Do you live in USA, Canada or elsewhere in the world, and have ancestors who immigrated there from England, Scotland, Wales or Ireland? Do you have many ancestors from different parts of the United Kingdom? How many interesting stories are waiting to be found about these ancestors? This blog explains to those with British Ancestry how Research Through People go about researching their ancestors and bringing them to life, using examples from others who have ancestors from UK. Discover your British family lineage with professional genealogists and uncover a past that you never knew existed.
Let us connect you with your ancestors’ lives, trace your family back in time and provide a fascinating report with maps showing exactly where your ancestors lived. We will explain about the historical and other aspects of the times that your ancestors lived through; and use examples of walking in your ancestors’ footsteps to illustrate what’s involved in the research.
Buck, Spencer, Muir & Lewis Origins
We very often find that many of you do not just have one British ancestor but many who different times. This example is of the Buck, Spencer, Muir and Lewis families who came from Scotland, England and Wales at various times.
In England, they were from the Midlands, from various counties such as Nottinghamshire. In Scotland, from near Edinburgh, but also from the very north of Scotland, in Caithness. They also had Welsh ancestors from Glamorgan. And they emigrated at different times. These ancestors left between 1844 and 1885. This is the sort of pattern we often find.
Understandably, American and Canadian knowledge of Britain is less than people who live here. So we focus particularly on bringing the places that your ancestors lived in to life. Here William Smith Muir was born in 1822 in Bannockburn.
Bannockburn is famous for the Battle of Bannockburn which was fought more than 700 years ago in 1314 when the army of the Scots of Robert the Bruce defeated the English army. Bannockburn is very much considered a landmark moment in Scottish history.
William Smith Muir married Jane Robb in Bannockburn in 1844 and straight away they emigrated to USA. We found the ship they emigrated on, the Swanson, photos of them, and their gravestones in America many years later.
Here we look at the ancestors of Joan Lough who immigrated to USA in 1926. Joan was born in Worcestershire, and married someone called Senghas, whose family had come from Germany. Joan’s father Frederick was killed in the First World War. So, her mother Kate emigrated with daughter Joan to Michigan 10 years later.
The Loughs were from Middlesex and the East End of London, known as Cockneys. On Kate’s side, they were from Worcestershire and Herefordshire, going back more than 200 years. Marden and Pershore were both rural areas known for market gardening and fruit and vegetables. A very pleasant and historic area to visit, and walk in your ancestors’ footsteps.
I too, have ancestors who immigrated to America – in my case, 400 years ago. My ancestor, Richard Warren, sailed on the Mayflower in 1620. The following year, Philippe de Lannoy, whose name was changed to Philip Delano, was on the Fortune that went to New England.
Lots of work has gone into researching the Mayflower passengers, about half of whom have descendants. You can buy accurate GSMD books of, typically, the first five generation down from that person. The reason that my family live in Britain, not America, is that Captain Henry Delano came back to England in 1785.
I am very knowledgeable about the Mayflower, including where the passengers came from in England. I’ve given more than 100 lectures and presentations in recent years. So, when people like yourselves get in touch, I can empathize and understand the way you see things from America.
I have recently published the readable story The Delano and Cooke Ancestors about their intrepid de Lannoy and Mahieu ancestors from Flanders. Their story was very different from the English passengers. They were persecuted by their Spanish rulers, fled to England, and then went to Leiden in Holland 20 years before the English Pilgrims arrived there.
You can order a copy from the Lulu Bookstore (https://www.lulu.com). To view a blog and video Presentation, click here. To see a short Introductory Video, click here.
That gives you a flavour of what finding out about your British ancestors before they emigrated to America could be like. We are dedicated to helping you to discover your roots and family heritage. Find out what you can expect if you ask us to research your ancestors for you.
Ready to trace your United Kingdom Ancestors who emigrated to USA or Canada’s Footsteps?
Many people across the world are lucky enough to have ancestral ties to England, Scotland, Wales or Ireland. Researching ancestry and walking in the footsteps of ancestors can be important motivations for a visit to Britain.
Please fill in your research query and we will be happy to help. We look forward to hearing from you and being part of your British ancestral journey.
