Family Connections

Please visit my revised website at www.petergout.com. I think it looks good; what do you think?

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Currently trying to find the family of someone who was adopted in the 1920s. Not sure whether I am succeeding!

My next appearance on Radio Northampton will be on Thursday July 26th 2018 on the Helen Blaby programme.

Looking forward to my next appearance on the Helen Blaby programme on Radio Northampton. It occurs on Thursday (10th) at 12:35. Available on BBC i-player.

I am on Radio Northampton today at 12:35 on the Helen Blaby programme continuing my research into her family.

I've just spent an enjoyable day at the Records Office in Northampton transcribing police records from the 1860s for Thrapston Heritage. There seemed to be quite a bit of sheep steeling in that era and from the point of a genealogist the police records are a rich source of names. Obviously some would have been on the wrong side of the law and others are those who were wronged. Perhaps it is a way of tracing the black sheep of the family!

In some research I am carrying out now, I have the marriage of a lady who is said to be a widow on the marriage certificate but I cannot find the death of her first husband. Is there some foul play here?

It's a busy time giving talks. Today is the second talk in two days. Yesterday I visited Pattishall Good Neighbours Club and today I shall be at St. Crispin's Retirement Village in Northampton.

Welcome to the latest edition of the Family Connections’ newsletter.

Family Tree research

There has been a steady stream of new business over the last two months with ongoing business as well.

Advertising.

Advertising continues on the AGRA website and the Who Do You Think You Are website as well as the local free magazine entitled Jigsaw which is distributed in the East Northamptonshire area.

“Tracing your Family Tree” and “Journey along the River Nene in Words and Pictures” presentations

Women’s Institutes

I had one booking in April. The next booking is on June 8th at Greens Norton near Towcester when I will give my River Nene – a journey in words and pictures presentation

The number of bookings for 2017 is currently 4.

Other groups

I had no bookings in March and April and no bookings in May and June.

I number of bookings for 2017 is currently 3.

AGRA membership

No further progress has been made with my application to join AGRA. On April 29th I attended the sixth-monthly study day in London. Amongst subjects covered was Manorial Records and Copyright.

Radio Northampton

On March 31st, I appeared on the Helen Blaby programme on Radio Northampton as an expert genealogist. It seemed to go well with an invitation to return in the summer.

MA in Regional and Local History.

I am continuing to study for my MA with the Open University. The next assignment is due in August. The current topic being covered is Crime and Punishment and I am looking at the records held by the Northamptonshire Archives for crimes committed in the Thrapston area in the nineteenth century.

Strapetona

Efforts are being made to produce an edition of the magazine in the autumn of 2017.

Thrapston Library

I continue to volunteer at Thrapston Library for two hours on a Friday as the IT Buddy which involves helping people with understanding how to use their computer/tablet. I also help people with their application for a Blue Badge for handicapped parking.

Researching family trees

Once more, I mustn’t forget to mention that my business is researching family trees. The research can be compiled in a hardback of soft-cover book with supplied photographs being included. The books are priced at cost. Wall charts are available from a UK supplier at cost. My rates are competitive. Contact details above.
© Peter Gout 2017

Enjoyable appearance on Radio Northampton. My page has had 8 views this evening. What this will mean in the future I can but guess.

Welcome to the first edition of the Family Connections’ newsletter for 2017.

Family Tree research

Business has included researching a family whose ancestors came from Russia and Poland in the late nineteenth century and looking into the life of an abandoned wife whose husband deserted her within a couple of years of their marriage and lived with another woman as “man and wife” for the rest of his days.

Advertising.

I continue to advertise on the both the Who Do You Think You Are website and in the local free magazine entitled Jigsaw which is distributed in the East Northamptonshire area. I have renewed my advertisement in the NHS booklet Smile! For another year.

“Tracing your Family Tree” and “Journey along the River Nene in Words and Pictures” presentations

Women’s Institutes

I had no bookings for January, February or March and one booking in April.

The number of bookings for 2017 is currently 4.

Other groups

I had no bookings for January and February and have no bookings in March and April

I number of bookings for 2017 is currently 3.

AGRA membership

No further progress has been made with my application to join AGRA.

MA in Regional and Local History.

I am continuing to study for my MA with the Open University and the second assignment is due in on March 2nd.

Society of Genealogists

I attended a presentation by Ian Waller of AGRA at the Society of Genealogists on Saturday January 14th entitled My ancestor was an Agricultural Labourer. A good proportion of the population of the British Isles can “claim” that an ancestor worked on the land.

Strapetona

There still continues to be no progress in the production of the next edition of Strapetona.

Thrapston Library

I have for some time been a volunteer at Thrapston Library. For two hours on a Friday, I am the IT Buddy which involves helping people with understanding how to use their computer/tablet. I also help people with their application for a Blue Badge. On Saturday March 4th I shall help, as a Friend of the Library, with the second-hand book sale that will help to raise funds for the library.

Researching family trees

Once more, I mustn’t forget to mention that my business is researching family trees. The research can be compiled in a hardback of soft-cover book with supplied photographs being included. The books are priced at cost. Wall charts are available from a UK supplier at cost. My rates are competitive. Contact details above.
© Peter Gout 2017

I have in my last two blog posts been talking about the need to prove what has been found and that researchers should not rely on Census data as proof of someone's place of birth. The person who I have been searching for had stated his place of birth consistently in the 1851, 1861 and 1871 censuses (he died in 1876) but his baptism cannot be found in the place he claims to have been born. He is not the in Anglican parish registers and he is not in the non-conformist registers either. So at the moment all that can be said is that he may have come from that place.

One of the great delights in researching a family tree may not be finding a relative who was born in 1583. although that is a great achievement, but putting together a tree of people who are still alive or recently deceased. I have just finished researching a tree of a family of four brothers whose families fractured for various reasons. The customer had an idea of the names within the family but as I carried out the researh it became clear that the customer had sons children with wrong parents. I usually reject requests for looking for living relatives (thankfully I have not received many) because people may not want to be found. I don't have the resources to carry out "heir hunting" - anyone who has watched Heir Hunters on television will see the resources needed to put a family tree together of living relatives - and the rewards are comparatively small. Someone once said that heir hunters need to be counsellors as well because they may be the first person to tell a potential heir that auntie Mabel has just died and the potential heir may have been trying to find where auntie Mabel had moved to and now feels guilty for not making greater efforts to find her.

It has been a couple of weeks of mixed emotions with research. Having one satisfied customer and one who is, no doubt, frustrated by the lack of progress.