Unusual Sources of Information

At a recent meeting,  members of the South Dorset Group of the Somerset and Dorset Family History Society, were advised about possible sources of ancestral information, with which they were probably not familiar.  Beryl Hurley, who is the Chairman of the Wiltshire History Society, and her husband John,  who is the Vice-President, explained how unlikely records could provide valuable indicators about the location and activities of previous generations.  Although certificates of births, marriages and deaths are usually available after 1837, and the national census started in 1841, many other lists still survive involving purely local organisations and events  There may be a roll-call of constables for a particular village, or those members of a church congregation who paid pew rents, or who had been confirmed.  A bell-ringer who had tolled the church bell for funerals for many years, had kept a detailed list of those for whom he had performed. 

Before the days of the National Health Service, a person usually joined a Friendly Society, which helped with cash in times of hardship or sickness.  In its files the Society would record family details and circumstances, in order to know the extent of its commitments.  The records of Coroners’ Courts are also worth investigation and sometimes disclose an unexpected crisis, such as the gentleman who was killed while looking for his gun-powder with a candle.  John stressed that these sources are often difficult to locate in the archives and are not usually indexed, so a lengthy search may be required  However when the family archivist is facing a blank wall,  he may well uncover a clue, which would inspire him to further research

Tony Johnson

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