Learning History through Genealogy
Census Data as Beginning of History Lesson For Enquiring Minds
Jun 14, 2009
Many surprises and valuable pieces of information about ancestors await those who extend their family history searches beyond the actual formal genealogy.
1861 English Census Data and Workhouse Inmates
A lesson learned while searching a family’s whereabouts in 1860s England can bring a surprise. For example, three boys seemed to disappear from the family home. Their mother had died and their father soon remarried. The couple travelled to Australia to establish new lives. Where were those youngsters?
Here is where persistence produced surprising results. After considerable searching of census data, they were found in a Union Workhouse. The census report showed:
- Relation to Head of Family – Workhouse Inmate
- Age of Inmate
- Rank, Profession or Occupation
- Where Born – Given as ‘Union Workhouse’, though they were not born there
- Whether Blind or Deaf and Dumb
That particular page of the census showed that the youngest inmate was age seven and the eldest was fifty-seven. Ages were not indicated for all inmates.
Further research resulted in learning about the decisions to initiate ‘help’ for the destitute. It also provided knowledge of the bleak existences of the people forced by circumstance to enter those places. Photographs of the workhouse were available. There was also a document that contained the awful daily routines. The real picture of life for those inmates clearly showed that Charles Dickens’ depiction of workhouse conditions was accurate.
Ancestors Building a Community
Upon finding an ancestral family’s place of residence, the search has just begun for people who are merely curious or extremely interested in learning more. When did they arrive? Where did they land? Why did they go there? Were they compelled by political or religious situations to leave their former home? What were the living conditions in their new locale?
Those questions and more can lead to learning a great deal about their activities. For example, ancestors may have been involved in founding a community. Maybe they and their descendants were active in building a landmark building or other construction that is still standing as a testament to their labor.
Were they instrumental in establishing a church in their community? What is the history of their religion in the new village? As they became more affluent, did they contribute to the construction of the new church, town hall or school?
In Canada as in many countries, there was opportunity and desire for expansion of religious denominations. An example of such a movement was the Mormon Church and its missionaries who convinced hundreds of people to embark upon long journeys to a promised land. What effect did that event have upon their communities? Did they complete the trek, or did they return to their former homes?
Learning History Can Be Interesting
History lessons need not be dull and boring. They can help with understanding the reasons for actions taken by ancestors as well as current family members. With an open and curious mind, a person can see a broader picture of a country, a town or an individual previously thought to be a family outsider.
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