Summa Genealogica

As a history enthusiast, one of the things that I love the most about genealogy is the area where genealogy and history intersect, particularly in the medieval period. As you may know, for this reason I am a member of the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. I have written an article on the fascinating subject of Royal ancestry and Universal Common Ancestry, which I have posted here , where it will stay as a main page on my blog. I hope you find it informative and interesting; I plan to expand further on the subject in future posts, and eventually culminate with my undergraduate dissertation. Enjoy! Luke ~ Please remember that blogs are  protected by copyright, and you may not  simply copy and paste anything on this blog, not least my articles, and act as if it is your own work. If you wish to use my writing or work, I would be delighted, but it is a requirement  that you fully cite where you got it from my blog, provide a link to it, and credit me.

It's always good to see Ancestry adding more Northern Irish and Irish collections; this time it is a collection that contains records of the Freemen of the City of Londonderry between 1675 and 1945. From Ancestry:  The collection is comprised of the Register of Freemen (1700-1945), Extract Books (1675-1840), and Freemen Index (1793-1862). In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Freemen was the only organisation allowed to conduct business and own property within Londonderry. ... Detailed records from sixteenth and seventeenth century Ireland are scarce, so this collection can be invaluable in documenting your Irish ancestors. If you are unsure where to begin your search, start by locating your ancestor’s name in the Register of Freemen (1700-1945), an index organised alphabetically by the first letter of the surname. The Register will provide a year and entry number beside your ancestor’s name. Use the year to find the appropriate Freemen Index book, then the entry number

Avoiding Genealogical Pitfalls In the previous post, we explored how the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) provides a structured, evidence-based approach to ensuring our genealogical research is accurate, and how it is the gold standard for allowing us to reach accurate and sound conclusions in our research. Here, we are going to have a look at one pitfall that is easy to avoid and will contribute further to our genealogical search, that being an over-reliance, or complete reliance on Ancestry's Hints and Suggested Ancestors. Collaborative genealogy is certainly a wonderful thing, but it comes with risks. User-created trees are often put together by people who are just as eager to build their family history as you are—but that doesn’t mean they’ve done their homework, or are interested in taking the time to do the proper research necessary. Mistakes in others’ research can quickly become your own, and without proper verification, you could be building your tree on a shaky foundatio

I began writing this article in an attempt to summarise a few ways in which you can ensure that the conclusions of your family history research are accurate and be content in the knowledge that you are building a family tree that is, as far as is possible to know, correct. However, when I put pen to paper and began drafting my ideas, I realised that one post will just not do this subject justice, there are many sub-topics and off-shoots that could be discussed. What about the FamilySearch "World Tree"?, how can Family Search be used to your best benefit?, what about royal ancestry?, how far can a family tree accurately be traced?, were just a few of the questions I am often asked and wanted to include in this article, but it would become a gargantuan and unweildly treatise, in which most of the information would probably be lost due to reading fatigue. Although I have tried to keep this article a more consise introduction to and explanation of the Genealogical Proof Standard,

When researching our ancestors, one fascinating tool that offers both insight and interest is the ability to visualize the geographic distribution and density of their surnames. While surname distribution maps may not always provide direct genealogical information, they often offer clues about the geographical origins of ancestors and, occasionally, insights into the etymology and meaning of surnames. These maps can suggest regions where further research might uncover documents related to your family’s history. A particularly helpful resource for this is Barry Griffin’s surname mapping website ( barrygriffin.com ). Using data from the 1901 and 1911 Irish Censuses, Griffin has compiled distribution maps for thousands of Irish surnames. Not only can you search for a specific surname (including using wildcard searches like "M*cDonald" to return variations such as "McDonald" or "MacDonald"), but the site also allows you to browse the Top 100 Surnames by coun

In the  previous post  we proved that Thomas Graves was the son of Storer and Mary Graves. In this post, we will take a look at Storer Graves' life, and in turn, prove his parentage. Marriages We first meet Storer in the baptismal records of his children through Mary, in Thurcaston, Leicestershire. The children are listed in the last post, and were all baptised between 1806 and 1820, in Thurcaston, Leicestershire. Therefore, we can expect to find a parish marriage record for Storer before 1806, which will tell us his wife's maiden name. We duly find the marriage of Storer Graves to Mary Hall on the 27th November 1803 in Thurcaston. [1]  This marriage record tells us that at his marriage in 1803, Storer was a widower, so he had been married before. And Storer also signed his name, demonstrating that he was literate. Searching for any marriages of a Storer Graves prior to 1803, we find a Storer Graves being married to Jane Clarke, both of the "South End of Mountsorrel"