Hertfordshire Genealogy: August 2007 Newsletter

July has been a busy month - by the morning of July 28th I had 90 genealogy emails in my July genealogy mail folder (which does not include the many genealogy circulars I also get). 5 of these will have to wait until next month to be processed. In addition to answering questions I have had a blitz on Place pages, and have now got a better organised "spring cleaning" process underway. However, excluding big towns such as Watford and St Albans, it will take several years to complete. As I go I am adding new subject pages, or links to existing pages, as I go, and also building up pages on selected photographers/postcard publishers. Many of the cross-reference pages will remain under construction until the Places spring clean has gone a lot further. As part of the spring clean I am introducing many more old maps - and adding or updating linked book reviews.

Many of the brick walls people report relate to their inability to find information using the online census facilities. The problem may be due to problems with the original census returns, with the indexing or transcription, or with the searching strategy. As a result I have created a new page, Problems with finding census returns, which brings together examples of how difficulties have been overcome in a variety of cases. The 1841 census page has been updated to include comparisons between different CDs and online packages - and it is clear that some images are significantly easier to read than others. The testing accidentally found Hertfordshire villages which have been omitted from Ancestry. Further work on the relative merits of the different sources of census information will be added over the following months. If you have used a source which I have not mentioned please tell me so that I can include it.

A new book Index to Wills at Hertford 1415 - 1858 is being published in October and if you want a copy it needs to be ordered in advance. Contact the British Record Society for details.

Place	Nature of Change
Abbots Langley [Spring Clean]	Description of village from 1851, with list of public houses. Additional external links and map.
Albury [Spring Clean]	New picture of Clapgate Traders in Clapgate in 1902 Additional external links and map.
Aldbury [Spring Clean]	Overlong page split into three, a general page. a page dealing with the stocks and the village pond (with additional postcards), and a page for the local postcard publishers.
Aldenham [Spring Clean]	Significantly restructured entry - with overflow page to deal with large houses and Aldenham School, and updates of all book review pages. New overflow page - Large Houses in Aldenham
Anstey [Spring Clean]	New description from 1891. Area maps from 1695 and 1808. Additional external links.
Apsley	Restructured entry with additional texts and links.
Barkway	Link to set of area maps
Barley	Link to set of area maps
Barnet	Ancestry census error recorded. Review of Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Barnet
Bedmond	Postcard of High Street, showing the Bell Inn, and some other updates.
Berkhamsted Schools	Postcard of school gate and chapel
Bovingdon	List of members of the Methodist congregation in 1825, and an account of what happened.
Bishops Stortford	[Pages subsequently reorganised - see later newsletters]
Buckland	Link to set of area maps
Bushey - Raphael Tuck "Aquarette" Series	With the addition of this postcard of "The Old Green, Bushey" this set of six cards is now complete.
Caldecote	[Picture was wrong Caldecote - replacement page to be issues during August]
Cheshunt	Postcard showing old houses I have added links including one to show that Cheshunt was in the Edmonton (Middlesex) Union.
Flaunden	List of members of the Methodist congregation in 1825, and an account of what happened.
Goffs Oak	A link added to the Wikipedia entry
Gorhambury	Postcard of the ruins of the Tudor house
Hemel Hempstead - Marlowes	Four postcards added the walk around Hemel Hempstead - with one, taken in 1906, showing a very early motor bus.
Hoddesdon	Postcards of Baas Hill and St Catherine's Estate
Letchworth	Valentine postcard of church
Meesden	Link to set of area maps
Much Hadham	Postcard of parish church, possibly published by William Trimby circa 1910
Offley	Major rewrite of page, with new postcard images, descriptive texts from 1807 and 1891, a map, more direct external links, and two books - *Images of Old Offley* and Two Coats Colder.
Redbourn	Picture of the Methodist Church erected in 1876 and link to detailed account of early Methodism in the village.
Rickmansworth	Graham kindly pointed out that the picture of "The Old Manor, Rickmansworth" that I had used to illustrate the book Frith's Hertfordshire was actually of Chenies Manor, Buckinghamshire. It has now been removed.
St Albans - Holywell Hill	Postcard of Holywell Hill, showing the Trumpet Public House
St Pauls Walden	Princess Elizabeth (The Queen) and Princess Margaret at their grandparents home at St Paul's Waldenbury.
Sarratt	List of members of the Methodist congregation in 1825, and an account of what happened.
Stevenage	Valentine card (1907)showing the Avenue
Therfield	Significant update with supporting texts from 1891 and 1917 and extended links. Census transcripts are now available online from 1841 to 1901.
Thundridge	A significant update with map, pictures, additional texts and links. The additions include references to the early turnpike and the monument to Thomas Clarkson at Wades Mill, erected at the spot where he decided to devote his life to the abolition of slavery.
Tring - The Old Town Centre	Postcard of shops in the High Street
Tring - West of Akeman Street	Postcard of Goldfield Windmill Subject page set up for Windmills
Tring Museum	Postcards of Tring Museum
Waltham Cross	Ancestry census error recorded
Ware Schools, circa 1840	A list of schools operating in 1839, and some information on Wareside Grammar School
Watford	More pictures plus link to Holy Rood Church web site
Wheathampstead	Postcard of parish church
Wyddial	Link to set of area maps

Hertfordshire Publications	Significant extra information on publications from the University of Hertfordshire.
Methodism in the city of the Proto-Martyr and the St Albans Circuit	Review of book relevant to those with Methodist ancestors in St Albans and West Hertfordshire. Many cross linkages, including the Religion in Hertfordshire page.
Bible Truths and Church Errors	Don't be put off by the title. This book includes some very useful historical information of the history of the Grammar School and some nonconformist schools. (Cross-referenced on St Albans Schools.)
Friends in Bedfordshire and West Hertfordshire	Extract and picture added to review.
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Barnet	An excellent school history - review includes pictures and extract. cross-referenced on Schools and Education.
*Cheshunt's Past in Pictures*	Contents, picture and extract added to review page.
*Harold's Town and its Vicinity*	1905 Homeland Guide to Waltham Abbey - including information on Waltham Cross and Cheshunt
The Story of the Church and Parish of St Saviour. St Albans	I was delighted to get an admittedly very tattered copy of this book as my great grandfather, Jacob Reynolds, was very active in the building of this church, on Bernards Heath
Hare and Hounds	Description added, plus a sample extract describing a hunt which started at my great grandfather's farm and involved the hounds chasing a hare down St Peter's Street, St Albans.
*The Book of Radlett and Aldenham*	Reformatted and picture added
*The History of Aldenham School*	Additional pictures added
*Aldenham School Register*	Details added to indicate which Old Boys are included in the 1959 edition.
*The Gentleman's Magazine Library*	Details of *English Topography, Part V*, published 1894, which includes Hertfordshire
Maps of North East Hertfordshire	Details of N.E. Hertfordshire from the maps of Saxton (1577), Blome (1673), Morden (1695), Haywood (1791), Smith (1808), Bacon (1904)
Cooper's Map of Hertfordshire, 1808	Small scale maps of Hertfordshire which clearly shows the hundreds. Used as background on cover page.

Web Page Title	Description of Page Changes
WITTEWRONGE, Rothamsted, Harpenden, Early 18th century	Barbara has provided some more information relating to the accuracy of published family trees and I have added some notes on possible other sources.
Fire Brigade, St Albans, late 19th century	Alan is producing a limited circulation booklet on his researches and I will post details on this site when it is ready.
BOWER, Cheshunt, circa 1850	Kate wonders about the identity of two witnesses to a will and the search reveals some serious indexing problems relating to Cheshunt and Chipping Barnet on the Ancestry census returns for 1851 and 1871. About two weeks after compleing the above answer I discovered a possibly relevant "Cheshunt House" - but by using trade directories, census returns and maps was able to show it was not the one mentioned in the original query.
BLOW, Bernards Heath, St Albans, circa 1900	I purchased a copy of the book The Story of the Church and Parish of St Saviour. St Albans and this "answer" provides information on its former owner, who would have know my great grandfather, Jacob Reynolds, very well.
Locating Books	Sheila, whose Chilton ancestors come from Westmill, reminds us that UK readers of this site can get access to many of the hard to find books using the Inter-library Loan Scheme.
Hemel Hempstead - Marlowes	Patricia has kindly supplied the scan of a postcard showing the inside of Umfreville's factory, in Marlowes, circa 1926. It should be possible to recognise some of the workers from enlargements.
Apsley	Patricia has kindly supplied scans of the Methodist Chapel at Nash Mills, where her great-great-grandmother was caretaker.
Prison Records	Tezz wants to find out more about her ancestor, Richard Burnell, who was in St Albans prison in the 1901 census. I suggest she tries the PRO ref HO140 - and add comments on the advantages of having criminal ancestors,
The Fox, Darley Hall, Kings Walden	Clive was having difficulty in finding out what had happened to The Fox since a relative was landlord at the time of the 1891 census. I show how it can be located by use of the census data and maps - and reveal that the problem is that virtually all online references now give it a Luton rather than a Kings Walden or Hertfordshire address.
Thundridge	Mark has asked who wrote the poem I quote - and when. Apart from stating that it was quoted by Cussans in 1870 I can't help. Does anyone know the author and when it was written.
Wareside Grammar School	Following a query on the Rootsweb Hertfordshire message board I located information on the school where Samuel Youngman was in the 1841 census.
Elm Lodge, Goff's Oak, Cheshunt	Frances is shown how she can find out where Elm Lodge was, and also where she might get more information about it.
MILES, Aspenden, born c 1806 & 1851 census	Monica's ancestor is recorded as being born at "Hoopston, Herts" by Ancestry. See how does the place name Aspenden could get so distorted?
Round Bush, Aldenham, Mid-19th Century	Kay's ancestor was born on "Archer's Farm" in 1859, but it cannot be traced. I show the family were living at Round Bush, and Charles Rumney may have been born on a farm owned by Mr Archer.
RYDER & Son, St Albans, Early 20th Century	Chris has provided some supplementary information and I have added a link to SYMINGTON, Markyate area & St Albans, 19th century.
The Long Stay Hospitals of the St Albans area	As the result of a quick query from David I have added a reference to a useful article in Family Tree Magazine, and a note relating to patients of military hospitals in the First World War.
VYE, Walkern, before December 1912	Chantal has found an ancestor on this page - so the site looks as if it has, yet again, been successful in putting cousins in touch with each other.