Follow Friday: My Top 10 websites for Essex Ancestors

Genealogist Thomas MacEntee of Geneabloggers runs a great website for genealogists. He suggests ‘Daily Blogging Prompts’ to help inspire bloggers to write genealogical posts. In the spirit of one of his Prompts, Follow Friday, my post today contains my top 10 Essex related websites for genealogical and local history research.

1. For archives, Essex Record Office’s online catalogue: http://seax.essexcc.gov.uk/

2. Ancestor owned or ran a pub in Essex? Try Pub History

Royal Oak pub in Great Dunmow. Left picture has the figure of the landlord, James Nelson Kemp (my grandfather’s uncle), and the right picture is of his son, Gordon Parnall Kemp (my grandfather’s cousin), killed in the Great War and commemorated on the town’s War Memorial along with his brother, Harold.

3. The history of various towns and villages in Essex: http://www.historyhouse.co.uk/

4. The early-modern witches of Essex: http://www.witchtrials.co.uk/ (This site also contains an essay by me which I wrote when I first started my research into witchcraft in early-modern Essex – see if you can spot it!)

5. Essex churches: http://www.essexchurches.info/

6. Roll of Honour for the war dead of Essex: http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Essex//

7. Francis Firth for images of Essex past: http://www.francisfrith.com/essex/

8. For postcards of Essex towns and villages: http://www.ebay.co.uk

9. The Recorders of Uttlesford’s history: http://www.recordinguttlesfordhistory.org.uk/

10. Website with links to early-modern and modern Essex: Genmaps – Essex

And, of course, if your ancestor lived in early-modern Great Dunmow, then this website, Essex Voice Past!

Another one to add to my list!
Update 9 March 2012 at 19:30: I’ve realised I’ve made a glaring admission in my Top 10. This one is definitely up there amongst my favourite sites.

Was you ancestor in a workhouse? This is an amazing site, be prepared to lose a few hours pouring over it!: http://www.workhouses.org.uk/

Have I missed any of your favourites? Let me know…

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You may also be interested in the following
– The craft of being a historian: Research Techniques
– The craft of being a historian: Analysing primary sources
– The craft of being a historian: Using maps for local history
– The craft of being a historian: Online resources

Comment (2)

Kevan| 8th December 2012

Thanks for the link to my deadpubs site. It is rather good, but then the Essex part of the site was originally built by Ian Hunter before his death. I just keep it going with a number of friends. I have actually moved the updates to a new site, i.e. pubshistory.com although the search engine from the old site takes you there anyway.
Best
Kevan
ps Another brilliant resource is the Essex Record office SEAX database (in Chelmsford). I reckon it is probably one of the best record offices to visit, too.

the narrator| 9th December 2012

Thanks for the update Kevan – I’ve updated my link to your new site. I’ve long enjoyed Ian’s site and so glad you’ve kept it going. Good news for me that you now cover Surrey/London as I have publican ancestors in Camberwell, Peckham, Dulwich and Wandsworth.

I agree that the Essex Record Office’s SEAX is brilliant – that’s why it’s number 1 on my list above. A great resource and the record office is certainly one of the best.