Baldock/Fagg/Small Family History

Last week I managed to get to the Centre for Kentish Studies archive at Maidstone. I located a couple of (very old) wills, which I duplicated and brought away for deciphering (anyone up for transcribing them for me?). I also continued with some Pluckley, Charing and Lenham Parish Record research.

The CKS has books and resources which are not available at Canterbury Cathedral Archives, namely previously undertaken and bound books of parish record transcriptions. This was invaluable to me, having found an early book of transcriptions of records dating back to the 1500s which may not otherwise have been determinable. Well worth the visit!  Whether I can now better determine relationships of these early ancestors, only time will tell!

In addition I ordered (and very quickly received; just before the postal strike here in the UK!) some certificates, including a marriage certificate for one of my mother’s aunts (to a BALDOCK, no less!) and her birth certificate, which should allow more progress in other areas.

Information Overload !!

The 1911 Census was finally made available as a subscription option today, via FindMyPast.com, but being an existing Explorer subscriber, I have had the benefit at a discounted rate for about a week now as a “top-up” to my subscription.

I must say that if you are at all in two minds as to whether you subscribe, and you have anything other than a small quantity of records to check out, just do it. At a cost of £39.95 for 6 months’ full access to the 1911 alone (or £59.95 for 12 months), it would not take long to reach this cost if you were only to use PayAsYouGo credits via 1911census.co.uk, which until now has been the only method to access the census online.

I have already gained the benefit – the census highlighted that I had entered the wrong person for one of my mother’s uncles. Both born the same year (1907) in the same district (Medway), but had different middle names. The 1911 census showed the correct middle name, which allowed me to determine the correct details.

The census has also, of course, enabled me to determine extra children/siblings born between 1901 and 1911, who would not (obviously) have appeared on the 1901 census. In addition you can of course see your ancestor’s own handwriting to feel that little extra personal involvement!