Joe Swash's episode of Who Do You Think You Are? this week followed the history of his great-grandmother. Whilst she was born in London at the turn of the century, her parents were, in turn, from Italy. If you have been inspired to research your own migrant ancestors, here are some tips to get you started.
ORAL HISTORY
Ask around the family for any stories that have been passed down. Like those stories in Joe's family history, some may be true and some a little inaccurate - his family was not from Sicily for example, although there was a brush with the law which included arms.
UK RECORDS
Once you have some basic information, searches can then begin of British sources. Joe found his great-grandmother in the 1921 census, and this is a great place to start. This gave him the information that Maria and her siblings were all born in London, but their parents were born in Italy. Looking at subsequent census enumerations together with records of General Registration can, in turn, provide an approximate date of arrival in Britain for a migrant ancestor.
NATURALISATION
Whilst by no means every migrant went through the process of formal naturalisation, naturalisation certificates can be accessed for the period 1870-1948 at The National Archives, with the period 1870-1916 also available via www.ancestry.co.uk. It appears that Joe's great great grandfather Guiseppe Raimo did not undertake this formal process - which is far from rare - although another Italian Raimo did in 1874:
NAME VARIANTS
When undertaking research into British sources, it is always good practice to consider name variants. Both forenames and surnames could be Anglicised - Joe's ancestor was named as both Guiseppe and Joseph for example - and British clerks may have struggled with unfamiliar names. Be creative with your searches, and ensure that the * function is utilised in search engines to replace letters - so R*mo could be sought in case the vowels had been recorded inaccurately.
ENGAGE A PROFESSIONAL
After finding out information from British sources, searches can then consider research in the native country. If you are as lucky as Joe's family, then an original passport may survive, providing precise birthplaces - this detail is key to taking the family history back in time. To discuss your family history with a professional researcher, contact us today to see how we can help progress your ancestry back in time.
