A-Z Challenge 2020 – Specialised Studies T is for Tartans

Posted on April 23, 2020 by Julie Goucher
Specialised Studies

Created by Julie Goucher using wordclouds.com March 2020

Tartans are a significant part of Scottish identity and heritage; though not every surname is represented by a tartan.

People traditionally where a tartan which reflects their surname or an associated family. Alternatively they may decide to wear the tartan representing the town in which they or their family resided in.

In the photograph here, taken by myself last December in Newton Stewart, Dumfriesshire, the pipe band are celebrating St Andrews’s Day and wearing the Stewart Tartan

St Andrews Day Newton Stewart 2019

Copyright Julie Goucher 1 December 2019 Pipe Band, Newton Stewart, Dumfriesshire St.Andrew’s Day 

Those interested in focusing on Tartans and how they may connect to a particular family line, might find these two websites useful

I have no Scottish ancestry, but one of the surnames, (Ironside) that I am researching is one that is found in Aberdeenshire, the family moved across the border into County Durham, then down to Dorset in the West Country of England and then a branch migrated north (ish) to Surrey, which is where my link pops in and connects to my Butcher family. Despite this, there is no historical tartan for the surname, but there is a tartan that was created for a specific event

Ironside Tartan

Courtesy of the Scottish Register of Tartans

3rd July 2001 – Estimated count for display purposes only. A restricted tartan created for the Golden Wedding Aniversary of John T. and Frances A. Ironside of a farming family from Methlick, Aberdeenshire.

I can see why tartans have appeal to those who are researching their heritage, it is as though there is an invisible piece of elastic linking to forebears and making that connection.

After the Battle of Culloden in 1746, the government in London passed an Act of Parliament, in which Highlanders were disarmed and the wearing of tartans outlawed. Highlanders were subject to the strict enforcement of those rules and by the time the legislation was repealed in 1785, Highlanders apparently had become accustomed to wearing usual apparel.

The revival of the wearing of tartans did not begin until 1822, when George IV suggested that everyone who was attending the formal functions should wear their respective tartans, or Clans Tartans.

Clan Tartans are appropriate for the populous to wear in the event that an individual does not have a specific tartan. Royal tartans are only permitted to be worn by members of the Royal family. There are also other restrictions, such as this one, belonging to the White House Historical Association which was created to promote the work of the Scottish stonemasons in the building of the White House in Washington DC, United States.

Other links which might be useful to explore:

Taking part in the A-Z Challenge for 2020

Posted in A-Z Challenge 2020 - Specialised Studies, Genealogy, One-Name Studies, Scotland, Tartans & Clans | Leave a comment

A-Z Challenge 2020 – Specialised Studies S is for Special Events

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Julie Goucher
Specialised Studies

Created by Julie Goucher using wordclouds.com March 2020

Perhaps an unusual specialised study is focusing on special events, those around a certain theme, or events that took place during a specific time period.

A special event that is topical for the current climate, on a global scale, is around the unprecedented reaction to COVID-19.

Since the outbreak began, I have been following with interest. I have referenced it a number of times during my daily journaling and groups of archivists are battling with the approach to address the historical event the situation has created. During my daily writings I have recorded the death rates declared each day and identified that those reported are significantly less than the likely number, as they reflect those who passed away in hospital only and do not currently include those who have passed away in accommodation settings, such as residential and nursing homes or prisons.

I have also commented on the handling of the situation by the Government, both at Westminster and in the dissolved administrations in the nations making up the United Kingdom. I too have focused on the severe hotbeds of activity in other countries, such as Italy and Spain, with a hypothesis for the high numbers and how it is affected by the various population demographics.

Will my daily recordings prove to be of great historical value, yes and no – they are the personal writings of me, therefore unique in the very nature of personal journaling. As a collective with others, that would be quite interesting to review, how do my views compare with others. I too, have commented on the impact the pandemic has had on pharmacies, both hospital and community based, the impact of retired and former staff of the profession and wider, across the whole National Health Service (NHS).

Sadly, not all special events are joyous in their nature; and in the case of COVID-19 it represents what is not just unprecedented in this country, but globally and I do not believe there is one household or individual who is not affected by this event, whether that is because usual routines are changed, countries on lock down, financial assistance from a government not known for it’s public spending, or because of the community outreach.  Whatever effects it has on you and your family, please document it, because those recordings will, going forward be of value to historians.

Whatever you write, whatever your personal experiences are, I do not believe that we are all individually unaffected by this and as such even once lock down is relaxed I do not believe we will return to “normal” We have all had to make changes to our lives and whilst those changes may be for the short term, there maybe significant reflection and perhaps, just perhaps those changes will remain. Reflection is a valuable tool.

The Mass Observation Archive are encouraging people to write about the pandemic and you can read further about it HERE.

Taking part in the A-Z Challenge for 2020

Posted in A-Z Challenge 2020 - Specialised Studies, Genealogy, Health, Stationery, Filofax, Journals & Notebooks | Leave a comment

A-Z Challenge 2020 – Specialised Studies Q is for Questions

Posted on April 20, 2020 by Julie Goucher
Specialised Studies

Created by Julie Goucher using wordclouds.com March 2020

As any genealogist will tell you research begins with a question, researched to find an answer and then several questions emerge and off we go again!

This roundabout of reflection, questions, learning happens of course quite seamlessly, to the point that the researcher does not realise they are happening, and  that is the element that researchers need to focus on – Awareness of the Research Process.

Research Process Image

Designed by Julie Goucher – Copyright April 2020

Stay tuned for a mini-series focusing on this, in early May.

Taking part in the A-Z Challenge for 2020

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A-Z Challenge 2020 – Specialised Studies P is for Places – Towns, Villages and Hamlets

Posted on April 18, 2020 by Julie Goucher
Specialised Studies

Created by Julie Goucher using wordclouds.com March 2020

We all call somewhere home and home might not be where we live. I lived in Devon for more than 20 years, and in the whole of that time, it never, not once felt like home. When we relocated 400 miles north, within a few weeks, our new home, did actually feel like home. Ironically it was my husband who had the hardest time readjusting and he was born in the area we relocated to.

What is home? For me, home will always be the south east of England. My family, or at least my maternal line is from there and has been for at least 300 years. Over the last 30 years, I have researched those town and places that have featured in my genealogy.  Equally though, Sutera in Sicily is also a source of interest and curiosity. It is the location of my paternal family and is very much of me as the south east of England.

When we focus on a specialised study, the websites and organisations we will explore will vary dramatically and studies might indeed reflect a variety of topics, not all of them are geographical places. With so many variations, I have elected to share a few resources with you that can be used across the globe, depending on where your study takes place.

  • eBay – In the post I wrote back in February, I explained how to set up a search for a surname. This was following my article in Family Tree Magazine. The same can be applied to a place by changing the search parameters.
  • Google Maps – This can be used irrespective of locations. This can help with identifying various locations within a place, so a church for example. It can also help with the identification of nearby places and towns.
  • Maps – Following on from the point above, nearby places can also reflect and include new locations, established as urban grown has occurred. Therefore it would be useful to have a mixture of electronic and physical maps, as that will show when urban growth has occurred.
  • Local History – identification through local reading clarifying if events that would normally have taken place in one venue, in fact took place in another. This might be because a church had restorative work and thereby events would have taken place in a nearby church.
  • Clerics – The clerics who supported our places in previous Centuries were very often the key to the recording of people in those places. I wrote HERE about two such individuals who did just that in two locations where my various family lines were located. The records written by Kerry and Laverty, which I referenced in the linked page above, left such a rich archive and resource. It is worth noting that whilst Kerry documented a Surrey parish in his manuscripts, the actual manuscripts have been deposited in his native county of Derbyshire.
  • Context – Understanding the context of places and people of previous Centuries is paramount to a successful study. It is important to understand the social, economic and political position of the locale. Those strands at local level might have been affected by something that was happening at a national or even international level.

What follows is a list of resources that might assist your study, or perhaps give you similar guidance on resources in other Countries.

  • Census Records
  • Occupational and Work opportunities
    • Mines
    • Textiles
    • Landowners
    • Retail providers
  • Birth, Marriage and Death Records
  • Burial Records
  • Cemetery Records
  • Military Records
    • Enlistment
    • Active Service (impact of War)
    • First World War – I wrote about The Italian “Golden Books” HERE which honours the Dead of the First World War
  • Organisations

Researching places, can be anything – a house, road, hamlet, village, or even in some cases large towns or regions if the area is driven by, perhaps an occupation. Where you might find material is limitless, indeed you are only limited by your imagination!

Taking part in the A-Z Challenge for 2020

Posted in A-Z Challenge 2020 - Specialised Studies, Genealogy, One-Name Studies, One-Place Studies | Leave a comment

Family Tree Virtually Live 17 & 18 April 2020

Posted on April 17, 2020 by Julie Goucher
FTvirtuallylive

Copyright – Family Tree Magazine (UK) & Warner Publishing 2020

Sadly, with the COVID-19 epidemic, Family Tree Live 2020 has been cancelled, but the folks at Family Tree Magazine have kept working on the event and turned the event into a virtual one, which is fantastic and means the event can be on a global scale.

The Family Tree Virtually Live event can be found HERE, free of charge. There is a mixture of presentations online, released in two batches, some on Friday and the rest of Saturday (18th April). There is a virtual goody bag also that can be downloaded.

I was due to teach two workshops, but have turned one into a shorter presentation than usual and provided two freebies to accompany the presentation – this presentation will be available from Saturday.

Image Intro to ONS

Copyright – Julie Goucher  March 2020

All videos are freely available to watch until 24 April, after which they will only be available to Family Tree magazine subscribers. The magazine has a subscriber deal available which you can see HERE. If you want to keep the conversation going or to ask questions, just send a direct message to the FTM team on Facebook or comment with the hashtag #FTVL

Posted in #FamilyHistoryLive, Advanced One-Name Studies (Pharos Course 902), Archive - Imported from Blogger, Genealogy, Introduction to One-Name Studies (Pharos course 901), One-Name Studies, Practicalities of a One-Name Studies (Pharos Course 903) | 1 Comment

A-Z Challenge 2020 – Specialised Studies O is for Occupation

Posted on April 17, 2020 by Julie Goucher
Specialised Studies

Created by Julie Goucher using wordclouds.com March 2020

The Channel Islands were during the Second World War, occupied by the Nazis and the lives of the Islanders changed perhaps for ever.

It of course, was not just the Islanders, whose lives were irrevocably changed, but those too of individuals and families who were detained under the regime, many millions displaced at the war end or in death.

Meaning, that for those researching their family history or those following a surname, may find it a challenge to locate individuals. On visiting Jersey, there is a persistent theme across the island; an immense acknowledgement of the war years. I visited one venue, and was surprised to find plaques of former prisoners from across western Europe who had endured, not just the hardness of war and that of their captors, but also the enforced labour they had to provide. The plaques at this venue represent those who died on Jersey as a result of excessive work, lack of food and rest, illness & disease. Indeed, this was sobering and the world needed to be shown the endurance displayed by the islanders and those brought in to work.

Below are a few links to explore, many of which have catalogues and collections.

Taking part in the A-Z Challenge for 2020

Posted in A-Z Challenge 2020 - Specialised Studies, Channel Islands, Jersey - Channel Islands, One-Place Studies, Oral History Series, Specialised Studies | Leave a comment

A-Z Challenge 2020 – Specialised Studies N is for Names

Posted on April 16, 2020 by Julie Goucher
Specialised Studies

Created by Julie Goucher using wordclouds.com March 2020

Those who frequent this blog would have likely known that N had to be for Names!

Our names are a way of highlighting us, as individuals, linking to our past both in terms of our people and our history.

There are many ways that people can be inspired to work on a surname project, or One-Name Study, here are a few reasons:

  • Genealogical Brick wall
  • Curiosity
  • Adoption and an attempt to connect to biological ancestors (and perhaps relatives)
  • Intriguing surname
  • Family myths
  • Connecting with a surname as part of a wider project researching an enslaved family

Whatever the reason, it is quite an interesting research undertaking, one that is a gentle stroll in a park rather than a sprint in a marathon. There are no rules especially, apart from responding to enquires from others who reach out to you.

Top Tips for Considering Surname Research

  • Review your own ancestry or research, which surname are you most curious about and might want to work on as a One-Name Study?
  • Having selected a possible surname, write down what you know about it, origins, people etc – you likely know more than you think!
  • Surnames can be from anywhere in the world, not just British! There are more than 200 “foreign” or non-British surnames registered with the Guild of One-Name Studies.
  • Explore the FREE worksheet (download HERE)
  • Explore and Read the many, many posts written HERE
  • Connect with like minding people – Join the Guild of One-Name Studies
  • Undertake some learning to get on the “right track”, thus getting the best from your research time and experience.
  • To get the best results for your study, it should be without restrictions – across the globe and all dates – Otherwise, you might miss people from your study
  • There are no restrictions to your work – you work at your pace
  • If you have a surname related question send me a note and I will answer it, without publishing your name as part of my Q & A series

Taking part in the A-Z Challenge for 2020

Posted in A-Z Challenge 2020 - Specialised Studies, Advanced One-Name Studies (Pharos Course 902), Genealogy, Introduction to One-Name Studies (Pharos course 901), One-Name Studies, Practicalities of a One-Name Studies (Pharos Course 903), Specialised Studies | 2 Comments

A-Z Challenge 2020 – Specialised Studies M is for Mining

Posted on April 15, 2020 by Julie Goucher
Specialised Studies

Created by Julie Goucher using wordclouds.com March 2020

I wrote quite recently on Sicilians who worked the sulphur mines in Sicily.

In terms of the United Kingdom, over the centuries we have mined, with some success (and failings), coal, tin, copper, slate and even gold. Further afield Opal is mined in Australia as are other commodities.

We can research those individual venues or those in a geographical area, We might research a mixture of venues in order to look at the understanding of the commodity mined, rather than the people themselves, or we might look to the people themselves, whether they worked in mining or in an associated job, or they owned the mine(s) themselves.

There are many options for researchers and below I am providing a list of sites to assist that research, though the list is not exhaustive.

There are many places, countries and types of mining missed from this list. Whilst not all are lists of names and dates, they represent an opportunity to explore the occupation and people, adding context to our own family research or those in a specific study. The context provides opportunity to under the hard work and the lives deeply embedded with the occupation of mining, irrespective of what was mined and where it was mined.

Taking part in the A-Z Challenge for 2020

Posted in A-Z Challenge 2020 - Specialised Studies, Genealogy, Introduction to One-Name Studies (Pharos course 901), Miners and Mining, One-Name Studies | 2 Comments

A-Z Challenge 2020 – Specialised Studies L is for Genealogical & Historical Learning

Posted on April 14, 2020 by Julie Goucher
Specialised Studies

Created by Julie Goucher using wordclouds.com March 2020

The best way of learning is to be inspired by someone or a group of someones. Many genealogists and indeed others too, say that “school history was learning to dry facts for two years in order to get an O level” to quote a old school friend.

I never felt this way, I loved nothing more than going to a museum and wandering around. I was always the last to leave any venue on school trips that had any link to things that were historical. As the years passed, I did not loose my interest and if anything, it got worse. I returned to university as a mature student and read history, which was just wonderful. I did return to my pharmaceutical career, and went into management and then learning and development, before taking a leap of faith. Eagle eyed or frequent readers will note, there is very little of my former career on this site, which in itself speaks volumes!

Learning though is not always about academic work, sometimes it is exploring online and learning that way too, that spurs us on to take an interest with something else. Essentially layering our learning.

I teach three one-name studies courses for Pharos Tutoring and Teaching.

These courses are specific in their remit, in that they focus on surname research and one-name studies. These courses enhance knowledge and add methodology to the concept of researching a surname and building a study. The new course sits in the middle of the existing two courses, hopefully filling a gap, bearing in mind the gap is varied. The Practicalities course runs over five weeks with four lessons and I could have probably provided text to run the course over 30 lessons, because the focus is on the practical elements and there are many, many variations on the software and tools available.

Teaching the courses is rewarding and I guess each tutor will have different measures in what they find rewarding. For me it is about sharing and perhaps inspiring others, creating new friendships and enjoyment as you watch (even virtually) students become engaged with the learning, enjoying the process and interactions.

There are a number of Massive Online Open Courses or MOOC for short courses available, from multiple providers, across multiple platforms. There is a useful and interesting Wikipedia page about MOOC in general and this page which provides links to the various providers.

In the case of those looking to enhance their knowledge to add context for their genealogical pursuits, I have added a few options below, these are not exhaustive and they are not necessarily all MOOC, but they are all educational options.

Many of the courses above provide a grounding and indeed some context for moving forward with a specific study.

On a recent walk I stumbled across two houses within easy reach of my own home which look different to the majority of houses in my locale. On standing back and looking at them it was obvious they predate my house by about 60 years or so. As I live in former mining territory, I wonder if the original houses that I spotted were that of a mine owner, or if they were owned by a landowner who farmed and sold off some land to mine owners for residential dwellings. I rushed home, washed my hands and made some tea before quickly placing my thoughts on paper so I can research in the coming weeks, or even months if I need to go to the Records Office. Remembering that our forebears, if they owned land or mines might well have had houses for employees, what is known as a tied properties, as it would have meant your workers complied and if they didn’t then it was not just loosing a job, but a home too. When you have a family and there is no or very little social provisions, there is just too much at stake.

When working on something, like a study that is becoming a specialised one, it is useful to get a good grounding and context, as that is very much the foundations of a sound project.

Taking part in the A-Z Challenge for 2020

Posted in A-Z Challenge 2020 - Specialised Studies, Advanced One-Name Studies (Pharos Course 902), Genealogy, Introduction to One-Name Studies (Pharos course 901), One-Name Studies, Practicalities of a One-Name Studies (Pharos Course 903) | 1 Comment

European Ancestors – Romani,Travellers & Gypsy’s

Posted on April 11, 2020 by Julie Goucher
Romani Flag

Roma flag Courtesy of Wikipedia

The flag shown here is the flag of the Romani people. It was approved by the representatives of various Romani communities at the first World Romani Congress, held in Orpington, Kent, England in 1971.

Two distinct groups of Ethnics, that are different from each other, whilst exhibiting similar lifestyles.

  • Irish Travellers
  • Romany Gypsy originally from North India who began their migrations to Europe in the 15th Century.

When they arrived from North India, whilst originally having their own surnames, many took surnames, selecting what they heard from the local population, wherever they had stopped. Others took surnames from well respected locals or those with land, hoping that would given them some protection from hostile actions and language. Some married locals, settling into the community, gaining acceptance and eventually overtime  original names disappeared.

North of the border, in Scotland there were examples of nomadic lifestyles as far back as the 12th Century, driven by their work as tinsmiths. Whilst many did work for domestic items, there were a great many opportunities for work by using their skills creating weapons and shields for use in battles. With this moving population there were others who were forced from their homes either through famine, Highland Clearances and of course those that were turned away from their homes during the potato famines. Some Scottish Travellers have the names of various Scottish Clans, perhaps meaning that there were links to the Battle of Culloden (1745).

The Romany traditional language is an Indo-Aryan language and is spoken by approximately 6 million people across Europe and the United States, with the largest concentration living in Turkey, Spain and Romania. Those living in England are often called Gypsies. The use of the old Gaelic by Scottish Traveller’s indicates that some descend from ancient Scots, coupled with words from the dialect of Irish Travellers. Others use the Romani language, likely because of the intermarrying or association with those who were across the border into England.

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