Category Archives: Books

It is (not quite) all About the Books – Isolation Day 79

by thehistoryinterpreter

Isolation continues for me. I was just thinking that I might feel like going for a socially distanced walk when the idiocy factor ramped up and folk flocked westward in their droves. I’ll sit tight as the second wave tsunamis in; unfortunately I think it is inevitable. I do know that I am lucky to have this option. I am pleased for those who can now meet family in parks and gardens. It does make it hit harder that the gardens I’d want to socially distance in are 300 miles away though. So, I’ll continue to #staysafe, grit my teeth and enjoy my own garden. Suddenly, the facts that the single baby blue tit has fledged and the poppies are blooming seem hugely significant.

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This latest update is mostly about books though. I am gearing up for the cover/title reveal for novel #2. It is now in the hands of the publishers. There really are only so many times you can delete a comma and then put it back again on the eleventy billionth read through. I am looking at today’s appalling worldwide news stories and sadly, the book’s theme of intolerance is all too relevant. I am excited to report that the talented Dan Britton has written a companion song for this book too. Recording it under lockdown conditions was challenging but the end result is perfect. The plan is that it will be available, along with two other tracks on a similar theme, on 29 August, along with the book. Ninety days to go! Don’t forget that I am gradually leaking hints about its contents.

In other writing news, I’ve been commissioned to write a school textbook and that is finally making progress. My online One-Place Studies course for Pharos is ready for presentation in September (bookings are already coming in and more than a third of the places are filled). I am looking forward to speaking about writing your memories for Crediton Literary Festival on 6 June. There are some excellent talks, you can attend from anywhere in the world and better still it is free. All you have to do is apply for the link to join the audience.

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I am getting some exciting invitations for online presentations so watch this space. Thoughts are turning to ‘what next?’ I am playing with an idea that is set in the seventeenth century again but not Devon related. I am wondering if I can write ‘at a distance’, as I normally work by immersing myself in the locations. I am also thinking of reviving my collection of North Devon emigrant stories and I may work these two alongside each other. Then again, I might just sit and do nothing!

I have been working on ‘writing-up’ the accounts of a few more branches of the family that have been neglected over the years. These are not beautifully crafted stories crammed with context, that’s just what I advise my students to produce! At least if I can get the broad outline done, I can add the flavouring later. Some of these offerings do appear on my website. Woolgar, Bulley, Dawson and Hogg are amongst the more substantial accounts, if you are thinking of taking a look. Currently, I am working on the sorry tale of a shipwreck that took place during the Napoleonic Wars, when the vessel went aground off the Dutch Coast but the crew thought they were in the Humber Estuary.

By the way, if anyone is wondering abut the fate of the parcels mentioned in my previous post, they arrived relatively unscathed.

Faint Passports Never Won – well, anything really – Isolation Day 65

by thehistoryinterpreter

One of the downsides of lockdown for me has been that I am unable to get out and about to share my love of all things historical with many wonderful people. It has been inevitable but sad, to watch one speaking engagement after another tumble like a domino rally. Fortunately, I am starting to replace some of these talks with online versions. A consequence of not meeting audiences in person is that I have lost one of my main book-selling opportunities. This is not just financially significant. In a couple of months, a pallet containing a very large number of boxes of novel number two will hopefully be landing on my driveway. I need to shift existing stock to make space. Oh, you want another clue? Happy to oblige, novel two includes little known facts about what is a fairly well-known local incident. Very soon there will be a title/cover reveal. The cover is amazing – thank you Robin of The Branch Line.

Now, where was I? Oh yes, selling books, or in this case, not selling as many books as I need to in the next three months in order to have any room whatsoever in my tiny cottage. In the past, I have added myself as a potential book seller on Amazon. I stopped doing this because it was a pain removing myself again on the many occasions when I was away from home. You can’t just leave the items up for sale as you have to be able to send out purchases within 48 hours. As it doesn’t look as if I will be going anywhere anytime soon, I thought I’d reactive my Amazon seller status. Well dear reader, how long have you got?

I suspect because the dreaded GDPR has loomed its ugly head since I was last a seller, I am required to jump through the hoop of proving I am a person and that I am actually me. I assure you I am me, although when I look in the mirror, I do wonder why I am my mother. ‘Send a copy of your passport’. Thankfully, I do have one. I photograph my passport. Maybe I didn’t get its best side or something but back comes the message ‘your details do not match, change your surname to FEWB’. Well the whole deed poll thing seems a bit unnecessary, especially as FEWB is not my name. Was three letters too short or something? My passport didn’t have a superfluous B on it. I heave myself off the chair and go to scan the passport instead, on the highest possible resolution. It takes ages, whirring merrily away. I now have a jpg (acceptable format) of two pages of passport when I require only one. It is also 11MB and the maximum I can upload is 10MB. Fine, I will edit it. I edit jpgs all the time. For some reason, which ever programme I choose, it will not let me edit the file. Eventually, I use my snipping tool to take a screen shot. Ok so the instructions do say ‘we cannot accept a screen shot’ but how will they know? I send it off. Back comes the message ‘your passport is too faint’. Too faint? Well that’s hardly my fault. I haven’t irresponsibly been leaving it to fade in high sunlight or anything. I click on the link for ‘if you are having trouble’ and compose a message expressing my frustration and seeking advice.

Time passes. The process has already been spread over two days and taken me a couple of hours to not sort. An email arrives. It sets out a carbon copy of what to do, exactly as it appears on the webpage where you upload faint passports. ‘Does this answer your question?’ they jovially ask. Well, errr, no. Then it occurs to a fisherman of my acquaintance that, although passports are mentioned, my driving licence contains similar information. Worth a shot. By this time, I really can’t face another journey upstairs to the scanner. In my defence, this is not the height of lockdown laziness (well not entirely) but my back does still prefer it if I don’t move from sitting to standing too often. No immediate rejection message. I cross my fingers. No ‘this has worked’ email either though. I wait. Finally, when lamenting my plight to a friend, she checks and discovers that there my books are there, happily listed, so it must have worked! Now all I need is people to buy them in droves and if that happens, people to donate recycled bubble wrap! Actually, if you are reading this, please don’t buy my books on Amazon at all, just contact me. It will cost you the same but it saves me a few pennies (actually quite a lot of pennies). A thousand sales before the end of July isn’t too much to hope for is it? Ok, so it is but I can dream.

What with this and the shopping order that mysteriously disappeared (long and really not very interesting story – even less interesting than the one you’ve just read), I am reluctant to face the next learning curve, which is finally giving in to entreaties to do my tax return online. I have no problem at all with completing it on paper and it would normally be done by now. This year however I have had a letter saying they are not going to send me a paper form. I do know, that if I ring up and wait on hold for a couple of hours (because my call is important to them), they will send a form but I am fairly proficient with online, I should be able to do it. Shouldn’t I?

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Books, Games and 34 years of Family History Teaching – Isolation Day 42

by thehistoryinterpreter

So, in the week when we saw the leader of the free world advocate drinking bleach (here is a tip – don’t) what has been going on in the bottom left hand corner of England? The days roll on but today, after two years and 80,691 words, I think I might just have ‘finished’ novel number two. Of course, ‘finished’ doesn’t actually mean finished at all. Now comes all the hard work of editing, tweaking, lurching between being quite pleased with it and thinking it is all total rubbish. It is a sense of achievement nonetheless. I have also seen the first rough ideas for the cover, which is very exciting. I will now reveal that the sub-plot involves a character undertaking genealogical research. I was heard to say that there probably wouldn’t be a novel three but I have just bought a book that might help with a germ of an idea.

I have been updating my beginners’ family history course, ready for presenting it online to a full group, organised by Crediton Library in May, which is apparently Family History Month. I am still struggling with days of the week. Please don’t expect me to remember month names, let alone special designations for those months. It was a bit of a shock to realise that I taught my first family history course thirty four years ago. Techniques and methods of accessing records have changed beyond all recognition since then. The sources and the excitement are unchanged however. My early courses were illustrated with large posters and overhead projector acetates. I advocated, purchasing International Reply Coupons (remember those) and wearing skirts in case you offended an elderly relative that you were interviewing (that was the women of course). Now I am that elderly relative! Online databases and DNA tests were the stuff of science fiction. I am not convinced that it has all been change for the better. I miss the meticulous research that has, in all too many cases, been replaced with a grab it all quick and never mind checking to see if it is plausible, let alone true, attitude. Of course, many modern researcher are scrupulous about verifying the evidence and citing sources and long may that continue. In comparison to those days in the 1980s, so much can be done from the comfort of home and with luck, reasonable trees can be built in months not decades.

On the family front, we have tried playing Monopoly online. It was not an unqualified success. To begin with, neither party had traditional Monopoly. Well I had a traditional board but couldn’t find the corresponding cards and money. So I was using the deluxe version, with renamed streets and allowances for inflation and my opponents had a superheroes Monopoly. ‘I’ve bought Thor’. ‘Where’s that?’ ‘Regent Street.’ ‘I don’t have a Regent Street’. ‘Third green one along’. It was a laugh a minute and I was swiftly bankrupted.

The garden has come on apace. We now have a fully re-instated path, well the weed inhibitor is laid but we will have to wait until replacement chippings are available. We have recycled as many old chippings as possible but the new path is longer than the old path and many of the original chippings have long since disappeared.

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I am gearing myself up for tomorrow’s #twopointsixchallenge when, in lieu of a marathon that I was never going to run, I will be doing a 26 minute workout, 26 minutes of gardening and offer 26 people the opportunity to have 2.6 hours of genealogical research in return for a donation to my chosen charity. I have not yet reached 26 takers for this so there is still time – I will give you until midnight my time on 26 April.

Stay safe – until next time.

Day 11 Fruit and Veg, Toilet Rolls, Genealogy and other Isolation Issues

by thehistoryinterpreter

Today is day 11 for us. I am rapidly going to lose track of how many days it is and I certainly have to stop and think about the day of the week. The last few days have brought some highs and lows.

First positive was the discovery of one and a half toilet rolls. Ok, so they were in the almost never used outside toilet and covered in cobwebs but someone in the household is willing to use them. Actually, we have sufficient toilet rolls but the absence of any online shopping slots in the next three weeks is worrying. I do have a slot booked for two weeks’ time but very little of my potential order is currently available. I was feeling quite down about this yesterday morning but first our wonderful community shop, run by volunteers, delivered a few essentials such as bread and milk and then a massive box of fruit and veg arrived, ordered by Rebecca in lieu of Mother’s Day flowers. Under current circumstances, better than any flowers, there might have been a tear or two. A parcel arrived from BeingEdward for Mother’s Day. I Skyped to say thank you. He has been making resin jewellery with his mum. He had given me a necklace with half a heart shape and was very excited to show me that he was wearing the matching other half, cue more emotion.

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DSCF0493.JPGI am eternally grateful for ‘online’. I’ve helped Edward lay out a family tree. I managed to access Zoom for the first time to chat with other genealogy types and used Skype to meet with my authors’ group. I think Martha, Lucy and I are planning a family music recital later in the week. On the downside, I have a totally unintelligible communication from the US tax people, or possibly from Amazon, relating to my meagre Amazon sales to the US. I fill in my own UK self-assessment forms with ease. This is unintelligible, as is the website it directs you to. It seems I am a ‘non-resident alien’ (that may explain a lot) and I may need to visit my US Embassy for a tax form – like that’s going to happen. Or I can write to Illinois, ditto at present – not going to make a non-essential Post Office visit. So now I am worrying about being hauled off to some federal prison for non-payment of taxes.

Thanks to my co-isolatee, my lawn has been mown and even the shed is looking tidier. We planted some seeds. They are pretty antique but archaeologists have got Roman seeds to grow right? I spent an hour cancelling various aspects of our planned holiday to Ireland – hopefully we will be able to go next year instead.

I dropped in on #AncestryHour on Twitter. The lovely Daniel of Daniel’s Genealogy has interviewed me. Ah there’s another new novel clue for you – it does mention #Ancestryhour. I am still finding it very difficult to concentrate on anything, particularly writing and everything is taking longer than usual. Nonetheless my new One Place Study booklet is finished and with beta readers. You cannot imagine how long it took me to get Word to behave so that the pages that I wanted to have numbers did and that they were the correct numbers.

I am starting to get to know my next batch of students for my Writing and Telling Your Family History Course. I feel some of them may have more time than usual to devote to this. Still time to sign up if you want to join the merry throng – it starts on Tuesday – providing any of us can actually remember when Tuesday is!

Of Plagues, Pianos, Books and Surviving 2020

by thehistoryinterpreter

It is difficult to know what to write at the moment. Do I grit my teeth in ‘keep calm and carry on fashion’? Do I write uplifting stuff? Do I list all the adverts that are turning up on my social media feeds, most of which are for cleaning products at grossly inflated prices, or items that feed upon my fear? ‘Protect yourself from all known germs for thirty days by wearing this magic (very expensive) virus disinfection card round your neck’. Really? In their desperation people will clutch at anything. There are always those who are quick to capitalise. Our baser survival instincts are kicking in and baser they certainly are. I’ll admit it, ‘My name is Janet and my bathroom cupboard contains more toilet rolls than usual’. Not a crazy amount but yes, more than usual and I did panic buy two tins of carrots the other day. I am not stockpiling but I am replenishing larder and fridge more often than I might. I am wondering just how long I could manage without going out or having anything delivered. Current thinking is probably about four weeks, maybe longer with rationing, I do need to lose weight. My diet would be odd but I would not starve. I don’t use bread or milk, which helps.

I am lurching between making an effort to do things as normally as possible and just wanting to lock the door for three months. I’ll be honest, mostly I just want to lock the door. Normally, I am not one to panic but this, this is unprecedented. I think of my worldwide circle of friends, my neighbours, many of whom are in the vulnerable groups and yes, I do wonder who will make it out the other side. I like to think I’d be calmer if I wasn’t (just) within the higher risk age group, if I didn’t have what is referred to as ‘a pre-existing condition’ but maybe I’d still be scared. Events, from the village weekly coffee morning to Rootstech London, are being cancelled and I am relieved that the decision is being taken out of my hands; I don’t need to weigh up how risky my attendance might be. Like most people, I’d really like to skip the next few months and wake up to a saner world.

In other news and you’d be forgiven for thinking there is no other news. Every conversation, every news bulletin, every social media post seems to be about nothing else but there really is other news.

I’ve recently started having piano lessons. I have had lessons before, for a year, when I was seven. That was a very long time ago and my fingers were not so stiff then. After three lessons, I can stumble my way through classics of the 60s and 70s like Streets of London and Let it Be. Just don’t try to sing along unless you sing very slowly. Next on the bucket list might be learning Cornish, although I am reminded just how awful I am at any language but English.

The various writing projects are making progress. It may be as well that it looks like I will be home for a month when I expected to be in Ireland on holiday. This will give me some breathing space. My new one-place studies booklet is pretty much finished and the one-place course, which will see its first airing in September, is coming on. Pharos are already taking bookings. The novel too is nearly done. The clue for today is that it includes a chapter set in a plague outbreak that occurred in 1646. I have re-written that chapter with a much greater understanding of the sheer terror that my characters would have felt. As I haven’t put up many posts lately, I’ll give you another clue. The modern strand is set between June and September 2020. This is causing some problems! I am too locked into that time span to change it. Things are occurring daily that mean I need to alter sections; when I wrote most of it there was no corona virus. I need to go to press in June. There will come a point where there will need to be an author’s note, explaining why my characters’ experiences may not mirror reality and I’ll just have to go with it.

One thing I am not worried about is my ability to hibernate. I can find plenty to do without leaving home. I am very relieved that I have a garden. I would struggle if I could not get outside, particularly in the summer. I think of all the projects that might get done in a month’s isolation, tidying, decorating, reminding myself how to spin, writing up more branches of my family history. Incidentally, if you are thinking of using self-isolation to turn your family history notes and files into some sort of story and would like some inspiration and motivation, there are still a couple of space on my online Writing and Telling your Family History course which starts on 31st. It is a five week course but it will give you enough suggestions to keep you busy whilst the world calms down.

Look after yourselves my friends. Remember it is ok to be scared. Talk about it. Self-isolate but don’t be isolated. We need to care for our mental as well as our physical health. We are fortunate that we have the technology that allows us to support each other without meeting face to face.

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Because we all need beautiful flowers right now

So Your DNA Results are ‘Wrong’

by thehistoryinterpreter

* My only connection with Living DNA, or any other DNA testing company, is as a customer. I have received no concessions, free gifts or financial inducements from any of them. I receive no benefits should you decide to purchase their tests.

In the light of the recent ethnicity updates from Living DNA, the perceived accuracy of these estimates has again been the subject of heated debate. Personally, regarding the Living DNA update, I am very pleased with the strong correlation between the documentary trees and the ethnicity estimates of the three kits that I am involved with. This may be because we all have, as far as we know, 100% British ancestry within the genealogical time-frame. Inevitably, amidst the excitement and praise, the updates have brought out plenty of ‘my results are wrong, this company is rubbish’ comments. Indeed, I too have looked at the ‘accuracy’ of the estimates (and used the word rubbish about previous results – although I did qualify it!).

I am a long way from being any kind of DNA expert but many of the main complainants seem to be missing a number of points. Firstly, these are estimates, it is an emerging science, we are a long way away from ethnicity profiles being a complete reflection of our ancestral origins. They will become more accurate over time but the results are currently only as accurate as the base populations from which they are derived. They are more accurate for some areas than others. In Living DNA’s case, it seems that those with British ancestry are more likely to find that their results are a better reflection of the documentary evidence, than those whose families originate elsewhere.

The crucial issue here is how we are measuring ‘accuracy’? Are we looking at where our grandparents were born? Our great grandparents? Their parents? In a British context, having talked to a number of family historians, it seems that you have to go back to those born about 1770-1800 (for me that is 3 x great-grandparents) before you stop adding additional birth counties (N.B. that is counties not countries) to your make-up. Here is an example:- My parents were born in two adjacent counties, Surrey and Middlesex. This does not reflect my earlier origins very well. If I go back to my grandparents, they were born in Surrey, Middlesex (x 2) and Cornwall, so I have added a county. Great grandparents adds Northumberland, Essex and Buckinghamshire to the mix of birthplaces. The next generation adds Sussex and Norfolk. The birthplaces of my 3 x great grandparents looks like the map below and beyond that only those counties illustrated feature. If I were able to go back beyond the genealogical time-frame (earlier than 1500) my deeper ancestry will be more diverse. Anyone with a British family trees will ultimately descend from those with origins in Europe (Saxons, Normans, Vikings, etc.) and beyond but it is unlikely that these individuals will ever appear on our documentary family trees.

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Map created using Genmap

If you are non-British, there will be different considerations of course. Even for those whose ancestry is British, migration patterns cannot be ignored. For example, many who have Northern Irish ancestry in 1800 will find that these families came originally from Scotland or England. We may not know that because we are unable to trace our lines back that far but that may be what the DNA will reflect.

This is not all of course. We all assume that our documentary tree is genetically correct in every particular. It won’t be. Somewhere along one line or another, our solidly Yorkshire great-grandad won’t actually be the father of grandma. Great-grandma will have had a liaison with someone from Kent, or Germany, or Kazakhstan and we will never know, unless DNA matches give us a clue. Our only measure of accuracy is the tree we have lovingly researched and it is gratifying when our ethnicity estimate suggests we have got it right but it is not the company’s fault if we have got it wrong.

On the subject of updates, for my kits, the final Living DNA update is in and I should comment on that, as I have on the others. This person has ancestry from a very restricted geographical area (I promised not to use the word in-bred). So much so, that his sample formed part of the base data to identify Devon DNA. Going back to the ‘magic’ 1770-1800 mark (3 x great grandparents), 88% of his ancestry comes from within fifteen miles of his own birthplace and covers just two adjacent registration districts in north-west Devon. The other 12% is from Cornwall.

The original results were more diverse than this implies:

Devon 48.6%

Cornwall 24.5%

South-east England 13.8%

South England 7%

Cumbria 2.4%

Ireland 2%

South central England 1.6%

The new results reflect the documentary tree more closely:

Devon 64%

Cornwall 22.5%

South England 4%

Ireland 2.4%

South Central England 2.4%

South Wales Border 1.9%

Cumbria 1.7%

South-east England 1%

Now, anything other than the south-west appears to be just ‘noise’.

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Map from Living DNA

Nothing to do with DNA but I know there are readers who are waiting for hint about my next historical novel. I have already said that it is, like Barefoot on the Cobbles, based on a true story. It is also, again like Barefoot, rooted in rigorous genealogical research. Oh and it does now have a title but I will be revealing that at a later date.

Of all Things New: presentations, courses, books and more

by thehistoryinterpreter

New year, new things on the horizon. Here is just a selection. Last week I spent a very interesting day at the headquarters of Family Tree Magazine, filming two presentations for their downloadable content. Despite the fact that I am used to presenting, it is actually very difficult to talk for nearly an hour (x2) with no audience participation, no hesitation, deviation, umms and ahhs, coughs, pauses to swig gin etc.. The presentations will be available in a month or two. One is on tracing twentieth century English ancestry and the other on pauper ancestors.

Whilst on the subject of Twentieth Century ancestry, my online course for Pharos begins in a couple of weeks and is filling up fast, book now to avoid disappointment and all that. I am also preparing two new online courses, which will be available through Pharos. There will be an introductory one-place studies course, which will begin in September (ok, so that isn’t written yet either). The previous course, run by Celia Heritage, is no longer available, as Celia has other commitments. This one will be a brand new; I have deliberately not looked at Celia’s version. A course to help those tracing Agricultural Labouring Ancestors is planned for 2021. I also have a new presentation on the same topic, Sons of the Soil, which will premiere at Dorset Family History Day  in March. Err, no, that isn’t written yet either.

Back to one-place studies for a minute. Putting your Ancestors in their Place is now very nearly out of print. I am preparing a new booklet, which will have a rather different approach and a more international feel. It will also be available for Kindle, which I hope will be popular. With luck, that may be ready for THE Genealogy Show in June and yes, you’ve guessed it, not actually written yet. Add to this the book that I may need to write in connection with the job I must not mention and there are no prizes for guessing what I shall be doing over the next few months.

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And now for something completely different, something that is actually written! Hurrah! Exeter Authors Association of which I am very much an inactive member, have produced an anthology of short stories with a Devonian slant, Tales of Deepest Darkest Devon. I am not by nature a short story writer but one of mine (ok the only one of mine) Brought to Book is in that collection. If you enjoyed Barefoot it is similar in style and based on a true story that took place in Devon in the 1820s and 1830s. You also get to read all the varied and fascinating contributions by other local authors. Priced at £4.99, it is due for publication on 31 March and is currently available in Kindle format only. It can be pre-ordered now here. Part of the proceeds will be donated to Devon Air Ambulance Trust.

My next novel is due to be launched on 29th August, ok, so there is the small matter of a third of it still to be written (have you spotted a theme here?) – that’s a mere detail. Advance notice that I will not be creating a millstone round my neck and writing 100 blog entries about the characters and locations as I did for Barefoot but I will be drip-feeding some hints and teasers in my blog posts in the meantime. #1 It is, like Barefoot, based on a true story. So, stand by, there will be more and a title reveal is imminent (when I have decided what it is to be that is!).

Whilst I look forward to these excitements, my thoughts are with my many Australian friends and the appalling fires that are currently threatening their homes and families. On a more positive note, it is exciting to see that several of my favourite genealogy presenters will be participating in Family History Down-under in March 2021. I think that it is very unlikely that I will be able to attend but if you live nearer than half a world away (or even if you don’t) this is going to be a major event on the genealogy calendar.

Not actually a Family History Advent Calendar Part 5 Page 69 and the Ecclesiastical Census

by thehistoryinterpreter

Nothing Christmassy to report today but a number of my writer friends are publishing page 69 of their novels and commenting whether they think it is typical of the book as a whole. So here is Barefoot page 69 for those who haven’t read it. Maybe those who have can decide if it is typical – it is probably cheerier than some parts! If you do want a paperback copy, I am on a mission to dispose of a least one more box before Christmas, so please contact me (post free in the UK). The pile behind the settee is currently distressingly uneven! Of course if you are a e-reader person you will need to go to the large online retailer I’m afraid. All the links on on the Barefoot on the Cobbles page.

Barefoot on the Cobbles page 69

Polly was always careful that they had sufficient money ready for rent day. Albert trusted her to ensure that they did not get in to debt, not an easy task when a fisherman’s income was so uncertain. He knew that she remembered Mrs Powell’s anguish and fretted when their savings ran low. The carefully harvested shillings in the brown jug were their nest-egg, something to fall back on in hard times.

‘’Twill not be for long Pol,’ he assured her. ‘The fishin’s been good of late, so I’ll soon earn enough to pay it back.’

Polly cut a thick, uneven slice from the loaf that she held close to her waist. She wielded the knife in a sideways motion, sawing the sharp blade back and forth towards her own body but Albert was not alarmed, this was her normal habit. She smeared a generous dab of dripping across the rough surface and handed it to her husband with a smile, thankful that Alb was such a good provider. She had chosen well.

By the time the message came to say that the boat was ready, Polly was able to give her husband a pile of florins and half crowns to take to Appledore. Albert left early to walk the fourteen miles to the ship-builders’ yard. Strapped to his back was a pair of oars, he would need those for the return journey. Polly’s father had worked for Philip Waters for years, this would be a sturdy boat that would suffice for as long as Albert was able to put out to sea. He had years left to him yet, his grandfather had hauled pots until he was in his eighties and was still hand lining until his death, a few years ago.

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And today’s advent favourite family history website entry (actually it is three websites, so a bonus!) E is for Ecclesiastical Census.

In Britain, in 1851, an ecclesiastical census accompanied the regular census. A series of questions were sent to the leaders of all congregations, of whatever denomination. The returns describe, for each place of worship, the location, date of erection or foundation, the name of the minister and the size of the congregation on 30th March 1851. The originals are at The National Archives in Class HO129, arranged by county and Poor Law Union. These are available as free digital downloads. The Scottish returns are at the National Archives for Scotland. The returns have been published for some counties. For background, see here. The full report can also be downloaded. Some of those filling in the entries included fascinating comments, often excuses as to why attendance was lower than usual. Strangely, no one seemed to claim that they had more worshippers than average on 31 March!

Here is the entry for South Molton Chapel:

‘Independent Chapel, South Molton, Devon. Built about 1600, re erected and enlarged 1833 200 free sittings, 310 other sittings and standing room for 40. 258 attended on the morning of 30th March 1851 with 52 in the Sunday School. In the evening 200 attended. Comment –  ‘the afternoon is devoted to teaching in the Sabbath School when the number of children is much greater than in the morning, as many of the attendants live in the country and are seldom present in the evening.’ ’

Many of the entries in this year’s advent calendar are based on my book Family Historian’s Enquire Within. I would be very grateful if anyone in the UK wanting to buy a copy would get in touch with me directly (there will be no charge for UK postage). I am trying to free up book storage space ready for novel two arriving!

 

Genealogical Sleuths – Fiction for you to Enjoy

by thehistoryinterpreter

Until recently, I was a columnist for the In-depth Genealogist Magazine and also wrote for their blog. Now the magazine is sadly no more, contributors have been invited to re-post their blog material elsewhere, so that it is preserved. This is another post that I wrote for the magazine; it has been updated since it first appeared in January 2018.

In recent years, several authors of fiction have chosen genealogical sleuths as their main characters. In general, these are crime novels but frequently they have a ‘time-slip’ facet, so that they also contain elements of historical fiction. I have to say that if genealogy was as dangerous a career as some of these books imply, no one would be advised to take it up. The mundane might be more realistic but would not make for very exciting fiction. I thought that I would introduce you to a few of my favourite exponents of this genre. There are others and I hope that readers will share details of those that they have enjoyed. In an effort to be fair, I have listed the authors in alphabetical order.

Nathan Dylan Goodwin writes about ‘forensic genealogist’ Morton Farrier. Two threads run throughout the books that have been published so far. The first relates to Morton’s quest for his own ancestry and the other is his developing relationship with his police officer partner, Juliette. There are five full length novels, plus four shorter adventures in the series. One of the latter, The Asylum, is currently available as free download. In these, Goodwin writes of such things as Edwardian Britain, Suffragettes, the Western Front, The Battle of Britain and his hometown of Hastings. In addition, Ghost Swifts, Blue Poppies and the Red Star is the first in a new series about Harriet McDougall and is set in 1919 as Harriet investigates the story behind the loss of her son in the First World War.

M J Lee introduces us to former detective Jayne Sinclair. So far, there are six books in the series including The Irish Inheritance, which is a case that centres on the Easter Rising, whilst The Somme Legacy covers both the first world war and the suffragette movement. The American Candidate sees Jayne investigate the background of a potential candidate for the American Presidency and takes us back to the 1940s.

The Irish Inheritance Cover LARGE EBOOK.jpg

John Nixon’s genealogist is also female, in the shape of Madeleine Porter. So far, there are eight books in the series and her adventures include, The Cuckoo Clock, Stolen Futures, Family Shadows and Another Summer, which revolves around a First World War mystery. The Cost of Silence begins with the murder of a genealogist. Have they been silenced before they could uncover something inconvenient?

Another Summer (A Madeleine Porter Mystery) by [Nixon, John]

 

Wendy Percival has also created a female genealogist, in the shape of Esme Quentin. The first book, Blood Tied, begins with the murder of an unidentified victim and unravels a sixty year old family mystery. The Indelible Stain takes us from a dying woman on a North Devon beach, to the story of a young girl’s transportation to Australia. The third book, The Malice of Angels , focuses on the Special Operations Executive in the Second World War. The most recent offering, Legacy of Guilt, is available for free download on Wendy’s website. There is also an Esme novella, Death of a Cuckoo.

BLOOD-TIED RGB cover image (updated).jp

Steve Robinson’s anti-hero is American genealogist Jefferson Tayte. Many of his cases take him to the UK and his bumbling attempts at relationships echo throughout the seven books. In this series, we have another genealogist who is seeking out his own birth family. The first book, In the Blood, is set in Cornwall; a centuries old murder is solved thanks to his efforts. To the Grave sees Tayte unravelling a secret that has been kept since the days of World War Two. Kindred is also set in the Second World War. In The Last Queen of England, fact and fiction are intertwined as Tayte races against time to solve a puzzle, set by members of The Royal Society, relating to the rightful heir to the throne. The Lost Empress focuses on a 1914 shipwreck that has remained relatively unknown in the shadow of the Titanic and Lusitania.

Geraldine Wall’s series of five books feature Anna Ames, a probate genealogist. The continuing thread concerning Anna’s own family, including, in the earlier books, her husband’s developing early onset dementia, is a positive addition to her ‘File under ……’ series. Although there is perhaps a little less genealogy and more family relationships in this series they are deserving of inclusion. The latest in the series, File under Fortune, follows Anna’s research into her own Traveller heritage.

book cover of File Under Fortune

Happy Reading!

Ancestral Ill-health and a bit about Books

by thehistoryinterpreter

It has been a busy week, with some fascinating family history discoveries. As some of you will know, I have been publicly somewhat scathing about the works of fiction that are strewn across the internet, purporting to be someone’s family tree. Not wishing to delve too deeply into people who die before they are born, have children at the age of two, or are allegedly living in three different countries at one and the same time, I attempt to avoid these. Occasionally there may be a nugget of usefulness of course and my recent foray on to Ancestry.co.uk did lead to a photograph of my great great grandfather’s brother. I have a picture of g-g-grandfather and there is a likeness. I also found two people whose online trees bore some resemblance to reality and I was able to offer the owners copies of family photographs. One even replied, so I guess that is a bonus.

 

John and Thomas Dawson

My Ancestry DNA test is currently languishing in the lab waiting to be processed. Yes, I am going to join the ranks of those irritating testees who do not have a tree on Ancestry. I have however added my ancestral surnames to my profile back sufficiently far for any fourth cousins to look for a common ancestor.

I am, as anticipated, making use of some of the original documents that can be accessed via Ancestry, notably collections from London Metropolitan Archives. It was via some workhouse admissions’ and discharge registers that I discovered that my great great aunt had been in the county asylum. Coincidentally, my ‘In Sickness and in Death: researching the ill-health and deaths of your ancestors’ students were discussing asylum records this very week and even better, one has kindly volunteered to look up some potential records about great great aunt that are not online – aren’t people lovely? Now, if any kind soul is at the London Metropolitan Archives with a spare five minutes to investigate her stay in another asylum………

The great thing about running online courses is that you learn so much from your students. You may have spotted a Facebook post from me that referred to the list of 1832 cholera epidemic victims in Manchester. The transcription of this dataset is cunningly hidden away on FindmyPast and what a gem! For the benefit of those not on Facebook, here is the entry for 16 year old Elizabeth Aspin ‘No. 177, Elizabeth Aspin, commonly called Crazy Bess, aged 16. Residence Back Parliament-street. Employment: woman of the town. Constitution: stoutish. Natural susceptibility: subject to diarrhoea after drinking. Predisposing cause: alternately starved and drunk, often sleeping in the street. Exciting cause: drunk on the Reform celebration day the day before her attack, cried passionately when Laurence was taken to the hospital. Locality, crowding, filth &c. for the locality see case 181. Dates of attack and event: seized Friday, August 10th, at 11 pm, recovered August 30th. Communication or non-communication: no known communication with Laurence nor any body else.’ Further research suggests that she was baptised in Manchester in 1817, daughter of Thomas and Ellen and that she survived the epidemic, marrying George Townley in Radcliffe, Manchester in 1836 and moving to Salford.

Advance notice of a couple of book signing/buying opportunities. I will be giving a talk about Barefoot on the Cobbles as well as selling and signing books at The Wine Box in Torquay at 2.00pm on Friday 8th November – wine and books – how can you resist? I am especially pleased about this, as part of the novel is set in Torquay. I will also be at Torrington Craft Fair on 7 December with copies of all my books. A few people have asked if they can get copies of my books at RootsTechLondon. I will have a limited number copies of Remember Then, as that is the subject of my talk but I am travelling in on public transport so will only have other titles if you ask in advance. I need to know by 9 October. I could mention that the festive season is only however many weeks away but I won’t.