There are probably few of you reading this who remember watching British Pathé newsreels at the cinema (no, I don’t either!). In an age before television, they fed people news from around the country, and the world. This means became very important during World War II.

Well, why not see for yourself at the British Pathe website. It’s full of newsreels you can watch for free.

I searched for “Kent”, and found quite a few. Some showed families harvesting hops, another showed a ploughing match. A third showed the first electric train to Margate, the  Kent Coast Special Southern Electric, which has this wonderful closing line…

“It’s so quick, harassed mothers in London will soon be telling their children after tea, ‘Go down to Margate and play on the sands till bedtime!’ “

Baldock/Fagg/Small Family History - ... or "An insight into personal family history research"

There are considered to be four main categories of surname origin:

• Locational, whereby the name may be linked to a place, eg. Baldock (Hertfordshire), Wood, Bank
• Occupational, whereby the name is related to an occupation, eg. Butcher, Baker, Cook
• Patronymic, whereby the name is taken from the father’s name, eg. Jameson (son of James), O’Grady (son of Grady), MacDonald (son of Donald)
• Characteristic, whereby the name often describes a physical feature, eg. Small, Brown

A fifth category, metonymic, refers to the use of metaphors or nicknames, but can generally be associated with one of the other categories, particularly occupational or characteristic surnames, eg. Fagg (possible nickname for fishmonger or baker).

My research has so far encountered the following surnames. Some may not have ancestor/descendant developments (more will be added if/when appropriate):

BALDOCK, BLACKBURN, BUSHELL, CAPELING, CASTLE, DANIELS, DATLEN, DAWKINS, DIXON, DRAY, EVENDEN, FAGG, FOSTER, FRIEND, FULLER, GAMBRIL, GARLINGE, GOLDSACK, GROOMBRIDGE, GUESS, HAGESTADT, HARVEY, HATTON, HAUGHTON, HAWKINS, HEWETT, HOLLANDS, HOUGHAM, INGLETON, KINGSLAND, KNIGHT, MARSHALL, MAYTUM, MOXON, NEWING, NORMAN, NOWILL, PALMER, PAY, ROYCE, SAWKINS, SMALL, SPAIN, TERRY, WANSTALL …

Baldock/Fagg/Small Family History - ... or "An insight into personal family history research"

Please note:

My direct line does now does appear to be valid back to c1600, having checked out records at Canterbury Archives. However, further research needs to be undertaken to uncover siblings etc. and the tree does not yet reflect this recent information.

The earliest WANSTALL connection is undergoing further research, since the name Benjamin Wanstall has proved very popular and has reason to cause data confusion.

You will find a Chartham line of BALDOCKs, to which I have (as yet) found no link, but a member of their family often recalled an anecdote that we were! It would appear I need to traverse at least the 1700′s to confirm this…

The tree pages are here …

Baldock/Fagg/Small Family History - ... or "An insight into personal family history research"

Welcome to the Baldock /Fagg /Small Family History blog. I thought it was about time I did something like this to keep the family informed of the progress of my genealogy research (having done quite a bit already – better late than never!).

I am but a mere amateur genealogist, but started the hard way – pre-Internet!

Please read the Background page to see how I got started.

Steve BALDOCK.
B.Sc.(Hons)(Eng)

Baldock/Fagg/Small Family History - ... or "An insight into personal family history research"

These linked pages will endeavour to provide information as to the (perceived) origins of some of the surnames. I will be reliant on the accuracy of the sources reviewed, which will be quoted appropriately.

BALDOCK, FAGG

Baldock/Fagg/Small Family History - ... or "An insight into personal family history research"

The following lists links to resources I use regularly or have found useful. Other suggestions welcome toward my research, and I will add the link and thanks appropriately.

• Cyndi’s List:
  http://www.cyndislist.com
  One of, if not the best site for links to genealogical sites on the internet.
• Ancestry:
  http://www.ancestry.co.uk
  Claiming to be the UK’s leading family history website, it is part of a global network of genealogy websites. It provides access to millions of digitised records of names, censuses, births, marriages, deaths and other related lists.
• Find My Past:
  http://www.findmypast.com
  A London-based, and UK-focused, family history and genealogy website. Formally 1837online.com, it was the first to bring online the births, marriages and deaths records of England and Wales. It will also be the first website to offer the forthcoming 1911 census available online to subscribers (see http://www.1911census.co.uk).
• Genes Reunited:
  http://www.genesreunited.co.uk
  Also claiming to be the UK’s no.1 family tree and genealogy website. A sister site of Friends Reunited.
• Kent Family History Society:
  http://www.kfhs.org.uk
  Self-explanatory, really. A family history group based in Kent, where my family and I (have) originated, providing newsletters and resources for people researching Kentish family history.
• The National Archives:
  http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
  The official archive for England, Wales and the central UK Government, maintaining over 900 years of history dating back to the Domesday Book. Provides access to many records online. Based in Surrey, England, personal visits may be made to access record indexes and view historical documents.
• FreeBMD:
  http://www.freebmd.org.uk
  A project providing free access to transcribed records of births, marriages and deaths. Relies on volunteers for transcription, and is an ongoing project. As such, it is not complete.
• FreeCEN:
  http://www.freecen.org.uk
  Similar to FreeBMD, but for Census records.
• FreeREG:
  http://www.freereg.org.uk
  Similar to FreeBMD, but for Parish records.
• Lost Cousins
  http://lostcousins.com
  Record your ancestors present in the 1841 and 1881 censuses, and wait for matches with other users – in a similar way to Genes Reunited
• GENUKI:
  http://www.genuki.org.uk
  Genealogy information pages for England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
• Great Britain Family Names Profiling (formerly National Trust Names):
  http://gbnames.publicprofiler.org/
  Shows distribution of a surname in Great Britain, currently only for years 1881 or 1998. Also, World Surname Profiler (http://worldnames.publicprofiler.org).
• Genealogy webpages
  http://www.dcsv.co.uk/genealogy.htm
  “The UK’s simplest website index” <quote> on Genealogy !
• Genwriters
  http://www.genwriters.com/
  A website of resources to help research and write your family history.
• Behind The Name
  http://www.behindthename.com/
  History of first names, including regional variations.
• FamilySearch
  http://www.familysearch.org
  Free genealogy resources from around the world. Another official website of the LDS.
• GenGateway
  http://www.gengateway.com/
  A wealth of genealogy resources, many free.
• Access Genealogy
  http://www.accessgenealogy.com/
  A free genealogy resource, mainly USA.
• Roots Television
  http://www.rootstelevision.com/
  Free genealogy & family history videos.
• Wanstalls Kent & Beyond
  http://wanstallkentandbeyond.com/
  A family site focussed around the surname WANSTALL.
• Old House Books
  http://www.oldhousebooks.co.uk/
  Buy books and maps from a bygone age.

Others will follow!

Baldock/Fagg/Small Family History - ... or "An insight into personal family history research"

I first started researching my family around 20 years ago. I was fortunate enough that a cousin of my dad had a Family Bible in her possession which, for personal reasons, she was unable to hand down. So, my dad being the nearest eldest Baldock male relative she knew, he received it. The inner pages had names and dates of a few ancestors, going back to 1831.

I was at university in London at the time, so it was convenient for me to visit St. Catherine’s House (the old record office) at weekends to do some research. Thus, I learnt to trace family the hard way – manually thumbing through index after index, second-guessing facts, dates and ages. All this at a time when the internet was in its infancy, and certainly availability of digitised records was unknown/unheard of.

Having completed my degree in 1990, I no longer had the resources to continue the research, so all went quiet …. until the BBC went all retrospective!

Technology developments over the years have seen the creation of The National Archives, its digitisation project(s), and a massive increase in TV and satellite programmes about history (and family history in particular). A lot of impetus may lie in the anniversaries of the World Wars, since people have become interested in how their ancestors were affected.

Personally, my interest in my own family history was revitalised by the two BBC series, “Who Do You Think You Are?” and “My Family At War“, which revolved around celebrities and their family history, the latter dealing specifically with World War One (WWI).

So there you are …. a brief background as to why I’m doing this.

I won’t use their surnames, but thanks must go to Joan for the Bible, and Susan and Penny for other family information and research. I have had the aid of  a multitude of online sources, which are too numerous to mention here, but will be indicated en route.  Thanks, too, of course, to my parents who provide me with the links to all the history!

Disclaimer: All attempts will be made not post material which may be personal family information which could affect any living family members. Full names will not be used for living family members, but may be used for the Third Generation ancestors and beyond, unless requests are made by family members to myself for their removal. Any such request will be actioned as soon as possible. WordPress.com, or any of its associated organisations, should not be held responsible for the contents of this blog. Any opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author, myself. As the author, I reserve the right to edit content/posts/comments, or delete them if their content is deemed inappropriate or unsavoury.

Baldock/Fagg/Small Family History - ... or "An insight into personal family history research"