Michael Pearson - Tracing Your Black Country Ancestors: A Guide For Family Historians

TRACING YOUR BLACK COUNTRY ANCESTORS

FAMILY HISTORY FROM PEN & SWORD

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Your Rural Ancestors
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Tracing Your Pauper Ancestors
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Tracing Your Huguenot Ancestors
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Tracing Your East End Ancestors
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Tracing Your Labour Movement Ancestors
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Tracing Your Ancestors
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Tracing Your Army Ancestors
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A Guide to Military History on the Internet
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Tracing Your Northern Ancestors
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Your Irish Ancestors
Ian Maxwell

Tracing Your Northern Irish Ancestors
Ian Maxwell

Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors
Ian Maxwell

Tracing Your London Ancestors
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Tracing Family History on the Internet
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Tracing Your Prisoner of War Ancestors:
The First World War
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Tracing Your Tank Ancestors
Janice Tait and David Fletcher

Great War Lives
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Tracing Your Air Force Ancestors
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Tracing Your Second World War Ancestors
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Tracing Your Secret Service Ancestors
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Tracing Your Criminal Ancestors
Stephen Wade

Tracing Your Legal Ancestors
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Tracing Your Police Ancestors
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Tracing Your Jewish Ancestors
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Fishing and Fishermen
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Tracing Your Canal Ancestors
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A Guide for Family Historians

Michael Pearson

First published in Great Britain in 2012 by

PEN & SWORD FAMILY HISTORY

An imprint of

Pen & Sword Books Ltd

47 Church Street

Barnsley

South Yorkshire

S70 2AS

Copyright Michael Pearson, 2012

ISBN 978-1-84415-913-0
eISBN 978-1-52671-294-3
Mobi ISBN 978-1-52671-293-6

The right of Michael Pearson to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the Publisher in writing .

Pen & Sword Books Ltd incorporates the imprints of

Pen & Sword Aviation, Pen & Sword Family History, Pen & Sword Maritime, Pen & Sword Military, Pen & Sword Discovery, Wharncliffe Local History, Wharncliffe True Crime, Wharncliffe Transport, Pen & Sword Select, Pen & Sword Military Classics, Leo Cooper, The Praetorian Press, Remember When, Seaforth Publishing and Frontline Publishing.

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PREFACE

T he challenge of writing a local history book with family history advice was one I approached with some trepidation. I am not an expert in either subject, but have knowledge of both. My task was made more difficult because of the wealth of information available to me, and what to leave out often became a more difficult decision than what to include. I hope this book gives a taste of the breadth and depth of the Black Country, and how to research ancestors who lived there.

When I became interested in genealogy the Internet was still in its infancy; it was almost anarchic, not dominated by corporates vying to sell goods and services. This meant that any information discovered on the Internet had to be treated with caution. Over time corporate sites have emerged and many amateur sites have matured; in many cases you can view original documents on screen, in exactly the same manner you would look at a document in a library or archive. A number of commercial sites are mentioned in the book because no single site can service all requirements. A word of warning, however, you could spend a lot of money subscribing to sites, so before you commit yourself it may be prudent to see if there are free sites that hold the information you need. It may also be worthwhile weighing up whether to visit the local archive, many of which have free access to online resources that you would have to pay for at home.

During the writing of this book my collection of local history material has swollen markedly. I have delved around looking for books, pamphlets and maps to recommend. I have also suggested using some modern guides and books on specific subjects, which will be useful if an ancestor is thought to have engaged in a particular profession or perhaps been an inmate in a workhouse. Amazon and eBay have been essential in enhancing my collection of reference material, enabling me to purchase out of print books very cheaply, often as good as new. It is also worth considering subscribing to one of the family history magazines that are available in newsagents. Genealogy is constantly changing, with new collections being made available and new technology being developed. Software to record family trees is evolving and widening its base to include iPads, iPhones and other similar devices, allowing you to take your family tree with you on research trips.

There is also a wealth of Black Country books and other material such as CD-ROMs available, and more are being released all the time; you will be spoilt for choice. Many of the antiquarian books I have quoted may only be found in libraries and archives, but they are well worth seeking out for their contemporary points of view.

If you are new to the Black Country or genealogy, welcome, you have arrived at an exciting time and I hope you enjoy your hobby and all the information it brings. You may be tempted simply to compile a family tree, with the specific intention of going back as far as you can. I hope this book encourages you to stray off the track leading to William the Conqueror and try some of the other highways and byways that will provide you with more challenges and a much richer picture of your ancestors. You may have stories of skeletons in the closet, a scandalous anecdote or a tale of great wealth, but try and keep your feet on the ground and work methodically. If you find a jewel in the crown then that is absolutely fantastic and I encourage you to write about it and develop the story as far as you can; if you dont have such a jewel, this doesnt make your research any less interesting or exciting.

Enjoy your hobby and enjoy this book. I hope you will get hours of entertainment and fulfilment from it and the research you will be able to carry out after reading it.

Michael Pearson
May 2012

T here are a number of people who have helped me with the writing of this book, but first I must mention my wife Linda. As with all my projects, she has endured hours of me typing or reading, totally absorbed in what I am doing; I cannot multitask and am almost deaf and blind to the outside world when concentrating. We have had some interesting trips around the Black Country as a bonus of my work, and we have visited as many of the museums and facilities as possible to provide you with as much information as possible. I would like to thank Stan Hill, former editor of the Blackcountryman magazine who has an absolute wealth of knowledge and material on the Black Country. I am also grateful to the Black Country Living Museum for allowing me unfettered access to photograph buildings, vehicles and exhibits in the search for material for inclusion.