Family trees

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Interesting site Kukri - I found three people with my surname born in the 1740s and 1750s in Prussia. Since my name isn't very common anywhere, especially in Germany (oddly enough, as my family has been in Germany for hundreds of years), they may just be related.

[Banquo's Ghost]

Most people with ancestors in the UK should be able to get back to 1841 relatively easily (oops, pun not intended ).

The census returns are freely available at the National Archives. However, if your ancestors are Gibraltarian rather than English by birth, it may not cover that location.

Beyond 1841, it is usually a case of parish records which can be surprisingly informative. Since people rarely moved about much back then, you can often go back several generations in one parish, unless they happen to be Catholics (Irish records are different of course, and patchier). These records can usually get you back to the 1750s, sometimes earlier.

I've helped some people search through records like this that we hold, collected from several parishes in the English estate and these go back to the 1680s. Like you, people get great fun from the process. I miss out myself, as the family pedigree is rather well documented.

[Lemur]

I haven't had to lift a finger. Turns out our family's last name is pretty rare, and some absolute maniac has built up a web-based family tree that goes back to the 1400s. Turns out we even have a coat of arms, and it's incredibly ugly. Why couldn't my ancestors petition for something cooler?

Anyway, here's the site. Clearly the dude in charge has way too much time on his hands.

[InsaneApache]

Oh I dunno, you seem to have your 'ducks in a row'.

*glances at BQ*

@ BQ ta very much for that link, I already have got some of the details of my paternal grandmother from there. (She died when my dad was an infant)

[Banquo's Ghost]

I haven't had to lift a finger. Turns out our family's last name is pretty rare, and some absolute maniac has built up a web-based family tree that goes back to the 1400s. Turns out we even have a coat of arms, and it's incredibly ugly. Why couldn't my ancestors petition for something cooler?

Tsk. It's very cool. For a grant made in 1547, the arms are quite simple - by this time, most armorial creations were quite complex - the rule tends to be that simpler achievements are more ancient.

I couldn't see clearly from the photograph, but looking up the Somerset Visitation of 1623 (go to Pedigree, and then page 5) shows them to be:

Argent, on a fess gules three eagles' heads, erased, of the field.

Translated, this means: The shield background is silver, and has a red stripe horizontally across the middle. This stripe is decorated with three torn off (erased) eagles' heads, which are in the same colour (silver) as the background.

The old tomb decoration doesn't do it justice.

It would be interesting to discover why the eagles were chosen, but this is a noble coat of arms for a mere knight (mere as in his standing at the time of grant, as one might suppose a less prestigious achievement).

You share the argent field with me.

[Justiciar]

Good move, Apache. My own mother decided to do this back when I was a wee 'un, though I've only just started to read into it. Sadly she couldn't go too far back (the earliest certain name dating to the late 1700's), and I've yet to see any detail on my father's side - all I know is it's packed with Johns.

I guarantee the grandkids will apperciate it, even if they're all grey and wrinkly when they do.

[Strike For The South]

John Procter

[Louis VI the Fat]

My family has a coat of arms too.

The animals it proudly bears are:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

...Insects.

Really.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

No I'm not kidding.

[Lemur]

Translated, this means: The shield background is silver, and has a red stripe horizontally across the middle. This stripe is decorated with three torn off (erased) eagles' heads, which are in the same colour (silver) as the background.

The old tomb decoration doesn't do it justice.

I would have sworn on a stack of Bibles that it was pigeon heads on a stripe of pink on a beige field. Eagles are quite a step up.

Thanks for the link to the document, I guess I'll forward it to the guy who runs the site. (I offended him badly when I suggested in an email that "One of our relatives killed enough people or stole enough stuff to be made noble." He didn't like that one bit. Maybe sending him some links will help him hate me less. But really, come on, how do nobles become nobles in the first place? It ain't pretty, is what I'm thinking.)

So we're both silver background kinda guys, eh? Well, I'll hoist a brew to your argent, BG.

[Banquo's Ghost]

But really, come on, how do nobles become nobles in the first place? It ain't pretty, is what I'm thinking.)

In the British Isles, it's all a matter of timing.

Before 1483, it was largely about killing lots of people in brutal ways. This was fine, because we had a lot of civil wars between the nobility, and of course France and Ireland were available to the really ambitious.

After the Plantagenets came to their logical end, everyone became civilised. The way forward at this time was to procure women for one's monarch. France and Ireland were still available however, for the stubborn traditionalist.

Then religion was invented and this became a great way to get ennobled because anyone could be really, really intolerant with almost no learning or skill at arms at all. Unfortunately, because of this it got all out of hand and generated a civil war with dull people who didn't wear colourful hats and therefore were clearly not noble material. These dullards even went so far as to win and make a republic. They were no fun, and the common people (who liked being massacred on behalf of those aspiring to the aristocracy) got the king back PDQ.

Charles continued the old practice of ennobling the procurers of his women, but came up with a much better wheeze that continues to this day - rich sheep farmers who would pay good money.

Apart from the early 19th century when France became available again and resulted in the Duke of Wellington, the old ways have pretty much died out.

[Ironside]

My father's name is traced from Walllonian immigration around 1650, how it moved from there is unknown, althuogh it's suspected the originally be German.

My grandmother's (on my father's side) name is most researched that I've seen and is also traceable to around the same time (IIRC is was around 1620). Was Swedish at that time and before that it starts to get hard to trace due to lack of writtten records.

My grandmother's (on my mother's side) name is basically unknown. Actually not even remembering it atm .

But my mother's name does seem to have quite a bit of history, although I haven't been in contact with the genealogist in the family, only heard in second hand. It seems to be originating from Germany in the 13:th centuary and the most famous members were residenting in Danzig during the 16:th centuary. You can find that line actually mentioned in history books.
Admittably lacking quite a bit in the actual bloodlines, but having your rare surname mentioned in history books are well quite something .