“Detectives at Work”

Two recent enquiries (one from New Zealand) received by the Edwinstowe Historical Society concerned ancestors connected with Edwinstowe.   The Society was able to provide information which was a complete surprise to both parties and helped to fill in some of the gaps in their search for information about their relatives.

When first contacted for information, the Society’s researchers refer to St Mary’s church registers for births, marriages and deaths which will help to confirm if a person lived in the parish.  The record of burial plots in the church yard is helpful for people requesting their ancestor’s resting place, and sometimes it is possible to provide a photo of the headstone, if not eroded by time. A look at the village census will provide details of a person’s abode, marital status, and occupation at a given time, together with mention of any other family members.  Searching older editions of newspapers often reveals interesting comments about people.  In fact, the accounts rendered are so full of detail that one wonders how the reporters managed to record so much information without the help of modern-day recording systems.  These can often refer to incidents in a person’s life, e.g., the sale of a property; attendance at civic ceremonies; a military award; even an appearance in court for being drunk, or an upset with one’s neighbour.

Recent additions to the website www.edwinstowehistory.org.uk  relate to local artists Frank Wright and Sylvia Lake Armstrong.