Here's one of the great resources for English family history research that seems to be not as well known as it should be. It's not totally new, but because it gets overlooked, I'll briefly profile it again.
Can't find the ancestors' record in the home parish, then look in adjacent ones. In which Poor Law Union, where your needy ancestors might find help, was the ancestor's parish? Experienced family historians know that maps can be a best friend and help sort out confusing situations.
Here's an example from my ancestry. The parish of Ellastone is in Staffordshire. It's in the rural Deanery of Uttoxeter, also in Staffordshire. However, the Poor Law District is Ashbourne, named for the larger community which, like most of the District, is in Derbyshire.
Try it at
http://maps.familysearch.org/. You'll like it.
Great resource I only just learnt about it too - via Geneabloggers Radio last week.
ReplyDeleteI agree - this site is excellent for getting the lie of the land for English ancestors. Handy pop-up window also lets you see what years parish registers cover too. See the article explaining how to use the site in the Autumn 2010 issue of Family Tree (UK mag).
ReplyDeleteThis is fantastic! Thanks for letting us know about it. It will help me in my search for my mysterious Martha.
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