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Welcome to Family Detective

Your family history may be a mystery to you at the moment, but imagine if you could discover who your ancestors really were!

At Family Detective we will carry out the research on your behalf and uncover the secrets of your family's past - not just names and dates, but fascinating facts about individuals and families; what they did, where they resided and how they lived their daily lives.

Many of these facts are available through Census reports, Parish records and Birth, Marriage and Death certificates, but not everyone has the time or expertise to carry out extensive research for themselves. Now, you can commission us to do your detective work for you.

Once we have discussed your requirements with you, our researchers will begin their investigations. All the information we find out about your family; including dates, children, occupations, addresses, military information, places of interest or famous relatives will be included in a stylish presentation folder which also includes a full genealogical report. For optional extras such as poster-sized family trees and heraldic reports, please see the Package Comparison page.

To get started on your own historical adventure, simply choose a package to suit your budget and complete the on-line application form. We will contact you to discuss how to proceed.

Shaftesbury Training Ship

Tuesday, 24 January 2012 11:21

This week we found one of our clients' more elusive ancestors on board the Shaftesbury Training Ship, anchored near Grays in Essex. Scrawled across the 1891 census page were the words: "Under legal detention to the age of 16 years according to the Industrial Schools Act of 1866 and Safeguard Act".

Named after the founder of Training Ships, Lord Shaftebsury, the Shaftesbury was commissioned as a training school for "unmanageable boys" of 14 or younger, with the aim of getting them off the streets, where most were scratching an illegal living by begging or stealing, and giving them a useful skill. The British Medical Journal of 1903 says of the boys: "At first youths who have lived their lives running wild in the gutters and slums pine very much for their liberty, but once this feeling has worn off they lead comparatively happy lives and become contented."

The boys would be scrubbed and given a hair cut and a new suit of clothes as well as the opportunity to learn a skill (our boy became a Sailmaker), and participate in sports, music and lessons. The boys were given three meals a day, which included bread, butter, potatoes, cocoa and jam or marmalade with meat pie on a Wednesday and fish on Friday.

International Genealogical Index

This index (www.familysearch.org) was set up by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and although its purpose is not primarily for family history, it may contain some help information pertaining to the births, marriages and deaths of your ancestors. As with all other indexes, this is not a complete record and there are gaps and missing details, however, it is a free site and definitely worth a look especially if you are trying to trace your family back before 1837.

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