There are many types of record, other than those previously mentioned, that can provide you with additional background information. This can assist you in getting a better understanding of the places and environments your ancestors grew up in, and help build a picture of what their daily life might have looked like.
Atlases and Maps
Atlases and Maps can be a great aid to finding where your ancestors lived. Over the years streets get knocked down, villages disappear and cities expand.
Bartholomew's 1897 Atlas of England and Wales includes great detail, showing the structure of towns and cities with outlines of streets no longer in existence.
Gazetteers
These contain lists of place names with descriptions, including information on parishes, townships, natural resources, and historical information. They are essential for understanding the administrative and social context of the places where your ancestors lived.
Education & Crime
Educational Records: School and university registers provide names, birth dates, and career info, offering a glimpse into your ancestors' early lives.
Criminal Registers: Details of offenders, offences, and sentences can help find ancestors who may have found themselves on the wrong side of the law.
Further Details
School, College and University records are useful for finding out more about your ancestors' education and to gain an understanding of how different education was back then. University records usually include more detailed biographies of graduates, as well as listing their achievements.
Most criminal registers provide details of the offender, including name, aliases, court, offence and sentence or acquittal. These registers can be useful for finding criminals in your ancestral line.
Tips and Things to Remember
- Consider spelling variants, wrong names and ages, and the possibility that some people were not recorded.
Searching Other Records
You should first try S&N Genealogy Supplies, as they have one of the largest highest-quality selections of directories available to download or on CD. They also sell Bartholomew's 1897 Atlas of England and Wales on a double CD set.
Also try The Genealogist – there are a number of specialist records available to search, including crew lists, landowner records, army lists, and more.
