The more you know the more surprises you find. This may sound odd but it's true because you can only recognize a genealogical surprise if you know enough to spot that something is special.

Browsing the Web recently I came across a surprise for those researching in and around Glasgow. There is a nice fit between online resources at Ancestry and The Glasgow Story website, and if you're interested in learning more about your Glasgow ancestors and their daily lives, you're in for a treat.

Resources at Ancestry
On the right side of the Ancestry search page, there is a list of resources grouped into categories. About halfway down you should see the heading "Directories and Member Lists." Two or three titles can be seen, usually Early UK and U.S. Directories is among them. If not, click the "More" link, find this heading, and click it.

Do not use the search tool yet. At the bottom of the screen, find the "For more information about this database click here" link and click on it. Do that and you will see details about Glasgow: dates beside the names of nine places in Scotland, and those for Glasgow are: 1801, 1803, 1804, 1805, 1806, 1807, 1809, 1810, 1811, 1812, 1813, 1814, 1815, 1816, 1817, 1818, 1819, 1820, 1821, 1822, 1823, 1824, 1825, 1826, 1827, 1828, 1829, 1830. Scroll down further and Glasgow is listed again, with the years 1783, 1787, 1789, 1791.

Now you can return to the previous page and carry out a search. The search tool goes through the transcribed text of all directories in the database, but you can either limit your search by date and place, or carry out a broad search and then browse your results.

Also available are transcripts and indexes to Scottish census returns. Nominal censuses in Scotland began in 1841 and were carried out every ten years. Genealogists can search up to and including 1901. The run of directories to 1830 and the censuses starting in the following decade provide a long sequence of recorded names and addresses.

Resources at The Glasgow Story
The Glasgow Story website, was created in 2004 by a team of museum, gallery, library, and university experts. Using books, documents, photographs, maps, prints, paintings and drawings, the website tells the story of the city. The project was financed with special funds and there have been, as yet, no further grants for additions to the website. However, that does not matter as the resources remain available at no charge and the features work; you can even create your own Glasgow album.

The directories at this website are an excellent fit with those at Ancestry for two reasons, they provide images of the original publications (no images at Ancestry), and they extend the available years. Four years are the same at the two sites: 1783, 1801, 1811, and 1820. Two at The Glasgow Story are more current, 1831 and 1841.

The directories at The Glasgow Story must be searched in a particular way; for example, to search in the 1831 directory for someone whose last name was Brown, use the quick search tool and type this: PO Dir 1831, B. Be sure to include the comma. The search tool cannot find individual names within directories, only the pages associated with the first letter of the last name. If you omit the surname first letter from your search term, you will get all images for the directory concerned, and you can either jump forward, or browse page by page.

Another way to find directories at this website is to use the "Site Map" link. Scroll down to the images, arranged into six time periods, and browse for the lists of directory pages.

Another record at the site also provides addresses and dates. These are the property valuation rolls for 1913-14, which name both property owners and the occupants or tenants (no other family members).

This website also has an extensive collection of illustrations and maps. The illustrations are varied and reflect Glasgow life, buildings, and people in different periods of history. There are pictures of streets, parks, public buildings, grand houses and tenements, the rich, the poor, famous athletes, means of transport, and more. Once again, you can browse or search for specific illustrations.

Two Are Better Than One
At Ancestry you can search many volumes of trade directories spread over fifty years, seven different censuses from 1841 to 1901. At The Glasgow Story you can browse or search six directories spanning 1743 to 1841, the tax assessment rolls for 1913-14, and a huge collection of maps and pictures. Between the two sites you can search for people, and details of their lives from the late 1700s to the early twentieth century.

It is easier to search for names in directories at Ancestry but the details are presented as transcriptions However, for four years, 1783, 1801, 1811, and 1820, you are able to examine actual page images at The Glasgow Story.

If you find an entry in the 1841 directory at The Glasgow Story, you can check that against the census information at Ancestry.

These are just some of the ways you make connections back and forth between the two sites. You will no doubt find others that help your research. Certainly, the historical essays on work, Irish immigrants, social unrest, living conditions, and many other topics, will contribute to your understanding of daily life in Glasgow during the past 200 years. So, whether or not your ancestors appeared in directories and valuation rolls, you will learn more about them using both websites.

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 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. Recently she served a two-year term as president of the Association of Professional Genealogists.

Online Classes
Sherry Irvine has teamed up with Helen Osborn for a new series of online courses. For more information, visit PharosTutors.com.

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