What a difference! Did you notice? If not, I suggest you dig a little deeper into what’s available at Ancestry.com because last month, when a server change was made, any resources still tied to the outdated viewer were moved over to the better format. It is now possible to flip the pages of old books and read the entire text of each one without frustration. The tool that looked like an infant’s stacking toy is gone, zooming in and out is easy or you can pan about the page to your heart’s content.
Now there really is no excuse to ignore some of the treasures that may remain hidden unless you peel away the layers and look at lists of resources. To explain further I am going to look at Wales. This article ties in well with what I wrote about Welsh research a year ago. (“If You Are Researching Welsh Ancestors”)
19th Century Highlights
Before turning to hidden treasures, I begin with a bit of advice about the census. If your Welsh connections were in Wales in the early 20th century or the middle to late 19th century, six successive census enumerations, 1851 to 1901, are available. The article last year pointed out problems arising from the limited number of different surnames in Wales. One feature of the Ancestry.com search tool may help with getting around the disadvantage of a common surname -- the ability to search on first name only. Using the 1861 census for Wales, the not too unusual name Maude, and requesting females born 1820 to 1860, produced just seven results. Anyone looking for Mary Evans, has a problem with both names.
Another way to work with common surnames is county by county, which can be the county of birth or of residence. Missing an entry is less likely to occur reading through a shorter list of results one county at a time. Here is a breakdown for the common name David Evans, birth year set at 1825 (plus or minus five years), in the 1851 census; there were 507 results in all.
- Anglesey - 1
- Breconshire- -21
- Caernarvonshire - 18
- Cardiganshire - 88
- Carmarthenshire – 95
- Denbighshire - 13
- Flintshire - 6
- Glamorganshire - 160
- Merionethshire - 37
- Montgomeryshire - 38
- Pembrokeshire - 14
- Radnorshire - 5
This gives us a dozen shorter groupings to read, or, if you use some careful analysis about age and county, you can reduce significantly the overall number of possibilities.
Among useful 19th century book resources listed for Wales are Pigot’s Directory of Monmouth 1844 and several titles on topography and local history.
Early 1800s and Beyond
A few parish registers can be found by checking the Wales listings under two headings, Birth, Marriage and Death Records, and Family and Local Histories. I realize that a standard name search of the Ancestry.com databases should produce any entries, but sometimes the way you construct a search misses important entries. There is good reason to browse an item that is directly related to your research to double-check and for additional background information. I looked at three volumes of transcripts and all include descriptive text and burials, which is an event not available through a search in the International Genealogical Index (IGI).
Other selections relate to records going back several hundred years. Certainly you have to work your way back using correct research methods, examining copies of original records as you go; but you can enhance chances of success through seeing other types of material and, if you are fortunate, by finding an unexpected clue. I found these two items particularly full of family history information:
- “Historic Notices of the Borough and County Town of Flint” is the link to a book published in 1883 that relates the history of the main town of Flintshire through several centuries; it discusses changes in church and town administration and lists important citizens.
- "Wrexham, Wales Parish History” leads to the story of the church and parish in Denbighshire and is full of genealogical facts; for example, a list of churchwardens and other parish officers through 200 years from the 1630s; for many named there are footnotes about wives and other connections in the parish.
Conclusion
By now I hope you are eager to read the lists of resources within Ancestry.com databases. For the list of Welsh items use this direct link. And all of you who want to figure out how I got there, and experiment for other parts of the British Isles, take these steps:
- On the home page choose the Search tab
- Select the little UK map
- Choose Wales (or England, etc).
Sherry Irvine, CGRS, FSA Scot is an author, teacher, and lecturer specializing in English, Scottish, and Irish family history. She is the author of Your English Ancestry (2d ed., 1998) and Researching Scottish Ancestry (2003), and she is a contributor to several publications. Since 1996, she has been a study tour leader, course coordinator, and instructor for the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research at Samford University. She teaches online at MyFamily.com. Recently she served a two-year term as president of the Association of Professional Genealogists.
Sherry's Upcoming Speaking Engagements:
Copyright 2005, MyFamily.com.
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