Re: Percivals in England.
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In reply to:
Re: Percivals in England.
10/09/01
Hi Shirley,
Most of the information I sent to you was in the British Biographical Archive. It's a verbatim collection from various other biographical directories, and is in 2 series of microfiches. I'm not sure, but I think a 3rd series is in the making. Our local university and National Library have reference copies of this.
A volunteer sent me a transcript of all Percivals in Northampton on the 1841 census.
Everything else was either from the IGI online or the St. Giles marriage register, on film from The Mormons Family History Center. The IGI is a great tool, but not always accurate; it's best to double check everything on the original registers (I'm sure you've heard that before!). Their Ancestral File is also something to be handled with care. It's not always reliable either, since it is sent in by individuals--i.e. not extracted from the original source.
I'm a relatively inexperienced but very sceptical genealogist. Perhaps I'm a bit too exacting, but I like to have 3 pieces of evidence for everything (except primary source information) before I take it as bible truth! Take the family group you sent me, for instance. I had seen that on Ancestral File some time ago and kept a copy of it, but had not accepted it as "mine". What rubbed me wrong was that it lists Samuel's wife as Mary Shelton, and doesn't mention St. Giles. I later discovered that there are 2 adult Samuels listed on the 1841 census in Northampton, both the same age. Mine is definitely the banker listed with wife Jane and almost all the children she named in her will, living on Abington St.. The other Samuel listed is a boot blocker, married to Mary, with a 10-year old named Samuel; they lived on Scarletwell St. I suspect that this was the one you pointed out to me. (Sorry to burst your bubble.)
I haven't been able to find Francis William Percival on the IGI either, but he is listed on the Brit. Bio. Arch.
FYI, I took brief notes on the Brit. Bio. Arch. entries for the Peterborough Percivals: John Andrew, born 1847,son of Andrew...and Andrew Francis, born 1887, son of John Andrew.
You wrote that you'd found Samual Deacon Percival, one of the brothers of George, William, Thomas, Everard, Richard etc---may I ask: who else is included in that "etc"?
Like I said, I'm no expert. If you want my advice, though, school registers are very helpful, when you can find them. (The Society of Genealogists in London has quite a few.) The couple of wills I've been able to get my hands on are treasure troves. If you know when the person died, at least you have a date to start searching with! For (in)famous people, there might be local newspaperarticles, though they're not always accurate or complete (newspapers would probably be held locally, or at the Colindale Library in London). Some old journals (like "Gentleman's Magazine") are even available online now. Sometimes too, the organizations our ancestors belonged to are still in existence and have a website or mailing address. If you're lucky, a kindly archivist there will be happy to access the old records for you. Just be persistent, creative, surf the internet, keep an open mind, take nothing for granted, and read everything you can get your hands on! A genealogist's work is never done!
Hope this helps!
Yours Truly,
Donna
More Replies:
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Re: Percivals in England.
10/23/01
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Re: Percivals in England.
10/10/01