Family Tree: July 2018

The email linking the online version of Family Tree's July issue arrived on 6 June. It happens earlier each month as the magazine publishes both December and Christmas issues.

There's fresh information throughout the issue, but will leave aside details of the regular columns: Family history news, Dear Tom, Family Tree Academy, The lunch-hour genealogist, Taken a DNA test? Now what?, Techy tips for family historians, Twiglets, Family Tree Subscriber Club, Books, Your Q&As: advice, Diary Dates, Mailbox, Your adverts. There's a focus this month on women marking the centenary of women (over 30 with some property rights) getting the vote.

‘Until you actually live there’
In the wake of the Windrush, 10-year-old Edwin Joseph came to Britain. Flere his wife Jane Joseph traces his ancestry back to British Guiana and ultimately Africa, from where his 3x great-grandparents had been sold into slavery themselves.
Comment: NOT first world issues—"Until you wage a daily battle to prevent termites eating away the insides of the books on your shelves and the pictures in your frames before moving on to eat away your wooden house, you don’t really understand why parish churches or schools in the tropics rarely have registers dating back more than a generation."

Exploring ancestors’ ages
Don’t assume your ancestors all married and died young. Dr Edward Dutton has some surprising news.
Comment: My 2-times great grandfather lived to be older than his son my great-grandfather. That's more likely than not according to the statistics in this article. If you like to put your ancestry in the context of the times read this article to better understand why lifespan decreased.

The sum of all parts
Chris Paton describers how pursuing the stories of his female ancestors may often be difficult, but never any less important.
Comment: Chris always has something worthwhile and often new to me in his articles. This time it's The Army Children Archive.

Celebrating centuries of women
To mark the centenary of the vote being granted to some women, and the 90th anniversary of full equal franchise, Rachel Bellerby takes a tour through centuries of female history, looking at achievements in fields including medicine, industry, the military and entertainment.
Comment: The article is crammed with useful links.

The feel of fashion
This issue Jayne Shrimpton reflects on the changing attire of the early 1800s. Just what did our late Georgian and early Victorian ancestors wear?

Tracing your family tree is something for everyone! Start today
If you have a computer and access to the internet then you have what you need to start tracing your family tree. June Terrington is a huge fan of online research and has been finding ancestors and making family history connections for years!
Comment: Another article crammed with links—for the beginner.

Two remarkable people
There’s nothing like a written record of the past is there? This issue Julie Goucher looks at the correspondence material left by two outstanding Victorian women.

The real EastEnders: sharing women’s history
Passionate to see the history of women remembered, campaigner Sarah Jackson has set about creating an East End Women's Museum. Simon Wilis pays a virtual visit.
Comment: You can too.

Spotlight on the Sussex Family History Group
Roy Winchester would like to warmly welcome you to this large and successful family history society.

‘She burned too bright for this world’
Ruth A Symes reminds us how there is so much to interest family historians in Emily Bronte’s work as we mark 200 years since her birth.

There’s something about Mary
Researching your female line can be a real challenge, especially as maiden names can get lost or over time. Charlotte Soares took up the cause to help a fellow reader solve just such a problem.

Thoughts on...
‘What follows are probably the saddest in my whole family history’ - Diane Lindsay relates a tragic tale.