Research sites for those with a particular interest in Devon families
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The Devon FHS WWW Board
- An excellent message board - active and useful , thanks to the help of many generous people who frequent it daily. A must if you are researching Devon families - all kinds of queries answered and look-ups done.
Devon List on Rootsweb
- Instructions on Terry Leaman's helpful site on how to subscribe to the Devon e-mailing list to get those queries answered
Sue Davey's Devon Parishes
- Parish register extracts and more - great site for Heard researchers.
Sue Davey's 1901 Census Extracts
- Transcriptions of parts of the 1901 Census for Mid-Devon Parishes
Cornwall Online Census Project
- Online transcriptions of Census Returns for Cornwall - an ongoing project, with 1841 and 1891 complete
Genogold Databases
- A mixed bag of data but includes real gems in the shape of online transcriptions of Parish Registers for Devon parishes of Hartland, Clovelly and Parkham
Devon Family History Society
- As well as a great message board (see above) access to invaluable publications.
Moretonhampstead History Society
- Has a virtual archive of Births, Marriages and Burials, of Directories and Census returns, and other documents
The Medical Gentlemen of Bow
- A " Mid Devon Medical Miscellany", the site is full of great stories and pictures of the fascinating characters who were Bow's doctors and patients.
Pre-1841 Devon Censuses and Population Listings
- Genuki's guide to and gateway for the surviving pre-1841 Devonshire Censuses
Dartmouth Archives
- Excellent site with Dartmouth history and family history with inline resources
Registration Districts in Devon
- Genuki list of civil registration districts from 1837-1974
Ray Osborn's South Hams Pages
- A collection of indexes and census transcripts, and free look-up service for some records for most of the parishes in the South Hams of Devon
Templeton
- Attractive site with lots of FH information and interesting family items about this mid-Devon parish
Devon Heritage
- A growing database of Devonshire local and family history transcriptions and source material - loads of interesting FH topics
Sue Froud's Family History Pages
- An OPC's site with surname sources and transcriptions of Parish Registers and more for parishes to the West of Exeter around Dunsford and Ide
Terry Leaman's Torbay Site
- Census and Directory Transcriptions, Family Trees, and other material mainly related to Torbay, from another Online Parish Clerk
Devon Gen Web
- The aim of Devon Gen Web is to provide links to Genealogy and Family History resources to help researchers find local resources and reference material. Useful site with surname index.
Genuki Devon
- Genuki is an essential source for the family historian. Thanks to Brian Randall the Devon pages seem to offer much more than other counties - a cornucopia of source material, transcriptions, facts and links can be found in the Parish pages there. But the whole massive site is absolutely brimming with information on all aspects of family history. Next place to look for Devon FH queries if the Devon FHS WWW site, and Google haven't come up trumps. Difficult to stress enough just how much there is for the family historian here.
Friends of Devon's Archives
- Dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Devon's Archives, this site provides some useful transcriptions of 18th century documents including names of qualifying parishioners for freeholders and oaths of allegiance.
Devon Freeholders
- Genuki's quick access to the names of FODA's Devon Freeholders in the 18th century. Also available on the FODA site
Exeter Memories
- Entertaining and informative Exeter site, with some fascinating historical facts as well as apposite comment on current issues, a wealth of pictures and topics.
Hugh Wallis's Batch Numbers IGI for Devon
- Search the IGI by Devon Parish - and of course search other counties similarly
Devon Online Parish Clerks
- Introduction to Online Parish Clerks, and how to contact them for Devon Parishes
Devon and Exeter Oath Rolls
- Oath rolls contain the names of over 25,000 Devonians, some one in five of the adult population of 1723, who signed loyalty oaths as required by law. The names are transcribed here.
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks
IGI Middle Names Index for Devon
- Middle names are often an invaluable clue to mothers or grandparents families. This index is derived from the IGI for Exeter
Exeter City Burials
- Access to records of burials and graves for Exeter City's Higher and Lower Cemeteries ( NB - not parish church graveyards)
Devon Church Monuments
- Notable monuments, wall plaques and tombs in Devon churches
Devonshire Wrestling Society
- Well researched site for this society dedicated to promoting and bringing back the ancient sport of Devonshire wrestling as practised by Abe Cann
Roy Parkhouse's Genealogy Site
- Transcriptions of Parish Registers for Upottery, the Somerset/Devon border and Somerset parishes, as well as some surname indices and look-ups
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More family histories on the web, most directly linked to families on this site. |
Heard Family Genealogy Forum
- Message board for international Heard researchers
The Pitts Family of South Allington
- Third cousin Nicholas and Elizabeth Prettejohn Pitts, his in-laws, his house and his pedigree. Ian owns the splendid Pitts portraits
The French Family
- Several families in common with this site - South Hams
The Hingston Pedigree
- A South Devon Family - linked by marriage to our Willings and to the Pitts family
Hingston One Name Study
- Lots of information on this site, including references to family members on these pages. Also Aveton Gifford's parish register transcripts
Steer Family History
- A comprehensive family history site, with links to Crockers and other South Hams families on this site. Not easy to navigate. Try starting with the surname index.
Huxtable Family Research
- Some transcriptions, indices and links to Huxtable Researchers on this North Devon family
The Sherriff Family
- Another family with South Hams connections, and links to families here. Good mix of resources
History of the Mortimer family
- The history of this South Devon and Plymouth family. Nice looking site.
Kythe - Turners
- Linked to our Colebrooke Turners.
Lambert-Gorwyn, a family history
- Good -looking and interesting site dedicated to Abe Cann's in-laws
Trevan and related families
- Has details of Trelivings who are connected to the Leamington branch of Heards
Grawrock Parker Genealogy
- Comprehensive coverage of our Blackler family and their in-laws
The Slee/Booth Family
- Devon and Cornwall families linked to our Feys. Found this to be a useful site.
Boydell Family History
- Very impressive Boydell genealogy to pre-Conquest, the source for Boydell information on this site, and a helpful contact for Boydell researchers
More Boydell Material
- Bill Doscher's Boydell history - similarly impressive genealogy and another helpful guy. Great family!
Ferguson Family
- Family history of one of our few Scottish connections, linked to our Donalds
Family Tree for Luscombe, Rhymes, Foale and others from the South Hams
- Has links to our Willing family and includes Pitts family, connection to ours not yet established
Loosemore Family
- History and genealogy of an ancient Devon family
Wrench-Mason-Bright Families
- Connected to our Petts and Brights
The Venn Family in Devon
- Linked circuitously to our Wensleys and Wallers. Crediton Drapers for some time and part of the High Street's history
The family of
Peter Allan McLoughlin
History of the Mansfield Family
- From Culmstock and Wiltshire
Powditch and Jones Family History
- The Jones family here links to our Huxtables
The Yeo Family History and One Name Study
- An ancient Westcountry family with roots in Devon and Cornwall
Williams Descendants
- We share Clark ancestors with this family
The Newcombe Family
- Another ancient Devon family, well established throughout the county
James Blackburn Pickett
- Descended from our Devonshire Picketts
Devon Mitchells
- These Mitchells link to our Mid-Devon Goviers and Coles
The Blight Family
- Blights and Petts with links to our Wrights. This link does not always work.
Michelmore One Name Study
- South Hams Family, with marriages to Pitts and others described here. Rich in detail, THE site for Michelmores and their variants.
The Halls of Devon
- A Devon family with connections to Crediton and mid-Devon parishes. Nice looking site. Maybe linked to our Pollards
The Haydons of Devon
- The early history of Haydons. No connection to ours found yet.
Another English Heard family
- Heards of Essex and Eastern England. Not related to our Devon and Cornwall Heards
More Essex Heards
- A Brown family history, incorporating some Essex Heards
Some US Heards
- These Heards arrived in New England in the 17th Century
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Museums, Archives and Libraries
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A2A
- The Access to Archives database contains catalogues describing archives held locally in England and Wales and dating from the eighth century to the present day, and is incorporated into the National Archive search engine.
The National Archives
- Archives of the UK Government at Kew
Devon Archives and Local Studies
- Historical records of Devon. Location of most parish registers and many wills. Search service available. Now part of the South West Heritage Trust.
Cornwall Record Office
South West Heritage Trust
- Incorporates Devon and Somerset Archives and Local Studies centres, as well as the Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury, the Brick and Tile Museum, Bridgwater and The Museum of Somerset, Taunton.
National Maritime Museum
- The NMM Collections Online enables you to access 9000 of their objects and artefacts related to the sea, ships, astronomy and time.
Maritime History Archive
- The Maritime History Archive collects and preserves documents relating to the history of sea based activities in the North Atlantic region.
The British Library
- Details of services for researchers and much more from this international institution
Charles Booth Online Archive
- Some fascinating aspects of Victorian London
The Huguenot Society
- Gateway and general information for the library and archive of the Huguenot Society
The Museum of English Rural Life
- Database of the collection and online exhibitions for researchers of agricultural and rural life
The Keep Military Museum
- Includes a virtual museum of some campaigns of the Devonshire and Dorset regiments
Totnes Museum Study Centre
- FH resource index, research service and local FH Group
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Immigration and emigration
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Ellis Island
- Searchable database of emigrants who arrived at Ellis Island, New York
Castle Garden
- Searchable database of emigrants who arrived at America's first immigration centre, from 1830 -1892
North Devon Exodus
- Interesting Genuki article with link to name database for emigration from Devon between 1818 and 1868
The Ships List
- Passenger lists for tracing your immigrant or emigrant ancestors
Australia's Virtual Immigration Wall of Honour
- Index of Australian immigrants, with some personal data
CoraWeb: Australian gateway for genealogists
- Australian gateway to a number of sites with family history records, including databases of ships passengers and emigrants.
Your Story, Our History
- Migration records of the National Archives of Australia and associated material
Unassisted Immigration to Victoria
- Searchable Index of Unassisted Passenger Lists
Assisted Immigration to Victoria
- Searchable Index of Assisted Passenger Lists
Transportation Register
- Free online British convict transportation register, searchable
Founders and Survivors
- Searchable database of Tasmanian convicts
Britain Outbound Passenger Lists
- Searchable UK outbound passenger lists from 1890 onwards.
Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild
- Transcriptions of passenger lists
Tasmania
- Search for family in the archives of Tasmania with this Tasmanian Government on-line name index.
Australian Shipping 1788- 1968
- Shipping and passenger information for Australia and, to a degree, New Zealand. Arrival and departure details, and some background information
The eGGSA Passenger List Project
- The Genealogical Society of South Africa's searchable database for ships' passengers to South Africa. Ongoing development.
Devon Huguenot Surnames
- There were a significant number of Huguenot immigrants to Devon. This site summarises a selection of their surnames
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A selection of miscellaneous research sites
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DNA tests
- Find out about DNA testing projects
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- Has a database listing the 1.7 million men and women of the Commonwealth forces who died during the two world wars
BMD Registers
- For records of birth, baptism, marriage, death and burial taken from non parish sources, such as non conformist registers. Pay site.
UKBMD: Local BMD
- Links to all the county sites that offer online transcribed indexes to the original records held by the local register offices.
The British Newspaper Archive
- Searchable online archive of newspapers from the British Library's collection. Ongoing project. Subscription or pay per view site
Forces War Records
- Military records of over 5 million British Armed Forces personnel cross matched with over 4000 units of the British Armed Forces going back to 1350. Subscription site, with some free searching facilities.
Armed Forces Memorial Roll of Honour
- Searchable database of the armed forces members who have lost their lives since the end of WWII
Maritime Memorials
- A searchable database of memorials commemorating mariners and victims of maritime disasters
Lost Generation
- Imperial War Museum's searchable database of war memorials, and associated pages exploring family history and the First World War
Canadian resources
- Includes all physical and online genealogical services of Library and Archives Canada
New Zealand Government BMD
- New Zealand Government records for births, deaths and marriages - searchable online database.
New Zealand Paperspast
- Papers Past contains more than three million pages of digitised searchable New Zealand newspapers and periodicals for the years 1839 to 1945
Anglo Indian Family Trees and their links
- Unusual site with a good variety of resources on Anglo-Indian Family History
Irish Genealogy
- From one search engine there is access to 1901 and 1911 census of Ireland, some church records, and other documents
Irish BMDs
- Births, Marriages and Deaths for Ireland, with some other records including a rather puzzling presentation of some census returns
Historic Hospital Admissions
- A searchable database of 120,000 individual children's admission records between 1852 and 1914 for hospitals in London and Glasgow
Relationship Terms
- Explanations for all those different types of kinship - who is your third cousin twice removed?
Curious Fox
- Village by village contact site for anybody researching family history, genealogy or local history in the UK and Ireland
Family Chest
- Commercial site that acquires old legal documents, contracts, leases etc and offers transcriptions or documents for sale. Search by name or location
Old Bailey Online
- Fully searchable details of Old Bailey trials from 1674 to 1834, with helpful historical background
Romany & Traveller Family History Society
- Useful topics associated with Romany and Traveller Family History, including a page of links
Romany Genes and Romanies Reunited
- Fascinating miscellany of Romany Family History on two companion sites
London Lives
- A fully searchable archive of 240,000 manuscripts concerning life in London from 1680-1820 searchable by name or keyword.
Totnes Image Bank and Rural Archive
- The Totnes archive contains over 45,000 digital photographs of Totnes and the South Devon area including the South Hams. Prints of the images may be purchased for a modest fee, and publications are available.
Trove
- A massive database with millions of sources supplied by the National Library of Australia. The newspapers are a particularly useful source.
State of Victoria Registry of Births Marriages and Deaths
- Searchable indexes of BMDs in Victoria, Australia, and online ordering
Western Australia Online BMD
- Searchable indexes of BMDs in Western Australia, and online ordering
South Australian Online BMD
- Searchable indexes of BMDs in South Australia, and online ordering.This is the site of the South Australian Genealogy & Heraldry Society Inc. It is not complete. The South Australian Government does not make records available online.
New South Wales Online BMD
- Searchable indexes of BMDs in New South Wales, Australia, and online ordering
Carol's Headstone Photographs
- A great service provided by this site -request free of charge, photographs of headstones in cemeteries in Victoria, Australia and for a few cemeteries in Western Australia, South Australia and New South Wales. Also some War Memorials. And very prompt responses.
Automated Genealogy
- Several ongoing projects - includes transcriptions of Canadian 1901, 1906, and 1911 censuses in searchable form
Clergy of the Church of England
- Ongoing project - a database of clergy of the Church of England between 1540 and 1835
Barbara's Registration Web Page
- Extremely useful information about England and Wales Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates
Deceased Online
- Ongoing project to provide searchable access to all cremation and burial records for the UK. Initial finding search free. Details by subscription.
Old Trades and Professions
- Was your ancestor an Ackerman or a Zincographer? Check out the meaning of old job titles and occupations here, with associated links
The London Gazette
- London Gazette. The archives of the 20th century of this newspaper for official record are available to search online
The Navy List
- An index to names from the Victorian Navy
Search for a Surname
- Really useful site enabling you to search for distribution maps of specific surnames in 1881 census and in 1998.
Guild of One-Name Studies
- The organisation for those researching all occurrences of a surname - has a contacts list of surname researchers
Lost Cousins
- Matching system that automatically identifies members who share the same ancestors based on the 1881 census. Too much data entry for my taste
The Workhouse
- History of the Workhouse, with useful regional pages that include maps and photographs
Family Deeds
- A collection of family deeds, for which transcriptions can be purchased, and some original documents also for sale. Browse for names or locations.
The Poor Law
- An explanation of the workings of the Poor Law, and the problems associated with Settlement
Pub History
- Great site with details of pubs, many now disappeared, in London and several counties including Devon.
Pubs and Inns
- Links to a miscellany of sites about pubs and inns
South Allington House
- South Hams manor house formerly owned by the Pitts family; now offering accommodation. Probably a great base for researching your South Hams family.
Glossary of Medical Terms
- Meanings of archaic medical terms - useful for interpreting death certificates, and other useful pages
Another database of Medical Terms
- More names for diseases ancient and modern
Lunatic Asylums
- Fascinating insight into the history of mental health care. An index of County Asylums. There were over 600 pauper lunatics in 1844 Devon
Somerset Parish Register Transcriptions
- Transcriptions of a good number of Somerset parish registers
Historic Inflation Calculator
- This online calculator uses official UK inflation data to show how prices have changed and what money used to be worth
Society of Genealogists
- Membership, Library, Events and Courses
Victorian and Edwardian Portrait Photo Collection
- Mostly from Devon. Often useful for dating photos
Victorian Photographers
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Sites that are gateways to more family history links
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Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites
- Over a quarter of a million Family History links
Hospital Records
- The Hospital records Database - information on the existence and location of the records of UK hospitals
Colin's Family History Page
- Worldwide links to Family History sites
Hall Genealogy Website
- Links to useful Genealogy websites and a good range of information, facts and source material, medical, marine, military and other
UKIsearch
- Gateway to a mixed bag of online genealogy databases
Web Sites for Genealogists
- An Australian gateway site
Bean Web Family Tree
New Zealand's History Online
- New Zealand genealogical links
South African Genealogy
- Page of links for researching South African Family History
US Military Genealogy
- Useful gateway to repositories of information not only about US Military genealogy and history but also more general genealogy sites.
CGHL
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Canadian Genealogy & History Links
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Applications, tools, utilities and downloads |
Genealogy Tools and Utilities
- Several broken links, but some useful utilities here
TreeDraw
- Import Gedcom files and create trees with drag and drop control - flexible application
Cousin Calculator
- Work out that relationship!
Measuring Worth
- If it was £100 in 1875, what is it worth today? Very useful calculators and explanations on this site
Free Forms for Data Recording
- Plenty of forms for you to use in your research
What day of the week did it happen?
- Calculator for identifying weekdays for given dates
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If you are new to family history research here are some useful starting points for online research
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GENUKI's Newbie Introduction
- A helpful introduction for the Newcomer, packed with sound advice and guidance. Genuki is an essential source for the family historian. The whole massive site is absolutely brimming with information on all aspects of family history. See Devon section
England and Wales Census Introduction
- Useful introduction to the census for newcomers
RootsWeb
- "The oldest and largest free genealogy site". Searchable databases, family trees, message boards and much more
Find My Past
- Access to England and Wales Births, Marriages and Deaths, to UK Censuses and many many more searchable records. Continually growing, with access to some world records. Pay-per-view or subscription
Ancestry
- Continually developing subscription site covering BMD, census, and hundreds of other record types from around the world. Too rich to list everything. Alternative to FindMyPast. Impossible to do serious online UK FH research I think without access to Ancestry or FindMyPast
World Vital Records
- Subscription site with large number of census and BMD records and others, from around the world.
FreeBMD
- Searchable transcription of the index of registrations of Births, Marriages and Deaths for England and Wales. An ongoing project, but coverage and quality of data improves monthly. Great site! Free.
FreeCEN
- Companion site to the above. Another ongoing project. This project aims to provide a "free-to-view" online searchable database of the 19th century UK census returns.
FreeREG
- Another companion site to Free BMD. Free searches of baptism, marriage, and burial records, transcribed from parish and non-conformist registers. Ongoing project
Genes Reunited
- Over 80 million names in members' searchable family trees . Clunky software. 9 out of 10 contacts are fruitless, but the other 10% has produced some of my best contacts
Family Search
- The LDS site - the largest searchable collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world. Access to the IGI, and the 1881 census of England and Wales
Cyndi's List Beginners Page
- Loads of helpful hints and tips, if a bit overwhelming
Irish Family History Foundation
- Access to the online record search system of the Irish Family History Foundation, with access to many BMD records. Credit purchase.
Scotland's People
- The official government source of genealogical data for Scotland - BMDs pre and post civil registration, census returns, wills. Credit purchase.
The General Register Office
- Order your birth marriage and death certificates of England and Wales online
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