As a school girl, some sixty years ago, I liked to dabble in Family History. My father, whose name was Avery, having sixteen brothers and sisters, almost all older than himself, there was material for a large family tree without going far! I knew nothing then of genealogical societies or record offices and One Name Groups; I had one built in! My interest grew, as did my Tree – upwards and downwards. But it was not until many years later that I took a more serious interest in the family and got my father’s family back to 1580. Continue reading What’s in a Name?
Yearly Archives: 1992
Of Blacksmiths and Bicycles
By comparison to most readers of this newsletter, I would consider myself to be a complete novice in the area of genealogy, although I believe my interest was first aroused many years ago when I was just a schoolboy. My mother would have lengthy talks around the fireside at home telling me about my grandparents and their family. Continue reading Of Blacksmiths and Bicycles
Book Reviews
Return of Owners of Land 1873, Sussex. Sussex Family History Group; ISBN 0 9513580 5 7. Card Covers 36pp A5. £2.25 from SFHG.
The Returns of Owners of Land 1873, were originally published by Her Majesty’s Stationery Office from 1875 onwards, and contained names, residences, acreages and annual rentals of all those who owned one acre or more of land. Continue reading Book Reviews
Family History from Old Newspapers – Part 1
Old newspapers are a fascinating source of information to family historians. All the large public libraries have collections of local newspapers, and among the more obvious things to look for are obituaries. Since my great great grandfather, William Linfield, had been a public official in Victorian Worthing, I expected to find an obituary notice in one of the local papers when he died in 1892. I was duly rewarded in the July 20th issue of the Worthing Gazette; though brief, it told me he had a “genial temperament and obliging disposition” (true Linfield characteristics, I like to think!) However, when time permits, the best finds are usually made by chance. Continue reading Family History from Old Newspapers – Part 1
John Lindfield of West Blatchington
JOHN LINDFIELD “junior” (1756-1826) and his sister SARAH (Bap. 1758) were probably born at West Blatchington; their baptisms are shown in the Parish Register for the Brighton (then Brighthelmstone) Parish Church which was also responsible for the small Blatchington community. They were the children of JOHN LINDFIELD (born c.1728) who married MARY KEMPTON (born c.1735) at St. Nicholas, Brighton, 10th October 1755, both of Blatchington. (I have a photocopy of the Parish Register entry). A map of the area prepared by Yeakell & Gardner (1783) shows how scattered the farming communities were at the time the Lindfield’s were there. Continue reading John Lindfield of West Blatchington
Getting Started – Part 1
We have received a number of letters since starting the Group from people saying that they have always intended to research their family history, but were unsure how to get started. This article is based upon the advice we have sent in reply to such enquiries, and is published here in the hope that it will help a few more Lin(d)field descendants to start researching. It refers to the records in the United Kingdom, though the general principle applies in most countries which keep public records. Continue reading Getting Started – Part 1
The St. Catherine’s Index Project
One of the goals which we set ourselves when starting the One Name Group, was to assemble all the Lin(d)field entries from the General Register Office (GRO) index of births, at least up to about 1920. To this end, we have collected as much material as we can find from members own records, and are continuing to transcribe the indexes for those years which are not already covered. Continue reading The St. Catherine’s Index Project
Lost Emigrants
Among the various lists of passengers and emigrants, there are to be found several who seem to be worthy of further investigation. For example, in the year 1702, we find Francis and John Linfield recorded as immigrants to Bath County, North Carolina. (Ref. 1) The records also show the names of those who brought people to the County, who were apparently rewarded by being granted land. In the case of Francis and John, the person named is one William Brice, who is shown as having brought six people on June 22nd, 1702. As well as Francis and John, there were William and Ann Brice, and Elizabeth and David Depee. The records do not give any further details. The 1984 issue of the International Genealogical Index (IGI) does not have any Linfield or Lindfield entries for North Carolina, and I have not yet checked the vital records for that period. It would be interesting to know what happened to Francis and John, and whether they married and had issue. As yet, I can find no clues as to their origins in England, assuming of course that they came from England in the first place. Continue reading Lost Emigrants