FAMILY ANCESTRY RESEARCH
TRAVEL IN BRITAIN
My Great-Great-Grand Uncle - the Earl of Something
Jamestown
in Virginia, the first British settlement was established in North America in 1607. A decade later, the
Pilgrims settled in Massachusettes. Many American families can
trace at least part of their ancestry to the “jewel set
in the silver sea” of Great Britain and at some point come
to the question "how can I find my family heritage?" My
own family ancestors, originally from a tiny village in
the German
Rhineland,
sailed from Plymouth, England in the mid-1700’s and settled
in Pennsylvania taking well over a month to sail on a dank creaking
ship to put down roots in a new unknown land. One of my most
satisfying travel trips was a journey to find the town where
my family's ancestors had
come from 300 years ago, visiting the tiny Gothic church still
existing that was the center of their world. I have
other
relatives who came from
the hearland of England
and Wales 100 years later, now, on my “to do” list.
Millions of others may be thinking of taking the same travel
of discovery.
Perhaps there is a baronial manor house to pass along to the children. For those from Wales www.homecomingwales.com has a useful section on the origin of Welsh surnames. The Scottish site, www.ancestralscotland.com includes a listing of events which may have a specific clan link, such as Highland Games, while www.discoverireland.com taps into the Irish Genealogical Project with its 15 million records dating from the 17th century. Those who think they may be related to one of the original Jamestown settlers can log on to special websites at www.visitbritain.com/ancestry
Until the
1860's it took 35 days to sail from one of the emigration ports of
Plymouth, Southampton
or
Liverpool
to
the United States or Canada. For those heading to Australia or
New Zealand, 10
to 17 weeks was nearer
the mark. Now a flight to Heathrow takes 9 to 17 hours. Thanks to the
ease and available tools the Internet has given to amateur researchers,
more and more people are on a search for their family’s roots.
More than nine million emigrants sailed from Liverpool in a 100 year
period from 1830 to1930 (see Albert
Docks Immigration). Maybe one of them was your great-great-grandfather.
The services of the British National Archives, which holds the records
of the UK government from the 11th century to the present can be a
useful resource
in your own family journey www.nationalarchives.gov.uk.
For those researching their Scottish roots, a new Scottish family history
centre in Edinburgh
enables visitors to search
records going back 500 years. The Scottish Family Center features
exhibitions, search rooms and retail spaces www.scotlandspeoplehub.gov.uk. © Bargain
Travel Europe
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SEE ALSO:
ULSTER
AMERICAN FOLK PARK - SCOTS-IRISH
WRHINELAND PALATINE WANDERING IMMIGRANTS
HAMBURG
BALLINSTADT EMIGRATION MUSEUM
LONDON
THRILLER – HITCHCOCK HOUSE
MARY SHELLEY FRANKENSTEIN AUTHOR JOURNALS
LONDON
PUB TOUR
BRITISH LIBRARY RARE BOOK TREASURES
