Wills of Essex County England

England – The website Essex Ancestors run by the Essex Records Office (ERO) has uploaded an additional 22,500 historic wills. This brings the total number of wills on the website to some 70,000. The wills span the years from the 1400s to 1858. All the wills in the ERO’s possession up to 1720 have now been put online. Work is continuing on digitizing the remaining 28,000 wills dating from 1720 to 1858. Access to the collection is by subscription. [Essex Ancestors] - See more at: http://www.genealogyintime.com/records/newest-genealogy-records.html#sthash.inr54ZiL.dpuf

New at Durham Records Online, England

New at Durham Records Online

http://www.durhamrecordsonline.com/index.php?q=1&cookiecheck=1

 

NEW
Seaham Harbour Methodist marriages updated
Seaham Harbour St. John marriages updated 1847-1881
Easington burials 1570-1653
Stranton All Saints baptisms 1957-1977
Bishopwearmouth Cemetery burials 1900-1909
Seaham Harbour Methodist baptisms updated
Dinsdale baptisms 1556-1769, burials 1562-1768, marriages 1564-1812
Gateshead Primitive Methodist Circuit baptisms 1855-1867
Morpeth baptisms & burials 1813-1840, marriages 1813-1836
Jarrow: Sheldon Street Congregational baptisms 1920-1971

What's New at Durham Records Online:

What's New at Durham Records Online:

Gateshead Primitive Methodist Circuit baptisms 1855-1867

778 baptisms on the Gateshead Primitive Methodist Circuit from Nov 1855 to the end of June 1867.
Abodes are on both sides of the Tyne and, in addition to many streets in Gateshead, include Ballast Hills, Bensham, Bewick Main, Bill Quay, Blaydon, Carr's Hill, Derwent Haugh, Dunston, Felling, Heaton, Heworth, High Felling, Kibblesworth, Low Fell, Mount Pleasant, New Gateshead, Newcastle, Quarryfield, Rabbit Banks, Salt Meadows, Sheriff Hill, South Shore, Stourbridge, Swalwell, Teams,  Westmoor (Long Benton), Whickham, Windmill Hills, and Windy Nook.
Samples:

• 3 Apr 1856 Lydia Jane Thompson Marshall, of Newcastle, child of Mark Marshall (bricklayer) & Mary Ann Marshall
• 1 Oct 1862 George Gillander, of New Gateshead, child of John (chain maker) & Barbara Gillander
• 14 Nov 1867 John Whitecock Drysdale, of Garden Street, Gateshead, child of John (baker) & Catherine Drysdale

Morpeth baptisms & burials 1813-1840, marriages 1813-1836

At Morpeth St. Mary the Virgin in Morpeth district, Northumberland, from the Bishop's Transcript:

• 2,940 baptisms covering 1813-1840
• 2,503 burials covering 1813-1840
• 556 marriages covering 1813-1836

Abodes mentioned include Abbey Mill, Alnwick, Baremoor, Bedlington, Benridge, Bothal, Broad Law, Bullers Green, Catchburn, Clifton, Coal Burn, Cock Hill, Cottingwood or Cotton Wood, Dovecote Mill, Dunses House, East Mill, Heighley, Heley Wood, Hepscott & Hepscott Moor, High Church, High House, High Stanners, Lonsdean, Mitford, Morpeth, Morpeth Castle, Netherton, Newcastle upon Tyne, Newminster Abbey, North Shields, Park House, Pegswood Moor, Pottery Bank, Shadfin, Shaws, Sheepwash or Shipwash, Shilvington, Spring Hill, Stobhill, Tranwell, Ulgham, Watch Hill, Waterside House, and Wideopen.
The first few baptisms show the mother's maiden surname, but unfortunately that custom ceased quickly:

• 9 Jan 1813 James Willis, of Morpeth, son of Thomas Willis (stationer & printer) & Dorothy Nicholson
• 8 Aug 1829 Maria Spraggon, of Thorney Ford, daughter of Ralph (farmer) & Esther Spraggon
• 1 Mar 1832 Ann Cutter, of Morpeth, daughter of Dorothy Cutter (spinster)
• 8 Nov 1840 Catharine Donkin, of Morpeth, daughter of Samuel (innkeeper) & Ann Donkin

Sample burials – this parish had some very long-lived folk, and some soldiers passing through:

• 14 Jan 1815 George Jewitt, of Park House, age: 99
• 12 Apr 1823 Jane Taylor, of Morpeth, age: 105
• 14 Nov 1833 Ann Scott, of Morpeth, age: 106
• 9 Apr 1839 Joseph Phillips, of [the] 7th Dragoons, age: 47

Sample marriages:

• 17 Sep 1814 George Atkinson (bachelor), of the parish of Heworth, Durham married Mary Elizabeth Ismay (spinster), of this parish, by licence
  Witnesses: Dorothy Ismay, John Atkinson, Jr
• 5 Jan 1835 Robert Swan Fothergill, of this parish married Elizabeth Atkinson, of the parish of Monkwearmouth, by licence
  Witnesses: John Bates, William Bates

Dinsdale baptisms 1556-1769, burials 1562-1768, marriages 1564-1812

We have added the earliest available records from Dinsdale St. John the Baptist in Darlington district:

• 254 baptisms covering 1556-1769
• 211 burials covering 1562-1768
• 136 marriages covering 1564-1812

The earliest dozen or so baptisms don't show the parents. Godparents are included until March 1663. Very few mothers are named. The occupations of fathers start appearing in 1749 and are nearly all "farmer” or "labourer”. There are no baptisms in the register between March 1570 and Sep 1627.
Sample baptisms:

• 25 Jun 1556 Christopher Place
  Godparents or Sponsors: Christopher Place; [blank] Rychardson; Margery Allynson
• 10 Jan 1660 George Peacock, sonne of Thomas Peacock
  Godparents or Sponsors: George Peacock junior; Thomas Wilkinson; Margarett Kitchin
• 21 Oct 1707 William Wren, son of Ralph & Alice Wren
• 30 May 1756 Catherine Rowntree, daughter of John Rowntree (farmer)

There are no burials in the register for 1641-1657, 1688-1695, and there are many smaller (typically 2 to 4 year) gaps. Sample burials:

• 9 Aug 1579 Mrs. Marie Place, wyf of Mr Robart Place
• 6 Apr 1663 Robert Cockfield, sonn of Xpofer [Christopher] Cockfield
• 10 Mar 1768 George Curry, brother of William Curry, farmer

There are no marriages in the register for Feb 1637 to Jan 1663, June 1686 to May 1697, and June 1713 to Feb 1723, and there are many smaller (typically 2 to 5 year) gaps. Sample marriages – the middle one is unusual because it names a parent:

• 3 Jul 1564 Mr. Antonye Place, of this p[ar]ishing married Mrs. Elsabethe Lampton, of the p[ar]ishing of Stanton in ye Street
• 18 Jun 1706 Matthew Tayler, of Bedale married Margaret Thompson, daughter of Mary Thompson (of Middleton One Row)
• 20 Oct 1807 William Tasker, of the Parish of Hurworth married Elizabeth Walker, of this parish, by banns
  Witnesses: John Theakston, Mary Theakston, William Horseman

Jarrow: Sheldon Street Congregational baptisms 1920-1971

103 baptisms at the Congregational church on Sheldon Street in Jarrow, South Shields district, from 1928 to 1971, plus one in 1920. Unlike Anglican baptism registers, none of these baptisms include the father's occupation.
Sample:

• 7 Dec 1920 William Eric Dodds, of 29 Coquet Street, born 16 Nov 1920, son of William & Lilian Dodds

This church had been on Sheldon Street since about 1868, but these are the only surviving baptism records. We're not sure if they didn't perform baptisms there earlier than 1920, or if the registers simply did not survive. In 1972, the Congregational and Presbyterian Churches joined to form the United Reformed Church.

Seaham Harbour Methodist baptisms updated

Updated 2,366 baptisms at the following Methodist churches in and around Seaham Harbour, adding father's occupations where available and abodes and birth dates or ages where they had been omitted earlier, plus 9 new baptisms we missed the first time around:

• Seaham Harbour Wesleyan Methodist Chapel (Tempest Place) 1876-1964
• Primitive Methodist Church (Tempest Place) 1912-1933
• Bourne Methodist Church (Tempest Place) 1950-1960
• Parkside Methodist Church, Seaham, 1962-1968
• Centenary Methodist Church, Stewart Street, 1950-1969
• United Methodist Free Church (Church Street) 1864-1904
• United Methodist Church (Church Street) 1950-1968
• Free Methodist Chapel (Church Street) 1898-1911
• Caroline Street Independent Methodist Church 1914-1967
• Seaham Colliery Wesleyan Methodist (Cornish Street) 1870-1946
• New Seaham, Enfield Road Independent Methodist Church 1926-1999, plus we added 82 baptisms to bring this collection up to 2014
• New Seaham, Stanley Street Independent Methodist Church 1968-1999, plus we added 86 baptisms to bring this collection up to 2014
• Seaham Harbour & Cold Hesledon United Methodist Churches 1924-1942

The information added varies by church. For example, Seaham Harbour Wesleyan Methodist recorded abodes and the age of many children, but not father's occupations:

• 16 Oct 1878 Thomas Balls, of Adolphus St., Seaham Harbour, son of John & Sarah Balls, aged 5 weeks

The Independent Methodist Church on Caroline Street in Seaham Harbour recorded the father's occupations as well as the abode and birth date, and, most importantly, the mother's maiden surname (which we already had in our earlier version):

• 12 Dec 1915 Sidney Gilmore, of 29 Nelson Street, New Seaham, born 19 Nov 1915, son of George Frederick Gilmore (grocers assistant) & Margaret nee Hughes, baptized by W. Foreman

If a major change, such as a name, was made to a record you purchased, an email has already been sent to you with the correction. If you have purchased a baptism at this church in this period, you should review it to get the new information and see if any minor changes were made. Log in, click My Account, then click the My Orders tab to see your purchases.
This is part of our mission to update our Easington-district baptisms that are missing occupations, abodes, and/or birth dates.

South Hetton Holy Trinity marriages 1863-1930: details added

Added the missing ages, occupations, addresses, and witnesses to all 749 marriages at South Hetton Holy Trinity in Easington district, and added 6 marriages to finish out 1930. We now have fully-detailed civil-registration-era marriages from the opening of the church in Feb 1863 to the end of 1930.
Sample before the update:

• 8 Sep 1870 George William Neagle, full age, of Sunderland, son of Nicholas Neagle, married Ann Postle, full age, daughter of William Postle

looks like this after the update:

• 8 Sep 1870 George William Neagle (bachelor, custom house officer), full age, of Sunderland, son of Nicholas Neagle (cabinet maker), married Ann Postle (spinster), full age, of South Hetton, daughter of William Postle (watchmaker)
  Witnesses: Robert Straugheir, Margaret Hannah Wright

We are working our way through our Easington district marriage collection, one parish at a time, adding the information that was omitted when these were first transcribed many years ago. Next up will be marriages at several Methodist churches in the South Hetton area, followed by Methodist churches of Seaham Harbour.
If you have purchased a marriage at South Hetton Holy Trinity, you should review it to see if any information was added or changed. Log in, click My Account, then click the My Orders tab to see your purchases. If a significant change was made, such as a name or date, you have already been emailed.

South Hetton Methodist baptisms & marriages added & updated

Updated records at the following Methodist churches in South Hetton:

• Richmond Street Methodist Church
• added abodes and birth dates to all baptisms (1939-1969)
• added ages, occupations, addresses, and witnesses to all existing marriages
• added 40 marriages in 1924-1933 and 1948-1962, book-ending our previous marriage collection here, so we now have all of the marriages at this church (1924-1969) that are available at the Record Office.
• Front Street Methodist Church
• baptisms and marriages 1960-1969 were changed from Front Street to Richmond Street. The congregation moved from Front Street to Richmond Street in 1945 and back again to Front Street in 1969. Front Street was a Wesleyan Methodist chapel 1932-1944 and seems to have been a Primitive Methodist chapel the rest of the time.
• added abodes and birth dates to all baptisms (1969-1985)
• added 10 marriages 1932-1944 and 1977-81 to complete our collection of all available marriages at this chapel

Sample marriage at Richmond Street:

• 3 Apr 1926 Anthony Burdess Dargue (bachelor, air engine brakesman), age 31, of 34 Pilgrim Street, Murton Colliery, son of Thomas Dargue (insurance agent, deceased), married Mary Moody Cook (spinster), age 24, of 4 Park Place East, Sunderland, daughter of Thomas Cook (miner)
  Witnesses: Thomas Cook, Priscilla Cook

Coming Soon:

• Bishopwearmouth Cemetery burials 1900-1909
• South Shields St. Paul Presbyterian baptisms 1809-1968
• Jarrow, Ellison Street Presbyterian baptisms 1857-1968
• Stranton All Saints baptisms 1957-1977
• Durham St. Cuthbert Roman Catholic baptisms 1841-1885
• updates to Seaham-area marriages
• In the queue: Longhorsley, South Shields St Hilda baptisms 1836+, Newcastle All Saints baptisms 1835-36, Rothbury, Hexham Whitley Chapel baptisms & burials 1843-1888, Whittonstall, Birtley St Joseph Catholic marriages 1846-1899, Sunderland Methodist baptisms, Hartlepool St. Hilda baptisms

Essex Wills

To continue to mark the upload of digital images of a further 22,500 wills to our Essex Ancestors online subscription service (more on this here), here is a brilliant example of the kind of detail wills can give us about life in the past…

You can access Essex Ancestors from home as a subscriber, before you subscribe please check that the documents you need exist and have been digitised at http://seax.essexcc.gov.uk/
You can view a handy video guide to using Essex Ancestors here.

Deceased Online

1st phase of Nottingham City records now available on Deceased Online
Over 400,000 unique burial and cremation records for Nottingham City Council are now available on www.deceasedonline.com. This is the first phase of this new collection with a second phase due on the website within the next few months. See full details here. The new collection comprises: digital scans of original burial and cremation registers details of all grave occupants in each cemetery maps indicating the section in each cemetery for all graves maps indicating ashes scattering locations in the crematorium Nottingham is one of England's largest cities, strongly linked with textiles during the industrial revolution of the 18th and 19th century. Later commerce and industry featured such famous names as Boots the Chemist and The Raleigh Bicycle Company.
Pictured left: many of the Nottingham registers in the first phase, such as this from 1903 for Bulwell are of excellent quality with a wide range of fields providing useful information. Our resident genealogist, historian and blogger Emma Jolly has posted her first blog on Nottingham which you can read now. Other councils in the East Midlands or nearby with records on Deceased Online include Newark, Gainsborough, Kettering, Corby and Rushden, as well as Nottingham National Archives' records for Broad Marsh and Holy Trinity burial grounds. Coming soon.....records for a county in South Wales and another Midlands City

FamilySearch adds Essex Parish Records

Thanks to John D Reid.. Anglo-Celtic Connections for posting this

There are now 1,022,771 records, updated from the 537,556 records available since December, in the FamilySearch collection of transcribed parish registers for various Essex parishes, 1538-1900. Further information, and a list of parishes with dates included is at http://goo.gl/GZOXF8
Also 724,809 transcribed Bristol parish register entries for the same period are now available, updated from January. A detailed list of parishes covered, but not dates, is at http://goo.gl/R0OwFk

Essex, England Update

Essex Ancestors update

 

Essex Ancestors, ERO’s online subscription service for digital images of Essex parish registers and wills, has undergone its next major update. The service now includes parish registers from the ancient parishes of Chingford, Leyton and Walthamstow, and many of the newer parishes established as this area was built up in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These registers are held by Waltham Forest Archives at Vestry House in Walthamstow and were loaned to ERO for digitisation. In all, ERO has copied another 473 registers, producing over 67,000 images, completing coverage of the whole of historic Essex and pushing the total number of Essex parish register images to over 580,000.
You can either subscribe to use the service from home, or take advantage of the free onsite available to visitors to the Essex Record Office in Chelmsford and to its Access Points at Saffron Walden and Harlow. It will shortly be provided at Waltham Forest Archives. Opening hours vary, so please check before you visit.
Please note that marriages after 1957 are not included, and not every single register has survived or been deposited with ERO. Before you subscribe please check that the documents you need exist and have been digitised.
Happy searching!
Visit Essex Ancestors at www.essexancestors.co.uk