If so then he may be mentioned in the latest set of records to be added to the Society of Genealogists Members’ Area http://sog.frontisgroup.com/bin/aps_person_search.php

When a person died without making a will, a relative or creditor could apply for letters of Administration (or Admon). They become known as the Administrator or Administratrix of the estate, the latter often being the widow of the deceased.

Admons include the name, address and occupation of the deceased and administrator, along with the date and place of death and the relationship between them. The identity of beneficiaries is not noted, nor any details of how the estate is distributed.

Letters of administration could be granted in other cases, such as where a will is made but no executors are mentioned. Alternatively a testator might appoint executors who died before the testator or who “renounced” or refused to act in such capacity. In such cases the court granted letters of administration with “Will attached” or “Will annexed”.

The records that have been added to the Members Area are the Admons granted by The Prerogative Court of Canterbury for the period 1750-1800. They are particularly useful to family historians as the court had jurisdiction over the estates of those who died at sea or abroad.

Indeed a third of all the records relate to these 2 categories, reflecting the large number of sailors and soldiers killed in battle during this period (which included the Seven Years War with France (1754-1763), the American War of Independence (1775-1783) and the French Revolutionary Wars (1792-1802).

The serviceman’s dependents would have been entitled to pay or prize money owed to the deceased, and thus an admon may survive for a person who would not otherwise have appeared in probate records.

The Society is grateful to Anthony Camp and the team of dedicated volunteers (listed on the Members Area) who have made this valuable index available to researchers. The original documents can be consulted at the National Archives at Kew.

Non-members can carry out a free surname search on these records by going to http://sog.frontisgroup.com/bin/aps_person_search.php but to view any records found you will need to join the Society.

Technorati Tags: family history, genealogy, Members' Area

The Society of Genealogists has recently added many more family history records to the Members Area of its website (http://sog.frontisgroup.com/bin/aps_person_search.php)  More than 600,000 people are now listed, ranging from railway workers to nuns, and you may well find reference to your ancestors amongst them.

To celebrate the addition of the new records an article will appear here each Friday describing them in more detail, starting tomorrow with an exciting collection that lists many people who died at sea.

Non-members can carry out a free surname search on the site but to view any records found you will need to join. New records are being added all the time so check back regularly – you may just find a reference to that elusive ancestor.

Technorati Tags: Family History News, Members' Area, the society of genealogists

Society of Genealogists Chairman, Collin Allen will be appearing on Radio 4 on Wednesday 28 July at 11am, being interviewed by Trade Unionist Bill Morris about the Chartist William Cuffay and his family history links to Medway towns in Kent.

The website for the radio programme Britain’s Black Revolutionary tells us that,

“as far back as the London of 1848 the son of slave was leading one of this countries most powerful political movements.
Few of us have heard of William Cuffay, a physically deformed tailor who lived in Soho. And yet he was notorious in his day, to the extent that the political class of the 1840s dubbed him “the pore old blackymore rogue” as he went on to lead a political movement so powerful that Britain cowered behind its shuttered windows and the massed ranks of its armies.
Just as the thrones of Europe were yet again tumbling to revolution, the 1848 Chartist uprising in favour of democracy and equality in London threatened the status quo in Britain. History records that an articulate democrat, William Cuffay, emerged as a key organiser of the mass demonstration that faced the Duke of Wellington’s army in the demand for the vote. Revolution threatened the capital – but who was the diminutive tailor holding such sway? ”

Lord Morris follows a predecessor in the labour movement through his fascinating story – from son of a St Kitts slave to political leader, and ultimately into exile at Her Majesty’s pleasure in Tasmania.

Producer: Philip Sellars.

Broadcast
Wednesday 28 Jul 2010 11:00 BBC Radio 4

Technorati Tags: family history, genealogy, William Cuffay

The Society of Genealogists is delighted to publish the fully revised second edition of My Ancestor was a Coalminer by David Tonks. This book is of tremendous use to anyone with coalminers in their family tree. The author was brought up in an East Durham colliery village and consequently the lives, work and communities of coalminers are vividly brought to life.  There is comprehensive chapter devoted to sources to encourage further research and a very helpful glossary of mining terms . This and many other books are available from the Society of Genealogists bookshop, and online at www.sog.org.uk 

Breaking the Barriers – innovative genealogy in the 20th & 21st centuries

Proposals will be accepted starting 1 May 2010 for the Society of Genealogists’ Centenary Conference, Breaking the Barriers, to be held at The Royal Overseas League, Over-Seas House, Park Place, 5 St James’s Terrace, London SW1A 1LP on Saturday 7th May 2011.

The conference lectures will be a celebration of the past century of genealogy and the Society of Genealogists and will look forward to the future of the subject. The conference will include a full day of lectures, networking luncheons, and workshops featuring nationally and internationally known genealogical speakers. To learn more about forthcoming news on the conference and other centenary celebrations see the SoG Centenary Conference Blog and web pages

Deadline for Submissions — 31 July 2010

Conference Themes
The Society is inviting submissions for papers and presentations on a variety of themes and expects submission topics to include, amongst others:

How the SoG has affected genealogy
Expanding the frontiers in genealogy
The development of genealogy. Then and now and what next?
Expanding the frontiers in genealogy
Problem solving. Breaking the barriers in genealogy
London research and London problems
Technological innovation in genealogy (with a particular look at British innovation).
Social themes from 2011, the end of the Edwardian Age ¬ – Women’s suffrage, pensions etc

General genealogical topics including methodology, skills building, record analysis, problem solving and writing family history

Sessions are generally limited to fifty minutes plus a ten-minute question-and-answer session. Syllabus material (word documents or PDF files), due in early 2011, is required for each lecture or workshop presentation

Guidelines
Anyone wishing to submit a talk for the conference should contact the conference team genealogy@sog.org.uk who will supply a conference proposal form which should include the following information:

• Speaker’s full name, address, telephone and email address.
• Lecture title, not to exceed fourteen words, and a brief but comprehensive outline
• Short summary of the lecture; word count not to exceed 100 words, which will be used in the program, if selected.
• Brief speaker biography, not to exceed 100 words.
• Resume of recent lectures given by the speaker. Those who have not spoken previously at a regional or national conference are encouraged to submit an audio or video tape of a recent lecture.

Speakers are expected to use an electronic presentation program. Such as Powerpoint. The SoG will provide the data projector, VGA cable, stand and power. Talks using OHPs will NOT be accepted.

Individuals may submit any number of proposals. SoG members will be given first consideration as speakers.

Completed proposal forms must be e-mailed to genealogy@sog.org.uk  with the subject: 2011 SoG Family History Conference-Call for Papers.
Selected speakers will be notified in August 2010. Speakers will receive a complimentary full conference registration

Compensation by the Society of Genealogists

Speakers selected by the SoG, and who are not sponsored elsewhere, will receive a speakers fee and reasonable travel expenses, within the UK, agreed in advance with the SoG.

Sponsorship opportunities
Sponsorship for individual lectures and lecturers may be agreed with the Society. Speakers who have their sessions sponsored will receive a complimentary one-day conference registration. Compensation and travel expenses are at the discretion of the sponsoring organization.

Questions  – Contact the Conference Team on genealogy@sog.org.uk  

Technorati Tags: conference, family history, Family History News, Society of Genealogists