Genealogy Chat

Is it worth downloading all the images for the village my Elmers came from and noting the way they moved/visited each other (found the odd mistranscribed family member when peeping about)From 41 to 1901 it's about 110 images,and also charts some developement of the village.Glen

I wouldn't have the patience to download every image, but I've certainly taken photocopies of an entire village. You can begin to see much more clearly whether the family moved or the enumerator chose a different route. With luck, the enumerator himself lived in the village, so you can judge how good he was at the job (the Scottish land agent who enumerated my favourite village in 1851 made a poor job of things compared with the local man who enuerated the 1861 - and then handed a copy to the vicar!) You can also start to get a feel for the properties: isolated farmhouses crammed with live in servants; a village street with shopkeepers, smithy, inn; the labourers' cottages. And yes, looking at the entire village, you can spot the midwives and neighbours who were informants on birth and death certificates, the friends who witnessed the marriages.

Glen, I can imagine you up in your loft - wifey shouting up 'Come down for tea dear' and you standing there in your kilt and thong, worrying over the scaled down model of a Norfolk village, moving little Elmers people around from cottage door to pub, then to the church (a little recording of bells would be nice), back up the road to the manor. Oh the hours of endless pleasure making those tiny pitchforks for the ag labs and the little barrels for the pub, little teams of horses ploughing the fields. Oh yes, go for it Glen.

I wouldnt do much much excercise in those knickers Glen .

(Pssst...can someone quickly tell me what happened to Glen's turnips, before he comes back??) I have done something broadly similar - well, not similar at all, entirely different LOL. My family from Gawsworth were very fertile and married cousins, second cousins etc. I have now given in to temptation and I am doing a tree for every family in the village. I don't get out much. OC

I think they rotted in this heat OC

Heather Glad it was the heat, I had this awful vision of Mrs Glen finding some turnips and mashing them for dinner. OC

OC, shed have to have cut them off first! I reckon Glen is already up in the loft putting sheets of hardboard all over the floor and making over lays for each census.

Heather Hope he doesnt hardboard over the getty-outey hole of his loft, otherwise we might not see him for a while... OC

Well, he cant be around cos hed be on here now insulting me. Im off to bed OC. I wanted to try to stay up for THE phone call but I dont think I can. Nite nite

you 3 do make me laugh with your banter its so funny, keep it up , although I do feel sometimes like an eavesdropper.

The turnips have been pressed into service as makeshift farm buildings,flaky tinsel used to simulate flickering candle light in the windows. The biggest bother is the other half,now only working part time,she has decided that my 'playtime' should be reduced!!!! And there was i making a 1/100th scale model of the farm c/w Martha,(so it's definately pre 1871!!!) Glen

I assume you will make several overlays from 1841-1901 Glen, so that your kids and family can sit enthralled as you talk them through the developments of the village over time. Oh just thought, that would give you the opportunity say 1841 ish to add a little railway going past the farm? And, oh, 1901 - you could have a little motor car in the drive of the manor. Tell wife you are doing some urgent roof repairs. (Oh, even I cringed at the thought of the turnips being 'pressed' into service - and they must be odd shaped farm buildings - cant you use them as rustic haystacks or manure piles instead?) Good idea for the bits of tinsel though - I can really imagine that would work well, especially if there is a draught in the loft.

But of course. I have to show where the railway sidings were placed and changed the farm boundary,how the hall grounds changed over time and the Watts Naval School along with the Roman remains. Seriously though,the village had around 1200 occupants and the influence of the railways can be seen with the change of ocupations in the later census,the railway looks like it took all but one member of the Elmer family from the village by 1881. A few mentions for my lot in trade directories 1845 and 1854,but to push the line back i need to try and find the birth details for the Elmer/Curzon combo. The Elmer chap died before the 51 and his wife can't decide to well where she was born,or how old she is. Glen

Now, that rings a bell, the naval school. Im sure Ive read a local article about that Glen - I take it we are on the Wymondham- Dereham rail line here? Do you know you can actually catch the steam train on certain days and do the route again. Ill look up the website for you.

Somewhere there is mention of railway sidings for the National School,taking up land from or being alongside the farm (and mention is made on the census district description). I just seem to be stuck in the village and wonder what it was like at the time. Glen

Have a look at this site: http://www*edp24*com/Content/HiddenNorfolk/asp/2004/05/040508WattsNavalSchool*asp

Wow, North Elmham was once a city! I never knew that. Guess youve seen this site already: Mentions a couple of Elmers http://www.eng-villagesco*uk/vill_info_nelmham.html

Yep once a city,seat of the higher echelons of the Church. I did get quite a bit from Genuki and noted the details,i wanted to put something on my homepage,but can't figure out how to add it in. Despite Martha giving me problems in the 71 i wanted to put something of her family on the homepage and add to it as i find more (101 years of life must be worth some mention and a picture or two is on the way). I had the village description and trade references in a word document. I just feel the family need something of the 'Norfolk Connection' on the site. Glen

Of course, I look at this and wonder if the surname Elmer is a corruption of Elmham...you know, 'Elmham -mer' If so, then the name goes back a long way, certainly to mediaevel times and manorial records....how big, exactly, is your loft, Glen? OC