Genealogy Chat

My mother's side all stayed in and around 2 villages in Somerset - they were easy peasy to do. lol Most of my father's side are from the Dewsbury area of Yorkshire - apart from one branch and that family seem to be all coachmen or similar, so not really surprising that i am tracking them from Herts, Warwickshire, Surrey and Yorks.... so far. lol I think one of the main reasons for people travelling around back then was to find work - and accomodation i guess. When you consider the sizes of families then, it didnt take long to outgrow a village, or town even. The Ag Labs seemed to stay put but skilled labour went wherever there was work - Somerset miners to Wales, Yorkshire mill workers to USA, etc.

Of my maternal side, most of one side lived in the same (very small!) village all their lives, mainly in the same house. On the other side, they're from all over the place! Mainly Lancashire (like quite a few others in the family - quite considerate of them really!) but I've got a lot from down south. I find it easier to research my relatives from Lancashire, especially those local to where I live because obviously I know the area. I spend a lot of time on map sites trying to work out where places are! Jo

In the 1830's even ag labs were starving. Parish charities were giving families money and food to emigrate to US and Aus. My Great Grandadx2 went as a 17 year old to London in the 1830's then joined by a cousin and his family a year or two later. Interesting thing is his father lived to 86, his grandfather lived to 92 but this poor kid died in Stepney at 50. Cant imagine how bad it must have been for them to leave a lovely village and go to a hell hole like that.

I don't think they were lovely villages, Heather. Poor sanitation, leaking roof, rising damp, most of the employment in the hands of a few landowners. The sort of shacks that my ancestors lived in have long tumbled down. Some did work for the better sort of employer, but with that went having to attend church FOUR TIMES A DAY on a Sunday. No wonder that those who could escaped.

Some of my lot, who had been farmers for generations, found themselves living near the railways which were just starting up in the Birmingham area. From being farm boys they became extremely well paid railway workers who travelled all over the country as the railway network expanded. When they fell in love they stayed where they were and got married, settled down and had their families. The Victorian era had lots of huge projects going, like railways, viaducts, canals etc. so there must have been a huge migrant population chasing the best paid jobs.

I half listened to a radio programme about the evolution of the bicycle. it said that in the early days when you went courting, you had to do it on the evening after a long days work, or on your one day off on a weekend. So you could only walk to the closest village. After bicycles became common, you could peddle a bit further in the time you had, so you could court someone from further afield. It makes sense when I look for my names on the 1841 census. Each name tends to be clustered in a very small number of villages. later on, they are spread over a wider area. Amazing what you half hear on radio 4.

Hi, Brenda, I suppose Im lucky that I live in the same village myself, so I can see their old homes and I guess they were not as up to date as they are now but at least they had green fields and woods to look at! Shows how desperate they must have been to go to Ratcliff in Stepney which by all accounts was the worse of the worse.

Seems like they did. You have to look at what was happening in the world. It was changing, the Industrial Revolution meant that many moved from the country to the towns, populations expanded rapidly and the traditional concept of 'families' altered, so movements of people were not unusual at this time.

Diminishing agriculture, Industrial Revolution drove most people's ancestors from the country into the big towns. Pre 1800 approx 75%worked in agriculture which is why most people willl find AG labs in their trees. Far too big a subject to find out here. Suggest you look at your ancestors and where they are coming from and then read up on the areas concerned. That way you build a bigger picture as to where they are coming from and where they went . Many worked in big houses and moved around with the families so there will be a wealth of Settlement Certs in County Record Offices. Janet

My father's side of family seem to travel from north to south or vis versa every generation. The furthest back I've got is to a George Middleton who was born and died in London, his son joined the army and went to York where he married and lived for a while before returning to London. His son also joined the army and, when dicharged, ended up in Newcastle where he died, his son also joined the army and was discharged in London and just stayed here...I'm beginning to think I'd better moved up North for a while! Helen

You might find places linking up on trade routes like canals where commodities would move across the country. So raw materials would head for industrial areas which would of course be ideal for agricultural labourers looking for other opportunities. Some of mine took the boat from Yarmouth up to Newcastle. People travelling on these routes would be bringing news of job opportunities although generally people didn't move around too much. Many never left their villages until The Great War when the idea of fighting in another country - all expenses paid seemed a glamourous and exciting opportunity.

Lou Are you quite sure we are not related?! Mine were liars, drunkards, loose women and magicians (they could disappear whenever the going got a bit tough). They appear in every Workhouse, every Magistrates Court and the wealth of Bastardy Orders has to be seen to be believed! The big laugh though is that all this got rewritten in the family Myths and Legends - until I started doing this I thought I came from an ultra-respectable, industrious middleclass chapel-going background - the one family member who remains, older than me, is not at all amused at what I have uncovered! Happy sleuthing. Marjorie

Im having the same problem with auntie at the moment, Majorie. Hoping that being the messenger of the news wont mean my inheritence disappearing!