as exact place of birth, informant at registration of the child, etc. You can then search for and purchase a copy of the marriage certificate online in the same way, and from that you should get confirmation of the name and occupation of Mary Ann’s father.

With luck she was indeed born in 1838 and, therefore, her birth will (or should) appear in the civil registration indexes (there is known to be a degree of under-registration of events in the early days of civil registration). If, however, she was a little older than you currently expect, and her birth was registered before July 1837, she won’t be in the birth indexes, and you would need to consider Anglican parish registers (or appropriate Non-Conformist or Roman Catholic registers, if applicable). You can cross that bridge when you come to it.

Good luck!’

If you’d like to send your question to Stephen, please register or opt to receive newsletters in ‘my account’. Stephen only has time to answer a couple of queries each month but if yours wasn’t answered this time, you could be lucky next month!

View the 1911 census for free on findmypast.co.uk

We know how important the 1911 census is for anyone tracing their family tree, so we’re giving you free access!

Until 18 November 2012, view a 1911 census transcript for free on findmypast.co.uk – this usually costs 10 credits.

We’ve also lowered the cost of viewing an original 1911 census image – you’ll pay just 5 credits instead of 30.

Even more good news: we always try to offer you the best possible value for money, so when this offer ends on 18 November, we’ll permanently reduce the price of viewing the 1911 census to 5 credits for a transcript and 5 credits for an original image.

Click to enlarge

In the infirmity column of the census, Mary wrote ‘not enfranchised’, which the enumerator has crossed out in red. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Search the 1911 census now

Behind the scenes of Find My Past the TV show: Titanic part 2

Tim Rickeard was one of the participants in Titanic, the second episode of Find My Past the TV show. Read our exclusive interview with Tim as he tells us what it was like to appear on the show.

FMP: What was the most surprising or emotional moment for you?

Tim: Reading the personal narrative by eye-witness Joseph Scarrott of the rescue of my great-uncle Harold Phillimore. It made me realise how lucky he was to be one of the four people rescued by lifeboat 14, which was the only lifeboat to go back to search for those in the water. The description of how he was rescued was quite harrowing.

FMP: How has being involved in the programme affected you or your life?

Tim: It has given me the motivation to find out about the rest of my family history. I met with my uncle Leslie who has been researching family history for over 10 years. He was able to give me a fascinating insight into our relatives’ social history. I discovered a rich naval and maritime past. My great grandfathers sailed in the Fastnet race and on board the first British yacht to challenge the America’s cup.

FMP: Are you proud of your ancestor’s role in this historical event?

Tim: Yes, I’m very proud that Harold survived and that he went on to continue a successful career as a first class steward serving, among others, the Duke of Windsor (formerly King Edward VIII).

FMP: Do you feel you’ve got to know your ancestor better?

Tim: It was fascinating to get an insight into the life on board for a steward and to see a picture of my relative.

FMP: If you could meet your ancestor, face to face, what question would you ask them?

Tim: How he felt going back to sea after the disaster onto the Titanic’s sister ship, the Olympic.

FMP: How did you find out you were going to be in a TV programme about your family history? What was your reaction?

Tim: A letter through the post. Initially, I wondered if it was a scam but then I was intrigued to find out who in my family history was of interest.

FMP: Has it sunk in that your ancestor was involved in such a momentous point in history?

Tim: Both of my grandfathers and their families worked on cruise ships so it is not totally surprising that one of the family was on the Titanic. It was a real surprise to find out how my ancestor was rescued, however, and that he was probably the last person to be rescued two hours after the Titanic sank.

Read more about the Titanic episode

Find out more about Find My Past the TV show

Behind the scenes of Find My Past the TV show: Titanic

Jessica Wilson appeared in Titanic, the second episode of Find My Past the TV show. We talked to Jessica to find out her experiences of appearing on the show and how it has affected her life.

Q: What was the most surprising or emotional moment for you?

A: Reading my great-grandfather’s own account in the New York Times of the night the Titanic sank. It surprised me quite how emotional I found reading it. Despite being related, I didn’t think it would touch me as much as it did. By that point I had been given so much background information on his role, his colleagues and the lead up to that night, that reading his own account brought it all together. The story of the Titanic is familiar to everyone but to hear one individual’s account was harrowing, let alone to know that person was my great-grandfather.

Q: How has being involved in the programme affected you or your life?

A: I’ve always been interested in my family history, but know more about my maternal ancestry. The programme has made me think more about exploring my paternal roots and making the most of asking my family more about it while I can. I think the programme has made me realise how important it is to have an awareness of your ancestry and to be proud of it.

Q: Are you proud of your ancestor’s role in this historical event?

A: Immensely! Not only of how important his job was on the ship but to hear just how far he went to make every effort he could to get help. Especially after the Captain had told him he could step down, to have carried on sending the distress signals, with freezing Atlantic water around his legs rather than searching for the nearest lifeboat, was a very heroic act. In such a situation as his I feel it is a true test of character how he chose to act, his loyalty to both the ship and his colleagues.

Q: Do you feel you’ve got to know your ancestor better?

A: I learnt so much about what he did and what he went through, as well as learning about his character. I was very touched by his loyalty to his colleagues and his selflessness in his actions. Even his humour at such a fraught time portrayed more of his personality and strength of character.

Q: If you could meet your ancestor face to face, what question would you ask them?

A: That is a really difficult question to answer because after following his story, there is so much I would like to ask him, but once my great-grandfather returned from New York, he never really spoke about the Titanic again. So I guess I would ask him ‘which of his relatives he was most proud of and why?’

Q: How did you find out you were going to be in a TV programme about your family history? What was your reaction?

A: The researchers traced my cousin in Swaziland, who put them in contact with my father, and he gave them my phone number. Initially I was quite apprehensive to take part in the programme; I was a little worried about what I might find out and felt uncomfortable at the idea of being filmed. The team were very reassuring though and the more I thought about it, the more I realised what a great opportunity it was. I thought that if I were ever do something significant I would like to think that my ancestors would want to know about it and be proud. If the stories in our family history aren’t told they get forgotten, and this was such a good opportunity to learn more about Harold Bride. Often family stories change from generation to generation as parts get omitted or fabricated, whereas this was a way to hear the truth and facts about my great-grandfather that I otherwise wouldn’t have known. It was a very surreal experience, especially agreeing to take part not knowing who the programme would be focusing on or where they would be taking me. So I guess it was a little bit of blind faith and pure curiosity.

Q: Has it sunk in that your ancestor was involved in such a momentous point in history?

A: I’d always know that Harold Bride was on the Titanic but I never knew the details. Reading how his actions that night played such a huge part in the reason so many people survived made it more impressive. It hits me a little more each time I discuss the programme with people, to see their reaction to his story, and how impressed they are to hear what he did. It’s interesting to me because he was my great-grandfather, but to hear how much it interests other people makes me realise how momentous his story actually is. A friend even asked me to talk to her primary school class about it, so the idea that another generation will hear his story is quite special too.

Read more about the Titanic episode

Find out more about Find My Past the TV show

Behind the scenes of Find My Past the TV show: Dunkirk

David Greene was one of our three participants in the Dunkirk episode of Find My Past the TV show. We’ve been chatting to David to hear about his experiences of appearing on the show.

Q: What was the most surprising or emotional moment for you?

A: Hearing my grandad’s voice on the recording of his time on the beach at Dunkirk.

Q: How has being involved in the programme affected you or your life?

A: It has put into perspective what the soldiers went through in the war and how we should always remember those that fought for their country.

Q: Are you proud of your ancestor’s role in this historical event?

A: Without question. I wish I could have spoken to him about his time in the war.

Q: Do you feel you’ve got to know your ancestor better?

A: I was very close to my nan and granddad anyway as we saw them every week. I knew my grandad very well, but he and my nan never mentioned the war.

Q: If you could meet your ancestor face to face, what question would you ask them?

A: I would most certainly ask him about Dunkirk, and I would ask him many more questions about his war experience.

Q: How did you find out you were going to be in a TV programme about your family history? What was your reaction?

A: I received a letter in the post asking if I was related to grandad Alfie Guilder. I was excited to find out what he was involved in that was a part of British history.

Q: Has it sunk in that your ancestor was involved in such a momentous point in history?

A: Yes it has, but I must say I have given what he must have gone through a lot of thought. I have watched a few other programmes now on this battle to learn more and understand more what it would have been like.

Find out more about Find My Past the TV show

Honour our heroes

Were any of your ancestors involved in Dunkirk? Upload their photo, tell their story and help findmypast.co.uk to honour our heroes. Share your heroes

Ask the Expert – medal cards

Norman Marriott has a question about medal cards:

I have copies of my ancestors medal cards but I do not understand what the information means. Is there any way of decoding it?

Paul Nixon, our military history expert, replies:

“The Long, Long Trail website has a section devoted to interpreting medal index cards. If this doesn’t answer your specific query, try posting a query on the site’s Great War Forum.

If you’d like to send your question to our experts, please register or opt to receive newsletters in My Account. Unfortunately our experts only have time to answer a few queries each month. If yours wasn’t answered this time, you could be lucky next month.

Ask the Expert – brick walls smashed and a Polish question

This month, our expert family historian answers two questions from Lucy Lawer:

1. My grandma Ethel Ann SINGLETON was born 1909, she is not on the 1911 census. I have looked for this family so hard over 20 years. John SINGLETON and Hannah HOWARTH are her parents, my mum said they had a large family. Where should I look now?

2. My Dad Zygmunt BORYS who has recently passed away, was born 1926 Gdansk Poland. He was brought through the French underground to England. Then sent to Scotland to join the Polish ranks up there, he was then sent out to Italy to fight. If he was part of British army then I can’t find his records and have no clue where to look next. He told me he got a demob suit and lived in London for a time. I am interested how he became a British citizen. Any help would be so appreciated.

Our expert, Steve Rigden, answers:

“Thanks for your enquiry.

In my experience, the proportion of the population missing from the 1911 census is much smaller than for earlier census years and normally I would expect to find someone with a little digging. I see from the marriage indexes that John Singleton married Hannah Howorth in the December quarter of 1904 in Preston registration district. Using this, I was then able to find the 1911 census return, which was completed by John himself. The census shows John, Hannah, your grandmother Ethel and her brother John junior living at Charnock Moss, Penwortham near Preston. John was born in Penwortham and his wife and children in Preston itself. If you go to the census reference search you can retrieve the image by selecting 1911 (RG14) in the Census dropdown list, inserting Piece no 25236, and then using RD no 476, SD no 1, ED no 3 and schedule no 180.

With this information, you should be able to work back in time, finding John and Hannah on the 1901 and earlier censuses.

For example, if John was aged 35 in 1911, he would have been born circa 1875/76. Searching on the 1901 census, you then find John Singleton aged 25, born Penwortham, residing in Charnock Moss with his parents John and Sarah A Singleton and their large family (reference RG13 piece 3942 folio 54 page 26).

Similarly, we can find Hannah, who was aged 26 in 1911 and therefore born circa 1884/85. Searching on the 1901 census, you then find Hannah Howarth aged 16, born Preston, residing in Newton Street, Preston with her parents John and Elizabeth Howarth and a couple of siblings (reference RG13 piece 3945 folio 118 page 38).

Incidentally, if you wish to look for brothers and sisters of Ethel Ann Singleton born after 1911, you can do this using the birth search. Search under Singleton with mother’s maiden name Howorth and repeat under Howarth, selecting dates from 1911 to, say, 1925. If you know that the family stayed in Preston district, or at least in Lancashire, you can also safely select the right geographical parameters for your search. This search finds possible siblings named Ellen, Fred, Annie and Cecilia.

As for your father, many Poles fought in the British armed forces during WW2, notably in the air force, in which they played a key role. There are few digitised online records for Poles serving in the British forces during WW2. However, as a child of a soldier serving after 1920, you should be able to obtain a copy of his service records from the MOD by going to their Veterans UK website and then following the relevant links.

Good luck with your research!”

If you’d like to send your question to our experts, please register or opt to receive newsletters in My Account. Unfortunately our experts only have time to answer a few queries each month. If yours wasn’t answered this time, you could be lucky next month.

The Society of Genealogists’ centenary celebrations

This weekend the Society of Genealogists will be 100 years old and findmypast.co.uk is proud to be their centenary sponsor.

The Society has a host of activities planned to celebrate its 100th year. Upcoming events include a Reception and Gala Dinner on Friday 6 May and the Centenary Family History Conference on Saturday 7 May, both of which findmypast.co.uk is looking forward to attending.

You can find out more information about all of the Society’s centenary celebrations on their website

You can search millions of records from the Society on findmypast.co.uk, including the Great Western Railway Shareholders Index 1835-1932 and the Civil Service Evidence of Age 1752-1948

See a full list of the Society’s records you can search on findmypast.co.uk

Competition Winners – Who Do You Think You Are? LIVE 2010

A big thank you to everyone who entered our competition at the Who Do You Think You Are? LIVE exhibition at Kensington Olympia this year! The prize of a 12 month Full subscription was offered on each day of the show, along with two runner-up prizes of a 6 month Full subscription.

I’m pleased to announce that these prizes have now been awarded to the following lucky winners:

12 month Full subscriptions – Robert Forrester, Pamela Freeman and Katherine Harris

6 month Full subscriptions – Rosemary Atkins, Jeremy Briggs, Mrs B Catchpole, Janet Henwood, Jack Miller and David Taylor

You can read more about the events at this year’s Who Do You Think You Are? LIVE exhibition here.