Programs by James K. Jeffrey, program chair, W.I.S.E.

Transcription

1 The Newsletter of W.I.S.E Family History Society Volume 1, No. 1 Jan-Feb-Mar 2000 Programs by James K. Jeffrey, program chair, W.I.S.E. Counting Sheep: the Domesday Books, featuring Spence Klein Saturday, 26 February 2000 Are your ancestors Villains or Villeins? Did they come with William the Conqueror? Learn about the times that they lived in with Spence Klein as he presents Counting Sheep: the Domesday Books. In 1086 William the Conqueror commanded an accounting of his realm. A two-volume report of a survey of land holdings resulted. One volume deals with Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk, and the other deals with the rest of England with the exception of a few counties including London. Spence Klein is a former Air Force man who has since retired from AT&T. His ancestry is English on his maternal side and German on the paternal side. Spence is a member of W.I.S.E., NGS, FGS, Palatines to America and Columbine. He served as Computer Chairman for the 1998 NGS Conference Rocky Mountain Rendezvous. Spence and his wife have recently returned from a research trip to England where he used the Domesday Books. Plan now to attend this presentation. Griffith's Valuations - featuring Marg Ann Barton Saturday, 25 March 2000 Resources such as Griffith's Valuations aid Irish research. The British government surveyed all privately held lands and buildings to determine the amount of tax that each person should pay toward support of the poor and the destitute in each Poor Law Union. All occupiers or tenants, and the immediate lessors of all lands, buildings, etc. for private or business use were liable for the tax. In some areas these valuations start in 1839, but the majority exist from 1848 to Such information as the name of the tenants, the name of the lessor, the Lowland and parish names, and, of course, the amount of tax assessed will be found on these records. This treasure trove of information about your Irish ancestors is now available in microfiche and CD-ROM formats. Marg Ann will introduce researches to this resource. Marg Ann Barton is a member of W.I.S.E., NGS, Palatines to America, CGS, New England Historic and Genealogical Society, Central New York (Tree Talks) and the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution. Her BA is from The College of St Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota. Marg Ann enjoys travel and has been actively engaged in genealogical research for 50 years!! IN THIS ISSUE: Program: Counting Sheep 1 Program: Griffith's Valuations. 1 From the President. 2 W.I.S.E. "Tips' 3 April 1 - ''No Fooling' 3 Sterling Acquisition 3 News from the U.K. 4 Grahams of Cumbria 5 W.I.S.E. Program Schedule oinvae819pulliclipinzi!):11 Y R02395

2 W.I.S.E. Words Jan-Feb-Mar 2000 From the President As we begin a new year, W.I.S.E programs have already been planned for the year. We have a name for our Newsletter, W.I.S.E. Vordes a new editor, Gordon Gray and an exciting special lecture program coming on April 1, David C. Dearborn from The New England Historic Genealogical Society of Boston on English ancestor research. You will be receiving a brochure very soon from NEHGS about this program. There is limited room, so only 120 people will be able to attend. Many members have been seeking lectures for the Colonial time period, so this is the chance to hear them from an outstanding speaker such as David. NEHGS has not brought speakers for over five years. The complete program and field trip schedule for the year is on page 8 of this newsletter, so review it and mark your calendar so that you do not miss any of these events. If you do not see something that you are especially interested in, please let one of the officers know what- they are so that we can find Family History Society. Dedicated to research in Wales, Ireland, Scotland, England, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. Interest in emigration and immigration of these people as well as heraldry and family studies. Officers & Hoard of Directors President Ann Lisa Pearson Vice president/programs-- James K. Jeffrey Secretary Paul Kilburn Treasurer Donna J. Porter Membership Services- -- Tommy Geer and Marg Ann Barton Directors- Sharon Boatwright Elizabeth Brown Terence Quirke, Ph.D., C.C. George Forby Newsletter Staff Editor- Gordon Gray Country Editors: Wales Elizabeth Brown Ireland Terence Quirke, Ph.D., C.C. Scotland- Paul Kilburn England Composers George Forby Janice Prater and Ann Lisa Pearson speakers. The trip to Salt Lake City sponsored by W.I.S.E. was enjoyed by 20 members and has been requested again. We will plan another trip. The Board has talked about sponsoring a trip to London, England, but next year does not seem to be an appropriate time. The 1901 British Census will be released and this will make the repositories very crowded for at least six months. Remember when the 1920 census was released here and how crowded and restricted the research times were for the first six months. So, it seems that it would not be appropriate to have the cost of the trip and then not be able to have the unrestricted time at the repositories. In 2002 when the Olympics are in Salt Lake City in January, we would not go there for a research trip, so it seems that facilities will be less congested in early Spring of 2002 in London and other record offices. The Society By-laws will be voted upon at the February monthly meeting on February 26, so please read them so that you can vote on them. After they are approved, the Colorado State Incorporation application will be filed with the Colorado Secretary of State. Any comments need to be made in writing to one of the Society officers as soon as possible. We have made these By-laws as basic as possible so that they will work easier than has been the rase for other societies. Remember, this is your society, so you need to take a part in its activities. Next jarritaty will be election of officers and new people will have to nominated, as the current officers will not stand for re-election. Keeping this in mind, you will have to find members who will stand for election. nominating committee will appointed in early Spring. If you are interested, please tell an officer. Membership renewals need to be paid by March 1 as only those who have paid by this date will be included in the Membership Directory. There are several positions open to be appointed by the President. Let me know what you would like to do. Thank you for a good 1999 and your participation will make 2000 a very god year!! A Ann Lisa Pearson

3 W.I.S.E. Clioec Jan-Feb-Mar 2000 W.I.S.E. Tips by: Terrance Quirke, CG. Newspaper Preservation Recipe by Michael Knapp Keeping newspaper clippings from turning brown and brittle is always a concern for collectors and researchers. newspaper clipping: Here's a recipe for preserving a Dissolve a milk of magnesia tablet in one quart of club soda. Let stand overnight. Pour into a pan with the flattened clipping. Soak one hour, Remove, pat dry and allow to air dry. Estimated life: 200 years April 1 - NO FOOLING!!! David C. Dearborn is Coming We are privileged to have David coming to Denver to topics on English research. Mark your calendars for a special All-day series of lectures by David C. Dearborn, F.A.S.G., of the New England Historic 'Genealogical Society. Some of you have heard David and know that his presentations are "not to be missed". Some of his lectures will be: The Best Repositories in the U.S. for British Genealogical Research, Making That Crucial Connection, English Probate Records: Discovering All They Can Tell You. There will be one additional lecture. Denver Public Library will be the location for this one-day lecture series. The day will begin with registration at 9 a.m. in the 7th floor classroom at Denver Public Library. You will receive the registration form after the first of the year directly from NEHGS. There is limited seating so register early. Lunch will be on your own in the area. STERLING ACQVISITION by: Terrance Quirke,, When traveling to the U.K., or when contemplating buying items or subscriptions to journals of Family History Societies in the U.K, it is very useful to be able to send the cost of any of the above in sterling. It is also convenient to be able to pay for items whilst in the U.K. in cash sterling without the bother of someone converting from U.S. dollars. If you have investigated buying a sterling money order from a bank, you know that just the cost of the transaction is large, not to mention the uncertainty of receiving the best exchange rate. Now that Reusch International is charging US$15.00 per check, that alternative is no longer an obvious alternative. The method I have used for several years is to maintain a bank account in the U.K in sterling. This can be done in a fairly straightforward manner. The following is based on the bank I happen to use and is not guaranteed to be the least expensive or most convenient it is simply the routine I have used successfully. Write to Lloyds Bank WorldWide Service, 8-10 Waterloo Place, London SW1Y 5YY, Great Britain and ask for an application to open a current account (this is the same type of account as a U.S. checking account.) You will probably be expected to open the account with about In order to do this, go to your friendly local office of the AAA. If you are a member, you can buy travelers checks without any fee. So buy 100 of travelers checks, the denominations doesn't matter. On 26 November 1999 the AAA charged an exchange rate of to buy sterling travelers checks. That is, US$ bought For current exchange rates see < After completing the application simply endorse the cheques to your new account and mail the whole mess to the address given on the application. Eventually you will receive a book of cheques which you can use to pay for anything you want in sterling. If you apply also for a debit card this can be used to extract cash from your account when you are in the U.K, up to a maximum of 200 per day, or up (continued on page 4 )

4 - 4 - Jan-Feb-Mar 2000 News from the U.K. Public Record Office Online Catalog by: James K Jeffrey The Public Record Office has placed its catalog on line. The catalog is a list of all records deposited at the PRO by the government departments, which originally created or used them. Researchers can use a global search engine to search across all departmental records as they are organized in series by department. This database represents a listing of nearly 328,080 cubic feet of materials. researchers will remember Seasoned this catalog as the Class Lists. The Class List was named because of the way the records were divided into separate classifications within each departmental sections. Users will sometimes see the term Class List used in this catalog. For those who still can not countenance electronic media there will remain a printed version of the original catalog at the Public Record Office_ 1901 British Census A contract has been awarded to the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, which is one of the largest research organizations of its kind in Western Europe and is a centre of excellence for science, technology and evaluation. DERA has teamed up with a number of subcontractors to undertake this project. The census index will be released only in a fee based, electronic format. The census images themselves will be available in digitized formatting as well as microfiche_ It does not appear that the PRO will be releasing the 1901 census in microfilm. The index will contain surname, local, age, and place of birth and PRO reference. Each entry will be hand keyed and researchers will be able to search the digitized images for whole neighborhoods. Given the time involved with the volunteer generated 1881 census index the PRO felt a timely created index was called for. The 1901 census is scheduled for release on the first working day of January The concern in the genealogy community is the quality of the index to be created. The Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) is an umbrella organization for thousands of civil servants. The subcontractor DERA has teamed with to undertake the transcription of the data is Enterprise and Supply Service is part and parcel of the Prison Service. The highly skilled and experienced transcribers of the 1901 census will be individuals who have been detained at Her Majesty's pleasure. Inmates will input the census data twice (double keying method) with crosschecking software to ensure the best possible level of accuracy. The software checks to verify what has been keyed. If two transcribers miss key then a check of the data is called for, if both transcribers incorrectly, yet exactly match a misstranscription, then no verification check. The use of prison labor is controversial, not because it is morally abhoiieitt, but because of the lack of expertise on the part of Her Majesty's guests. Even the 1881 Census index project undertaken with interested, dedicated, volunteers has its mistakes. With out a subject interest, paleographic background, or sufficient training, we can only calculate the errors. May the PRO reconsider the decision to proceed with DERA and find acceptable quality 1901 British Census Index. alternatives which will result in a STERLING ACQVISITION kunti iueb from page 31 to the amount remaining in your account, whichever is less. It can be used the same way a debit card is used in the U.S. When your current account balance is getting low, just buy some more travelers cheques in sterling and send them off to top up the account. You, too, can be an international financier!!

5 W.I.S.E. 'Woods, Jan-Feb-Mar 2000 GRAHAMS OF CUMBRIA by: Paul Kilburn County Cumbria, formerly called Cumberland, is the northwestern most county of England, located just below the Scottish border. One of the most rugged counties in England, it contains the world-renowned Lake District in the west, the famous Lanercost Priory ruins in the east, and the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall. These three attractions, as well as the rural countryside, have made the county a major tourist attraction. includes information on both the Rowntree (Rountree) family, whose daughter Margaret married George (2), David's grandfather; and the Baxter family, whose daughter Margaret married David's father George (3), the emigrant ancestor. All three of these farming families lived dose to one another, and church and social gatherings allowed the boys and girls to meet, woo and marry. The intertwining of these families was remarkable in that it took place in a small area of about ten miles square as shown in the figure below. In 1875 my grandfather, David Graham, emigrated from this County Cumbria to Ontario, Canada. He and his seven older brothers and sisters came to Ontario with their father George and mother Margaret Baxter. They Til were attracted to this part of Canada by a cousin who had emigrated earlier. George started...ongtown as a farm laborer and eventually became a landowner. He continued the farming occupation of his parents and grandparents, raising a family of ten children. Most of the children remained in the area and the original farm has been designated a "Century Farm" as it has been owned and operated by a member of the family for over 100 years. Three of the boys, including my grandfather David, then 18, left for the newly founded town of Hibbing, Minnesota where rich iron deposits had recently been discovred, and where jobs were readily available. The town grew as the mines expanded. Eventually one of the larger mines engulfed the town, forcing the town to move, to allow the companies to mine the rich ore beneath. These mines were to form the backbone of American steel production during World War IL Today they are mined out and iron mining has shifted to the nearby more extensive but lower grade taconite deposits. David became a successful contractor and retired in his late 50's, well before the start of World War IL This article is about the Graham origins and homes in Cumbria, as well as the wives families. The paper 1 - DOPFSHOL: SF FARM IR A DOI FICFONN 13I GRAHAM COUNTRY in CUMBRIA %age milts FRIARHILI 'GA FE FARM IA! STAPLETON ( , KIRKCAMSF.tli 11,4 k 1NIPITTN 41. GR %if AM a BAXTER ROM NI REV, 43' tits % The study of these families illustrates the provincialism of 18th and 19th century England. Marriage was nearly always local; the oldest sons remained on the original farm, and the younger sons had to move elsewhere. America provided an impetus to emigrate to another country where they could eventually become landowners. The study also shows how many of the traditional genealogical techniques can be used to develop a most interesting history of a family. My interest in David's genealogy began when I learned my grandfather as born 12 Jan 1875 in Carlisle, England, a fact soon proven incot Lea. It was of course long after my grandfather died that I became interested in finding out about his origins, and when I was no longer able to question him. But I was interested enough to (continued on page 6)

6 W.I.S.E. Weeds, 6 Jan-Feb-Mar 200( Grahams of Cumbria (continued from page 5) obtain his birth certificate and to learn that he was not born in Carlisle, the capitol of and largest city in the county, but some fifteen miles to the north in a room on the Hopeshouse Farm where his father worked. His mother was born at the Hirsthead Farm some three miles to the north, where the 5th generation of Baxters resided. Early settlers often told people their birthplace was a nearby large town instead of an obscure village or farm. Making extensive use of parish records from several adjacent parishes, using marriage and baptismal records, I was able to determine, with certainty, the relationships among these families, and to go back several generations the mid 1700's, and in some cases the early 1700's. Earlier than this the parish records, including the Bishop's Transcripts, were missing or too fragmentary to provide accurate data_ The first census records in Cumbria are from 1841 and are available for that date and every ten years thereafter. These records were invaluable in piecing together in more detail the family structure and residence after Sometimes the family would move, or the head of the family would die before the next census. In some cases I could locate the widow and minor children living nearby with relatives. Maps provided the next dimension in understanding these families. While the Collins Road Atlas Britain is excellent, at a scale of three miles to the inch, one needs to use the oldest Ordnance Survey maps at a scale of six inches to a single mile to see the farms in detail, locate the farm buildings, and show all roads, lanes and paths. I was able to obtain copies of the pertinent portions of the 1866 survey maps which showed actual conditions at the time when my grandfather emigrated.. The few wills that were available for these families provided considerable information on the family relationships, land ownership and wealth. Finally, my visit to Cumbria provided a third dimension to my understanding of these people. I was able to photograph the farms, visit with several of my relatives, observe the placement and structure of the farm buildings, and the churches and fonts where they were baptized and in many cases buried. I even have a photo of the probable room where rn grandfather was born at Hopeshouse. These Grahams were most certainly descendants ( the Scottish Graham clan actually begun after tth Conquest in 1066 by a de Graham of the Angli Norman aristocracy. Such a prefix was widesprea throughout England after the Conquest as Williar rewarded his loyal followers with great estates. Thu French blood was mingled with Saxon as the group intermarried. And after a century or two the "de was dropped from Graham, as was usually the cas with other surnames. The Grahams were a large and wealthy clan ir Scotland, owned great estates and built several castles and the clan gradually spread through many parts o northern England. Cumbria and the area east o Carlisle has a large number of them. A large anc active Graham estate at Netherby on the Scottisi border where the lord and lady Graham live still remains. Most Grahams, however, living in that area in the 18th and 19th centuries were cattle and sheep farmers who lived on small family farms. This part of Cumbria is level to rolling land, and as the Ordnance maps show, the farms present 200 years ago exist today as working farms. This is the country, just west of the higher Northumberland mountains, where Hadrian's Wall formed the northern limit of Roman predominance and where the Grahams, Baxters, and another family, the Rowntrees resided (Figure 1). The earliest person in these three families that I have located was James Rowntree(1) [b who was born and resided at Palmer Hill farm at the eastern end of the area shown in the figure. His eldest son John (2) [b was born on the farm but moved to the next farm south to Clark Hill farm_ John's second son William (3) [b17731 was born at Clark Hill farm, and moved a mile away to the village of Westhall, where he probably worked on a farm on the outskirts town. His daughter Margaret (4) [b18121 was be there and married George Graham (2) from near Kirkambecic. The farms today contain more buildings than thc of 200 years ago, as almost every generation added new wing or outbuilding. All buildings are made stone as earlier homes used up the wood availat from the forests. As a consequence, nearly all of the (continued on page 7)

7 W.I.S. E. Words Jan-Feb-Mar 2000 Grahams of Cumbria (continued from page 6) well built structures have remained in continuous use. The present Clark Hill farm, shown in the picture below, is a classic one with the structures forming a large protected and open square enclosed by farmstead buildings. The open square, common in these farms, provides a sheltered enclosure for livestock, particularly necessary in this region of severe winter weather. The south side of the square at Clark Hill faces the road and is the residential side with at least four different-aged wings adjoining each other, and all used today as residential areas. As a sign of the times the farm is now one of the many "bed and breakfasts" in this area. The view from the road below the house shows the varied-aged attached residences where the owner and tenants could each have a separate home The other three sides of the square contain the barns, food storage and equipment moms, with two entrances for ingress and egress of livestock and machinery. The Baxter line begins with Thomas (1) [b abt 1700] of Arthuret Parish, probably Parcelstown. His third son David (2) [b 1731] was born there but eventually moved to a farm at Bailiffstown (now Baileytown) five miles to the east where his fourth son Thomas (3) [b 1765] was born. Thomas moved about three miles east to the Friarhillgate Farm where his eldest son John (4) [b 1805] was born. This farm was near the Stapleton Church, where many marriages, births, deaths and burials of Baxters occurred. John, an exception to the rule of eldest sons remaining at the old homestead, moved north to the Hirsthead Farm where daughter Margaret (5) [b 1842] was born. It was she who married the third George Graham started a family and went with him to Ontario. The records go back only four generations with the Grahams. The first two were Georges (1 and 2) [b 1762 and 1802] who lived in the village of Kirkcambeck. By 1829, George (1) was 64, and was the yeoman or owner of Red Hill farm just outside Kirkcambeck. It was here that George (2) and Margaret Rowntree raised their family, including third son George (3) [b This son moved first to Hilltop farm and eventually Hopeshouse farm, where David (4) [b 1875] was born. The family emigrated that year to Ontario. It is probable that these Grahams were tenants at Hopeshouse, and George took advantage of the newly opened productive lands in southwestern Ontario to leave England. Obtaining this information has been fascinating but hardly complete. I look forward to another two weeks in Cumbria. There is more to photograph, more gravestones to find, and more records to add to the sketchy details gained to date. Land Tax Assessments, annual returns giving details of owner and renter, should be examined. Militia Lists available from are also vital for they record men 18-45, their ages, occupations, children, etc. This time period would include several Baxters, Rountrees and Grahams. Manorial records, where they survive, would also provide many land and property details. All these features call out for examination. Certainly, as is true for most genealogy, our studies will never be complete. Hopefully however, the interest and focus of present and future genealogists will add more detail to our present understanding. Paul Kilburn, 6695 Terry Court, Arvada, CO / & pdkilburn@cs.com I See Mark D. Herber, 1997, Ancestral Trails for a thorough, current, and essentially complete discussion of the many sources and techniques available for English, some Welsh, and some Scottish studies. 2 See Phillimore, National Index of Parish Registers., or individual volumes for the various counties. 3 The book by Sir Lain Monereiffe, The Highland Clans gives a brief introduction to the Graham clan. 4 The trade directory by Mannix and Whelan. 1847, Principal Inhabitants of Cumberland lists both David Baxter farmer. Friar Hill Gate and John Baxter, farmer. Hirst Head showing their residences at this time. 5 The directory by Parson and White. 1829, Principal Inhabitants of Cumberland and Westmoreland lists Geo Graham, yeoman, Red Hill. Unfortunately these directories are not complete and do not list all the individuals that lived there.

8 - 8 - Jan-Feb-Mar 20 W.I.S.E. Family History Society 2000 Program Schedule 26 Feb Counting Sheep; the Domesday Books with Spence Klein 25 Mar Griffith's Valuations with Marg Ann Barton 1 Apr New England Historic & Genealogical Society all day session with David Dearborn, lecturer July Aug Aug Sep Russell Gulch Cemetery Picnic Russell Gulch, Colorado Colorado Irish Festival Lakewood Heritage Park, Lakewood, Colorado St. Andrew Society of Colorado Highland Games, Highlands Ranch, C Colorado Council of Genealogical Societies Seminar Lakewood, Colorado 22 Apr Victoria County Histories with Janice Prater 19 May British Research Center, Norlin Library, University of Colorado, Boulder, tour and lecturers with Debra Hollis & Nancy Molti; all day Friday in Boulder, limit 30 people; $10 deposit 24 Jun Touring England & Scotland for Ancestral Castles, Halls & Churches - Paul Kilburn 28 Oct Research in London 2 Dec Luck of the Irish with Zoe Lappin Unless otherwise noted, the meeting schedule is: 1:30 p.m. Lower Level Conference Center Central Denver Public Library 10 West Fourteenth Avenue Denver, Colorado This schedule is subject to change. All membership meetings are free and open to the public W.I.S.E. Wales, Ireland, Scotland, & England Family History Society P. 0. Box Denver, Colorado First Class Mail