A Summary of Alderman Data available
June 2000
(This
is the first update since the original 'Summary' published Sept 1998)
1. Charts
There
are over 800 A3-sized charts showing the various family groups. These are
listed on the 'Charts List' which is arranged alphabetically by county:
Buckinghamshire
- 277 charts illustrating family groups in Buckinghamshire
Hampshire
- 155 charts illustrating family groups in Hampshire
Leicestershire
- 11 charts illustrating family groups in Leicestershire
London
- 13 charts illustrating family groups in London
Northamptonshire
- 146 charts illustrating family groups in Northamptonshire
Somerset
- 117 charts illustrating family groups
in Somerset
Suffolk
- 13 charts illustrating family groups in Suffolk
Wiltshire
- 29 charts illustrating family groups in Wiltshire
Scraps
- 33 charts illustrating small groups as yet unlinked to the major family
groups
Further
notes on the Charts List:
Within
each county there are a number of separate family groups, some of which are
linked, some not (e.g. in Buckinghamshire there are 4 family groups
Swanbourne, Beachampton, Dadford and Winslow which are linked together and 3
Haddenham, Chalfont and Chalfont X which have not yet been linked to any
other groups).
For
each family group, there is a 'Links' chart which summarizes how all the charts
in that group are connected. For example, the 'Swanbourne Links' chart shows
how all 100 Swanbourne charts connect.
A short
introduction to each county is planned
A short
introduction to each family group is planned.
An
A3-sized map of the UK illustrates all the recorded family groups showing those
that are, may be, and are not yet linked.
The
Charts List now also shows for each chart:
Its title
Its quality (a, b, c or d)
The number of additional charts that need to
be drawn (for greater clarity)
Known migrations within the UK
Any known emigrations
A note of all 'unconnected males' whose
birth or baptism has been clearly recorded but whose life thereafter (e.g.
marriage or death) has not been located i.e. potential patriarchs of future
family groups or additional potential emigrants.
2. Correspondents
A total
of 748 correspondents worldwide are now detailed on the 'Correspondents List'.
This includes:
From
Buckinghamshire -
Connected
-
55 from Beachampton
40 from Dadford
113 from Swanbourne
13 from Winslow
Not yet
connected
44 from
Chalfont
2 from
Chalfont X
4 from
Haddenham
From
Hampshire -
125
from the family groups connected and unconnected in Hampshire
From
Leicestershire -
13 from
Stathern in the county of Leicestershire
From
London -
6 from
Limehouse, the only significant family group exclusively coming from and
remaining in London
From
Northamptonshire -
69 from
Nassington
2 from
Rothwell
3 from
Harrowden
55 from
other Northants family groups including Aldwincle, Thornhaugh, Thorney and
Titchmarsh
From
Somerset
Not yet
connected
87 from
Axbridge
4 from
St Decumans
Connected
26 from
Clayhanger
21 From
Kittisford
From
Wiltshire
Not yet
connected
3 From
Goatacre
17 From
Lockinge
Other
46 From
various 'scraps' small groups as yet unlinked to the major family groups
Further
notes on the Correspondents List:
- There have been 62 'scraps' small family
groups which are as yet unconnected to the major family groups. These are
simply numbered 1 - 62, but 33 of these have now been linked leaving 29 still
unconnected. Most (but not all) of these still unlinked scraps have one or more
correspondents
- Two family groups are currently without
correspondents:
- Connecticut but this is likely to change
if there is a mailing in the USA; this is the family group linking most of the
Aldermans in "Aldermans in America"
- Tring a small but significant family
group from Hertfordshire. It may have 'died out' but there are still possible
leads which are not yet exhausted.
3. Post-1837 Births, Marriages and Deaths held
at Family Records Centre (previously St Catherines House)
All
these index registers have been transcribed for the Alderman surname from the
beginning of central registration (July/August/September quarter of 1837) to:
- 1998 in the case of births
- 1998 in the case of marriages
- 1998 in the case of deaths
Each
database has its own introduction which gives a fuller explanation of the use of
abbreviations and the meaning of column headings. In addition to the data on
the original index (i.e. quarter, year, forename, registration district,
volume, page no), the following information is listed (where it is known) for
each entry under:
- Births
Father's
forename; mother's forename & maiden surname; family group; whether he/she
died in infancy (and if so, at what age); whether the child was illegitimate
and an indication as to whether a birth certificate is held, short birth
certificate is held, the date of birth is known, the date of baptism is known
or simply that nothing is known about date beyond the stated quarter and year.
- Marriages
Forename
& surname of the non-Alderman spouse; the fullest possible (i.e. name
replacing initial) forename of the Alderman spouse; whether either spouse is
known to have been illegitimate or widowed; family group; an indication as to
whether a marriage certificate is held, the date of birth is known or simply
that nothing is known about date beyond the stated quarter and year.
- Deaths
'Stated'
or 'calculated' age at death; cause of death; family group; date of death; Will
reference number; an indication as to whether a death certificate is held, the
date of death is known, the date of burial is know or simply that nothing is
known about date beyond the stated quarter and year.
The key
entry for each of these three databases is, of course, the family group column.
The proportion of entries where this column is completed is rising all the time
in the three databases. No overall calculation has been done as to this
proportion for any of the three, but taking page 5 (randomly) as a guide:
- For births, 129 entries out of 148 are
'linked' - 87%
- For marriages, 104 entries out of 128 are
'linked'- 81%
- For deaths, 85 entries out of 129 are
'linked'- 66%
4. Certificates
Sources
of the certificate collection are
- Purchase from the Family Records Centre (the
large majority)
- Photocopies of originals from family
members (in the case of births, these include a handful of short birth
certificates)
- Photocopies of Parish Registers from some
'post Hardwick' marriage certificates
The
collection currently includes:
- 684 Birth certificates (525 at last count
Sept 1998)
- 1014 Marriage certificates (848 at last count
Sept 1998)
- 140 Death certificates (97 at last count
Sept 1998)
These
certificates are largely linked to known family groups but there are separate
lists of:
- 18 Miscellaneous (i.e. unlinked) birth
certificates
- 25 Miscellaneous (i.e. unlinked) marriage
certificates
- 2
Miscellaneous (i.e. unlinked) death certificates
5. Parish Records
The
significant change since 1998 is that all the details of baptisms, marriages
and burials (already recorded from a large number of Parish Registers pre-1837)
are now included (or are in the process of being entered) on seven separate
databases:
- Northants (including Leicestershire,
Lincolnshire, Rutland, Huntingdonshire and Bedfordshire)
This
database (now largely complete for baptisms, marriages and burials)
incorporates the following family groups
- Harrowden - Titchmarsh A
- Rothwell - Thornhaugh
- Early Northants (largely Thorpe Malsor) - Aldwincle
- Nassington - Thorney
as well
as the one Leicestershire family group - Stathern
- Bucks (just the county of
Buckinghamshire)
This
database has not yet been started but the recording of Bucks PR data is
extensive; currently it is organized largely by parish principally
Swanbourne, Beachampton, Winslow, Stowe (and Dadford), Haddenham and Chalfont.
- Hants, Berks & Wilts
This
database is being prepared currently and should be complete by late summer
2000. It incorporates the following family groups:
- East Woodhay as well as - Lockinge
- The Kimptons (B, C & D) - Goatacre
- Vernham
- Somerset & Devon (largely North
Devon & North Somerset)
Now
largely complete and incorporating the following family groups:
- Axbridge - West Quantoxhead
- Kittisford - St Decumans
- Clayhanger - Early PR data that may eventually
enable further links to be made
- London, Middlesex and Surrey
This
database is still in its very early stages of preparation. It will eventually
incorporate a lot of data but will link to comparatively few major family
groups. However there are a number of 19th century migrations from
- Kittisford - Dadford - Thornhaugh
- Swanbourne - Chalfont X - Nassington
- Harrowden - Tring - Kimpton C
- East Woodhay - Vernham - Axbridge
- Thorney
As well
as a number of links to other family groups (mostly scraps) which may have a
longer history in London, including
- Connecticut (speculative) - Scrap
14 (Paddington)
- Limehouse - Scrap 30 (Stepney)
- Scrap 3 (Camden & Plumstead) - Scrap
35 (Fulham)
- Scrap 11 (Marylebone to Pancras) - Scrap
36 (Shoreditch)
- Scrap 12 (Marylebone) - Scrap
38 (Marylebone III)
- East Anglia (Suffolk, Norfolk and
Essex)
Now
largely complete and largely linked to a single family group labeled
- Belstead (a small village near Hadleigh,
Suffolk).
This
was clearly a comparatively wealthy group and (rather like Harrowden) it has
been possible to make early connections with some confidence thanks to a
remarkable series of early wills (see SEWS below).
- Generic
Still
in its very early stages, this database incorporates all other CMB data in the
period 1537 1850.
Further
notes on the pre 1837 Parish register databases:
- All 7 databases use a consistent format
which is described more fully in the introduction
- Each database was compiled in alphabetical
order of the included villages. However, it is possible to print each of them
out in
- Chronological order
(invaluable when structuring family groups)
- Alphabetical order of
the Alderman's forename
6. Censuses
There
is now a database compiled for each of the available census years 1841, 1851,
1861, 1871, 1881 and 1891. Because the 1881 census has been indexed, it is the
only one which is close to completion. Numbers of Aldermans appearing in each
census so far are:
- In 1841 377 entries
- In
1851 673 entries (larger than others, because some counties have been indexed
by their F.H.S.)
- In 1861 451 entries
- In 1871 526 entries
- In 1881 1178 entries (+ 35 name variants,
some of which are known Aldermans)
- In 1891 433 entries
A very
high proportion of entries have been 'connected' to known family groups. For
the 1881 census only, there is (in addition to the database listed above):
- A list of the 64 'unconnected' Aldermans in
the 1881 census
- A list of all the surname variants tried
when listing the 35 variants in the 1881 census
- A
list of those name-variants not connected (some of which are certainly not any
of 'ours')
- A
full printout of the CD set of the 1881 census showing the full details of all
households where Aldermans appear listed alphabetically by county.
For the
1881 census, linking to known family groups is nearly 95%. Although for the
other censuses fewer Aldermans have as yet been recorded, the connection rate
is still very high.
7. Wills
- Modern and Very Modern Wills (i.e.
post 1858)
All
post 1858 wills and administrations have now been identified from 1858 2000
and they are organized in 2 series:
- Modern Will Series (1858-1958) - MWS
1 345 Calendars are listed and copies of wills
obtained
346 359 Calendars are listed but copies have not yet been obtained (the
cost has risen from 10p each to £5 each a 5000% increase!)
The
connection rate for MWS is nearly 93% (i.e. % linked to known family groups).
- Very Modern Will Series
(1959-2000) - VMWS
1 - 528
Calendars are listed but no copies have been obtained
The
connection rate for VMWS is only 83% - lower than MWS for two reasons:
- Absence of the actual wills or
administrations
- As
from 1968, even the calendars give less information e.g. not listing who the
probate was granted to
- Early Wills
All
earlier wills or administrations that have been obtained are now listed in 5
separate series:
- Northamptonshire Early Will Series
(NEWS)
80 such
early wills have been obtained, collated and (where necessary) transcribed and
translated. This series divides broadly into four groups:
- 21 Very early wills (1520 1640)
- 25 Harrowden wills
- 13 Rothwell wills
- The remaining 21 wills from Thornhaugh,
Wittering, Northampton, Aldwincle, Titchmarsh A, Nassington, Stamford, Burton
Latimer & Thorney.
The
vast majority of these wills appear to link but some of the early
Northamptonshire family groups remain stubbornly resistant to unambiguous
connection
- Suffolk Early Will Series (SEWS)
31
wills from the Suffolk villages of Little Belstead, Capel and Bentley and the
city of Ipswich. There is a summary of
each will, and a chartlet illustrating any firm genealogical evidence that can
be extracted.
- Wiltshire Early Will Series (WEWS)
16
early wills copied and now indexed. All relate to the Goatacre family.
- Hampshire Early Will Series (HEWS)
28
wills of Aldermans, Annetts, Alderman alias Annetts, etc largely from villages
around Andover. Most of these are for the surname Annetts.
- Generic Early Will Series (GEWS)
This is
a series of 56 wills and administrations lodged in all other counties including
- Bedfordshire (other
than the 5 Farndish wills which are in the NEWS)
- Leicestershire
- Surrey & Middlesex
- Buckinghamshire (very
few found)
- North Devon/ North
Somerset (several listed but most have been destroyed)
The
list for this series has now been drawn up but not all have yet been obtained, transcribed,
translated, etc. This should be complete by late summer 2000.
8. Military Records
Military
data available has increased significantly since Sept 1998 particularly as to
World War I records. Work is still in progress but there is already available:
- Alderman WWI deaths
41
recorded WWI deaths giving rank, army number, regiment, date of death,
(sometimes) age at death, (sometimes) birthplace, (occasionally) 'spouse' or
'father and mother' and recording, where possible, 'family link', which has
been established for 36 out of 41 deaths.
- Alderman WWII deaths
18
recorded WWII deaths giving similar information as above. Family group has been
established for 13 out of 18 deaths.
- Separate sheets for each WWI and WWII
death
These
generally include the name and rank of the soldier who has died, regiment, date
(and day of the week) on which he died, age at death, additional information
(often names and addresses of relatives), where buried and historical
information about the campaign.
- WWI Military Documents (of soldiers
who were generally not killed in action)
These
have been identified and located in two separate series at the PRO ' Burnt'
and 'Unburnt'. Of the 62 names of the so-called 'burnt' series, the last 45
have been summarized of which 40 have been connected. The first 17 (from Alfred
to Ernest) have yet to be summarized. For each of these 62, the actual papers
were not photocopied. Of the 35 names on the so-called 'unburnt' series, all
but 3 have been identified and linked. For each of these 35, the actual papers
have been photocopied and analyzed.
For all
of these (the 17 'burnt' with no detail other than name, number and rank, + 45
with a summary, + 35 'unburnt', i.e. 97 serviceman) there is a separate sheet
'Summary of the recovered documents'. Inevitably, these are largely blank for
the missing 17 (other than name, number and regiment) but for the others they
contain many personal details which not only help to identify the serviceman
but occasionally give a glimpse of his character and appearance.
- Other Military, Consular and Service
Overseas Records
- Consular Deaths 1849-1965: No Aldermans
- Army Returns (Deaths) 1880-1905 2
Aldermans
1906-1930 No Aldermans
1931-1950 No Aldermans
1951-1965 No Aldermans
- Indian Service (War Deaths) 1914-1921 No Aldermans
1939-1948 1 Alderman
- Deaths Abroad 1965-1985 No
Aldermans
- Index to Deaths 1899-1902
- Natal & S African Forces 1 Alderman
- S African Field 1 Alderman
- Index to Marine Deaths 1837-1965 2
Aldermans
- Army Births & Baptisms 1761-1923 15
Aldermans (only 2 identified)
- Index to Army Returns, Births 1765-1955 7 Aldermans (only 2 identified)
- Consular Births 1849-1965 8 Aldermans
(none identified)
- Service Department Births 1956-1960 3 Aldermans
- Consular Marriages 1849-1960 No Aldermans
- Index to Army Returns, Marriages 1796-1955 2 Aldermans
- Soldier's Documents (WO97) 1792-1827 3
Aldermans
9. Sources searched
No
doubt we are not the first researchers who can use hindsight to see how
sensible it would have been to have recorded all sources searched (particularly
where there are nil entries), from the beginning and in an orderly manner.
Thanks to the constructive advice and help from our co-researcher Mari Alderman
we are now beginning to catalogue this information specifically for
- Information about wills listed in various
registries
- Entries in Trade Directories
- Monumental Inscriptions
- Marriage Licences
- Marriage Indexes
- IGI data
- Adoptions (now a single database)
- Parish registers searched and over what
period (now started for Hants and Northants)
- Palmers Index to the Times
- Passenger Lists
- Bastardy orders & Settlement
certificates
Hopefully
by the next update, the 'sources searched' will have been organized and listed
more systematically.
10. Bibliography
Apart
from the traditional sources searched and listed above, additional information
has been gathered from the following books and references:
- 'Aldermans in America' a detailed account
of the family group which we have entitled 'Connecticut' by William Alderman
Parker published privately by William A Parker in Raleigh N.C. in 1957 and
reprinted by Edwards & Broughton Co in 1977.
- 'Your Family and Mine' compiled by Mattie
Ellen Brown Trube during 1967 1973, giving additional information to that
given in 'Aldermans in America by William Alderman Parker.
- 'With Toil He Won' a history of the
family of William and Frances Alderman (Vernham A/3) by Evelyn Cooper and Gwen
McCarthy published by the Alderman Family Reunion Committee, Adelaide,
Australia, 1988.
- 'A Sketch of My Life' by Percy Robert
Alderman (1899 - ) of Nassington D/1
3 1 1, a personal reminiscence which includes a compelling account of a WWI
soldier's life.
- 'Senghennydd The Universal Pit Village
1890-1930' an account of the 1913 pit disaster in which Frederick Alderman
died (Clayhanger A/1 9), by Michael Lieven, published by Gomer, 1994.
- Stowe Estate Accounts some extracts from
the Stowe Papers which make frequent reference to the Aldermans of Dadford who
were gardeners to the Dukes of Buckingham at Stowe.
- Correspondence from Jane Alderman (nee
Pyzer) to her Stathern relatives in the UK (see Stathern C/2).
- 'We Reap Where They Have Sown' an account
of Primitive Methodism in Swanbourne, by Frankie Fisher, which mentions several
Aldermans from the Swanbourne family group.
11. Acknowledgements
Although
the central task of researching, collating and organizing the Alderman One-Name
Society has been carried out largely by Neil and Bob Alderman, there have been
significant contributions from many others. The support and encouragement of
Mari Alderman (Axbridge A/2 3 2 1 4) and her knowledge of where and how to
access various sources has been of huge help. Very significant contributions
have also been made by Christian Steer (of Vernham), Judith Young (of Dadford
A), Margaret Powell (most Northamptonshire research), Judy Armstrong (in
Australia) and Roy Hurst (whose minimal personal link with Aldermans made his
contribution all the more remarkable).
Many of
our 748 correspondents have also given encouragement and sometimes important
clues about their own family history. We hope that all those who have
contributed to this exercise will find this summary useful and will continue to
support us in the central task of linking all Aldermans worldwide.
Bob
Alderman (Nassington D/1 3 1 1 1) [email protected]
Neil
Alderman (Axbridge C/2 3 3 1 1)
[email protected]
June
2000