Bastardy Bonds can be a great resource when trying to locate a birth date and place when vital records may not exist or in placing someone in a specific area at a specific time. In England, these records were created on a parish level before 1834 and on county and poor law union levels beginning … Continue reading In the Parish Chest: Bastardy Bonds
Author: kindredpast
The Youngest Among Us
“I will lend you, for a little time, A child of mine, He said. For you to love the while he lives, And mourn for when he's dead.” Edgar Guest (1881-1959) It is always difficult to comprehend the deaths of the youngest among us. All of us have come across sad family stories. When they … Continue reading The Youngest Among Us
Does it make sense?
We’ve all seen them. Family trees with children born to a mother who died before their birth, or three children born in the same year and linked to the same parents (and they are not triplets). People marrying at age 10, and women having babies in their 70s. As we research, it is essential to … Continue reading Does it make sense?
Music and Miners
In the coal mining districts of County Durham, England, in the 19th and 20th centuries, almost every colliery (coal mine) had a colliery band. Bands were sponsored by the local mining communities and were a source of great pride for the working men who played in the band and the community who attended their performances. … Continue reading Music and Miners
Let’s Call him James or maybe … James?
My father is James Thomas My grandfather is James Thomas My great grandfather is James Thomas My great great grandfather is William Thomas My great great great grandfather is James Thomas My great great great great grandfather is John Thomas My great great great great great grandfather is James Thomas With the exception of William … Continue reading Let’s Call him James or maybe … James?
My Grandfather’s Sword
As a young child I can remember opening my father's closet and seeing a very fancy looking sword hanging in there. I don't think I knew whose it was until I was older and learned it belonged to my mother's father. My grandfather, Harold James Davis, died about 2 years before I was born. The … Continue reading My Grandfather’s Sword
St. Mary’s Changing Churchyard
Towards the end of 1945, Jean Mary Davis (my second cousin twice removed) married John Clement Rix at St. Mary’s, the parish church at Norton Cuckney in Nottinghamshire1. I recently came across this wonderful photograph of them stepping out of the front doors of the church just after they had been married2. The war had … Continue reading St. Mary’s Changing Churchyard
Four Generations in Close Up
Four generations of women in my family in South Africa. There is something about taking these close up photographs and placing them next to each other that reinforces for me the familial bonds that tie generations together. Not to mention, seeing how much they resemble each other! Christina Elizabeth McIntosh was of Scottish descent, born … Continue reading Four Generations in Close Up
The Story Behind the Headstone of George A. Craft
Last year I came across a photograph of the gravestone of George Albert Craft, my husband’s second great-grandfather. He is buried in the Chico cemetery, in Chico, Butte County, California. 1 As I studied the gravestone I realized that I really didn’t know much about him. What I discovered was a hardworking, family oriented man … Continue reading The Story Behind the Headstone of George A. Craft
Tax Records: An often overlooked source
Tax records are a valuable but often overlooked source: They can help to fill in the decade between census enumerations and before the first federal census of 1790. In burned counties tax records are often the only information you may find on your ancestor. Tax records sometimes contain specific residence information, giving an exact physical … Continue reading Tax Records: An often overlooked source
KindredPast 