Artistic ancestors now to be found in new online occupational dataset

A new release of records by family history website TheGenealogist allows English, Scottish and Welsh family historians to discover useful information on a myriad of people. From ancestors who were writers, artists, actors and many other professions, this collection opens up the lives of these people for the researcher.

Using entries recorded in a number of biographical resources Diamond subscribers of TheGenealogist can fill in gaps with tantalising facts about the person. Facts which can lead on to all sorts of other records and avenues for investigation.

The name-rich resources that make up this release augment TheGenealogist’s already extensive Occupational Records collection. Fully searchable by name or keyword from TheGenealogist’s Master Search, the new records come from a variety of publications, including:

• Contemporary Biographies at the Opening of the 20th Century, Volumes I and II
• The Green Room Book 1907
• The Dramatic List 1879
• The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook 1908
• The Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biography 1863

Researchers can use these records to fill in gaps in the lives of individuals, discover stories and anecdotes about the person, read facts which may lead you on to research other records and point you towards more avenues for investigation.

To learn more about how this collection of records helped us in the research of a child actress who managed the Prince of Wales’s Royal Theatre read the article here .

More memorials and Hertfordshire records

TheGenealogist has also just released another new collection of name-rich records of interest to English, Scottish and Welsh family historians.

The Guilds, Societies and People of Note collection includes records that reveal names, dates and information about ancestors who were freemen, liverymen, aldermen, members of the Masons and Oddfellows, or people classed as ‘worthies’.

The various records in this collection have been gathered together under TheGenealogist’s extensive Occupational Records and adds 65,000 names from 14 new resources to this collection. Fully searchable by name or keyword from TheGenealogist’s Master Search. The new additions include records from a variety of sources, including:

• Freemen registers: These records list the names of people who were granted the freedom of a particular town or city. The freedom of a town or city gave its holder certain privileges, such as the right to trade within the town or city walls.
• Liverymen lists: These records catalogue the names of people who were members of a particular guild. Guilds were organisations of craftsmen or merchants who banded together to protect their interests.
• Aldermen rolls: These records list the names of citizens who served as aldermen in a particular town or city. Aldermen were elected officials who served on the town or city council.
• Masons and Oddfellows records: These records list the names of people who were members of the Freemasons or the Oddfellows. The Freemasons and the Oddfellows are two fraternal organisations that have been around for centuries.
• Worthies records: These records list the names of people who were considered to be ‘worthies’ of their community. Worthies could be anyone from prominent politicians or successful businessmen to renowned military personalities.

Use these records to reveal names, dates and information about ancestors who held these various roles. And to learn more about how this collection of records helped us in researching Captain Bligh, read TheGenealogist’s article here .