Situations that determine the direction in which our genealogical roots may take can be diverse and far reaching. Many of us might have an ancestor of a different nationality than our own ‘hiding’ within the branches of our family trees; it is just a matter of following the clues to their country of origin.
On many occasions, these links are formed due to the influx of migrants to British shores during previous centuries. For example, by the 1851 census, approximately 4000 Italians were living in England. The majority of them came from the mountain and lake regions of Italy, bringing their artistic talents and craftsmanship with them in an attempt to earn extra money before returning home in time for their harvests. Within thirty years, the next generation of Italians followed their predecessors, eager to escape rural poverty in their own country, and choosing to settle in Britain for good. Men brought their wives and children, and those who were single married into local families establishing small pockets of Italian communities.
From ships’ chandlers and plasterers, clock makers to ice cream vendors, their choice of occupations was diverse. Consider using the census to check for patterns in your ancestors’ employment histories as evidence may point to a family trade passed down through the generations, or the establishment of a small family run business.
But not all of our ‘foreign’ ancestors were introduced into our family line as migrants to Britain. Equally, our British forebears may have travelled to foreign climes – on business or pleasure – and found a ‘marriage match’ that was to add new and fascinating links to our genealogical trees. Perhaps you’ve discovered family letters and documents referring to voyages overseas; promotional material and ephemera from hotels and destinations abroad, or correspondence written in a foreign language suggesting that the traveller was a regular visitor to that country.
In an age of planes, trains and automobiles, and with the aid of GPS, TV, radio and Internet access, we take the ease with which we travel for granted. For our forebears every aspect of a foreign trip was an exciting, yet daunting experience, so many took the opportunity to document their adventures in their own hand. The survival of a diary or journal revealing the personal feelings, thoughts and experiences of a person’s travels abroad provide us with unique and priceless memories, and as with all areas of genealogical research, the smallest detail can shed light on a whole new aspect of your ancestral history that you previously never knew existed.
Karen Foy is the author of Ancestors On the Move. Following the tried and tested routes established by cargo ships, Karen Foy describes the development of passenger travel, the changing face of the vessels used and the demand for both comfort and speed. From transportation to trade, adventure to emigration, through persecution or for pleasure, she explains the reasons behind our ancestor’s desire for overseas travel and reveals the records and archives we can search to complete our own genealogical journey.