Thursday, June 17, 2021

The Birth of a Surname, Part 2: The legacy of Gouly de Chaville

Welcome to my latest post! Previously, I explored the life of one Gouly de Chaville whom I found in a chance survey of the Preston Plucknett tithe records from 1848. Gouly de Chaville turned out to have been a Frenchman originally named Paul Benoit Joseph Gouly; the ‘de Chaville’ seems to have been added after his migration to England. Not only did Paul lead an interesting life of language teaching and a somewhat nomadic lifestyle, but his choice of surname led to a new surname being formed and a new family name. Paul was not generally known simply by his birth surname of Gouly, but by ‘Gouly de Chaville.’ Possibly a moniker to mark him out from other Frenchmen, but also perhaps to show pride in his country and birthplace. This change of surname had farther reaching consequences for the surnames of his children and wider family.

The story of five children

As I mentioned in my previous post, Paul had at least five children with his first wife Harriett (or Henrietta) Maria Sanders. Harriett then sadly passed away in February of 1864,[1] the informant not her husband but likely a relative of Digory Gordge. Harriett had been living with Digory and his family at the time of the 1861 Census, in Charmouth, Dorset,[2] and was also buried there on the 12^th of February, aged 60.[3] Paul did remarry to Annie Mason on 20 April 1865, in Christchurch, Hampshire.[4] The couple had no children though, and Annie outlived Paul by twenty one years; she died back in Hampshire in 1911,[5] although the couple had continued their travels having been located in Aberystwyth at the time of the 1881 Census[6] and Worthing, Sussex at the time of Paul’s death in 1890.[7]

So what of Paul’s children with first wife Harriett? From census records found, the children of that union were Emma (or Emma Maria), Edward James, Henry Hugh, Mary Frances and Pauline Maria. They were all born between 1825 and 1837, mostly in Hillingdon, Middlesex (some records say Uxbridge), although Pauline was the only child to have been born in Reading, Berkshire. As I have previously explained, I have so far been unable to undertake a full search for their baptisms for COVID-19 reasons. You may also ask why I am writing about Paul’s children at all? It was Paul after all that unwittingly changed his surname from his birth name of ‘Gouly’ to ‘Gouly de Chaville.’ Surely his children would all carry that name? In actual fact, his children carried a mixture of surnames. It would seem that they could not decide upon one either!

Emma Maria de Chaville

Emma Maria was the eldest and born in about 1825.[8] [9] Her life is perhaps the least interesting from a researcher’s perspective, as she became a teacher and died unmarried in Burwash, Sussex, on the 23 July 1898.[10] She was buried in Burwash two days later.[11] Emma had taken after her father in some respects though, as she has been located in many different residences throughout her life. These were in various guises of teacher, governess and my personal favourite ‘daily instructress.’ After 1851 (where Emma can be found with her mother and sister Mary in Charmouth), Emma never again is living with family members. Of course, this does not mean that there was never any contact with her family; who can tell what went on between the census years without further research? But, it does make me wonder how close a family they were. In any case, the most interesting aspect of Emma’s life (to this research at least), is the surname that is recorded for her throughout her life.

The 1861 Census, whilst in Taunton, Somerset, records her as Emma CHAVILLE.[12] This is also the case for the 1891 Census, when she is in Etchingham, Sussex.[13] The 1881 Census for Hythe, Kent[14] and her death and burial records in Burwash however, all record her as Emma DE CHAVILLE. There is a further difference in the 1871 Census for Crediton, Devon, where she is Emma M. GOULY DE CHEVILLE.[15] Whether Emma meant it or not, she is rarely recorded as using the name Gouly at all, and essentially perpetuates a ‘new’ surname of CHAVILLE or DE CHAVILLE.

Mary Frances and Pauline Maria De Chaville

Both of Emma’s younger sisters Mary Frances and Pauline Maria have sadder stories to tell. Pauline Maria (the youngest, born in about 1837[16] [17]), died on 10 February 1856, in Taunton, Somerset. That would suggest that the family could still have been around that area at the time, as her sister Emma was still in Taunton in 1861. Being the youngest, Pauline was still in school in 1851 and attended Knapp House in Milborne Port, under the tutelage of school Mistress Anne Kelloway.[18] On that record, she was Pauline DU CHAVILLE and upon her death certificate of 1856, she was Pauline Maria Gouly D’CHAVILLE. Pauline was buried in Taunton five days after her death at St. Mary’s Church, Taunton and had been a school teacher living at Park Street in Wilton.[19] Regrettably, she was only 19 when she died.

Mary Frances (born in about 1831[20]), also had a sad life. Most of the census records do not even record her name, only her initials. This was due to her residency at the Fisherton Anger Lunatic Asylum near Salisbury, Dorset. In the future, I hope to discover more about her time there, so that her story can be told along with that of her siblings. Mary Frances spent most of her life in that Asylum, from at least 1861[21] until her death in December of 1901.[22] She is generally identifiable by an occupation of ‘daughter of a tutor’ and similar. Although when she is named in the Census of 1901[23] and in her death certificate later that year, she is Mary Frances Gouly DE CHAVILLE. So, yet again, this new surname of ‘De Chaville’ is used, rather than her father’s initial family name of ‘Gouly.’

Henry Hugh Gouly de Chaville

This brings me to Paul Gouly de Chaville’s two sons, Edward James and Henry Hugh. Henry Hugh (born in about 1829[24] [25]), was following in his father’s footsteps and working as a professor of languages (French and German) in 1851.[26] This was in Chard, Somerset, in the household of George Dunn. But a mere ten years later, he could be found in Downton, Wiltshire, living with the local vicar, having become a clerk in holy orders.[27] It is currently unclear what prompted this momentous shift in occupation! His surnames were a mixture of those of his sisters Emma and Mary Frances; on these records he was known as either Henry GOULY DE CHAVILLE or Henry H G DE CHAVILLE. Although Henry Hugh also died relatively young (like his sister Pauline), he did marry and was able to pass on his surname. So far, five children have been found for Henry and his wife Lucy Elizabeth (neé Fairthorne). The couple married on 12 February 1862, in Longcot, Berkshire,[28] eight years before Henry Hugh’s death at the age of 41.[29] The family had moved down to Devon, before Henry’s wife Lucy moved back to Wiltshire to spend her days at the Duchess of Somerset’s Almshouses in Froxfield.[30] The Almshouses were set up specifically to house the widows of clergymen residing within 160 miles of London.[31] Lucy then ended her life as Lucy Elizabeth GOULY DE CHAVILLE on 29 August 1913,[32] having never remarried. Further research is needed for Henry and Lucy’s children, but so far, they seem to have carried either the surname of GOULY DE CHAVILLE, or simply DE CHAVILLE.

Edward James Gouly

The last of Paul Gouly de Chaville’s children is Edward James, born in about 1827.[33] [34] Whilst not the oldest, he was the oldest boy and perhaps this is why he subsequently used solely the surname GOULY throughout his life. Further research into any French naming practices that might govern this choice would need to be performed, but there is no variation with GOULY DE CHAVILLE or even DE CHAVILLE like his siblings. Subsequently, he was by far the easiest to locate and also the family member who did the least travelling. Edward’s marriage to Elizabeth Frances Dearsly took place on 24 August 1844, at Holy Trinity Church in Islington, Middlesex. Edward was still a minor at about 17, but had already found employment as a clerk for the Bank of England.[35] This was an occupation he carried on until sometime before 1895, when he was recorded as being retired on his second wife’s death certificate.[36] His first wife Elizabeth, died in 1853[37] and Edward then remarried twenty nine years later on 01 June 1882. This second marriage was to Julia Marianne Hawkey, who was residing in Bournemouth at the time, which is also where the marriage took place.[38] Coincidentally, this is not far from where his father Paul married his second wife in 1865.

Map of BMD events_Gouly de Chaville_Shersca Genealogy-page-001

A map of the locations of BMD events for Paul and his children. Map copyright of Google.

As Edward had steady employment, so he had a more steady residence than his father and most of his siblings. Islington was where Edward and his family lived until 1871 at least, living first at 11 Eden Grove[39] and then at number 5, St. John’s Park, St. Mary’s, Islington.[40] [41] Just before his second marriage, Edward moved to the St. Pancras area of London and lived at number 25 (or St. John’s Lodge), Dartmouth Park Avenue[42] [43] until sometime between 1901[44] and 1911.[45] By 1911, Edward had moved again to Bounds Green in New Southgate, Middlesex, outliving even his second wife Julia, who died in 1895.[46] Edward died himself at 1 York Road, Southgate on 04 December 1916, at the grand old age of 89.[47] He left just over £2,000 in his estate,[48] and had also been one of the executors of his stepmother Annie’s estate upon her death five years earlier.[49] It must have been a slightly strange family dynamic when Edward was about five years older than his stepmother Annie!

Two surnames for the same family

Like Henry Hugh, Edward James passed his surname on to his children (also five, by his first wife Elizabeth). But this time, the surname passed on was GOULY, with no exceptions. Their father Paul’s family surname could live on in its original form, but only through one of his children! Only Henry Hugh had any other descendants and he passed on the variations that were created when Paul decided to add ‘de Chaville’ to his own name. What this has created is two branches of the same family with completely different surnames! This makes it more likely that anyone researching one of these branches may not make the connection with the other, at least to begin with.

There is much left to discover in Paul’s family and there are even hints that the descendants of Edward James and Henry Hugh may have Australian and South African links. What I have found so far has only just scratched the surface, so I am looking forward to adding to their stories in the future. What I have outlined in this series of posts though, is that through one man’s decision, a whole new surname or set of surname variants was created. They in turn were cemented by constant use and appearance in official records, and it all started with ‘Gouly de Chaville’ being recorded in the 1848 Preston Plucknett tithe records. The smallest or most innocuous entry in a record, really can spark something immense!

[1] Deaths (CR) England. Charmouth, Dorset. 05 February 1864. GOULY DE CHAVILLE, Maria Henrietta. Entry no. 320.

[2] Census records. England. Charmouth, Dorset. 07 April 1861. DE CHAVILLE, Harriet M G. PN: RG9/1370. FL 66. SN 39. ED 1. p. 6. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 13 December 2020.

[3] Burials (PR) England. Charmouth, Dorset. 12 February 1864. GOULY DE CHAVILLE, Henrietta Maria. Collection: Dorset, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813-2010. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 10 December 2020.

[4] Marriages (CR) England. Parish Church, Christchurch, Hampshire. 20 April 1865. GOULY DE CHAVILLE, Paul Benoît Joseph and MASON, Annie. Entry no. 190.

[5] Deaths (CR) England. Boscombe, Christchurch, Hampshire. 06 Oct 1911. GOULY-DE-CHAVILLE, Annie. Entry no. 65.

[6] Census records. Wales. Aberystwyth, Cardiganshire. 03 April 1881. CHAVILLE, Paul Benoet. PN: RG11/5445. FL 44. SN 362. ED 1b. p. 6. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 26 November 2020.

[7] Deaths (CR) England. Worthing, Sussex. 04 May 1890. GOULY DE CHAVILLE, Paul Benoît Joseph. Entry no. 405.

[8] Census records. England. Charmouth, Dorset. 30 March 1851. DE CHAVELLE, Morea [Maria] G (head). PN: HO107/1862. FL 8. SN 38. ED 1. p. 9. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 13 December 2020.

[9] Deaths (CR) England. Burwash, Sussex. 23 July 1898. DE CHAVILLE, Emma. Entry no. 3.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Burials (PR) England. Burwash, Sussex. 25 July 1898. DE CHAVILLE, Emma. [Transcription only.] Collection: Sussex Burials. http://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 06 January 2021.

[12] Census records. England. St. Mary Magdalen, Taunton, Somerset. 07 April 1861. CHAVILLE, Emma (head). PN: RG9/1617. FL 68. SN 127. ED 9. p. 17. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 06 January 2021.

[13] Census records. England. Etchingham, Sussex. 05 April 1891. CHAVILLE, Emma. PN: RG12/779. FL 62. SN 56. ED 6. p. 9. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 06 January 2021.

[14] Census records. England. Hythe, Kent. 03 April 1881. CHAVILLE, Emma M G de. PN: RG11/1014. FL 78. SN 275. ED 9. p. 52. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 06 January 2021.

[15] Census records. England. Crediton, Devon. 02 April 1871. GOULY DE CHEVILLE, Emma M. PN: RG10/2161. FL 44. SN 33. ED 3. p. 6. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 06 January 2021.

[16] Census records. England. Milborne Port, Somerset. 30 March 1851. CHAVILLE, Pauline du. PN: HO107/1931. FL 297. SN 81. ED 3c. p. 20. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 08 January 2021.

[17] Deaths (CR) England. Wilton, Taunton, Somerset. 10 February 1856. D’CHAVILLE, Pauline Maria Gouly. Entry no. 126.

[18] Census records. England. Milborne Port, Somerset. 30 March 1851. CHAVILLE, Pauline du. PN: HO107/1931. FL 297. SN 81. ED 3c. p. 20. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 08 January 2021.

[19] Burials (PR) England. St. Mary, Taunton, Somerset. 15 February 1856. DE CHAVILLE, Pauline Maria Gouly. Collection: Somerset, England, Church of England Burials, 1813-1914. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 10 December 2020.

[20] Census records. England. Charmouth, Dorset. 30 March 1851. DE CHAVELLE, Mary F. PN: HO107/1862. FL 8. SN 38. ED 1. p. 9. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 13 December 2020.

[21] Census records. England. Fisherton Anger, [Salisbury], Wiltshire. 07 April 1861. C, M F G D’ [CHAVILLE, Mary Frances Gouly De]. PN: RG9/1315. FL 150. SN 1. ED Fisherton House Lunatic Asylum. p. 18. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 14 January 2021.

[22] Deaths (CR) England. Fisherton Anger, Wiltshire. 08 December 1901. DE CHAVILLE, Mary Frances Gouly. Entry no. 437.

[23] Census records. England. Fisherton Anger, [Salisbury], Wiltshire. 31 March 1901. DE CHAVILLE, Mary Frances G. PN: RG13/1951. FL 142. SN 1. ED Fisherton House. p. 6. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 08 January 2021.

[24] Census records. England. Chard, Somerset. 30 March 1851. GOULY DE CHAVILLE, Henry. PN: HO107/1928. FL 57. SN 75. ED 1b. p. 20. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 07 January 2021.

[25] Deaths (CR) England. Dartmouth, Devon. 07 December 1870. DE CHAVILLE, Henry Hugh Gouly. Entry no. 374.

[26] Census records. England. Chard, Somerset. 30 March 1851. GOULY DE CHAVILLE, Henry. PN: HO107/1928. FL 57. SN 75. ED 1b. p. 20. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 07 January 2021.

[27] Census records. England. Downton, Wiltshire. 07 April 1861. DE CHAVILLE, Henry H G. PN: RG9/1314. FL 60. SN 70. ED 4. p. 13. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 08 January 2021.

[28] Marriages (CR) England. Parish Church, Longcot, Berkshire. 12 February 1862. DE CHAVILLE, Henry Hugh Gouly and FAIRTHORNE, Lucy Elizabeth. Entry no. 118.

[29] Deaths (CR) England. Dartmouth, Devon. 07 December 1870. DE CHAVILLE, Henry Hugh Gouly. Entry no. 374.

[30] Census records. England. Froxfield, Hungerford, Berkshire [Wiltshire]. 02 April 1911. GOULY DE CHAVILLE, Lucy Elizabeth (head). RD 115. PN: RG14/6406. ED 7. SN 10. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 08 January 2021.

[31] Hamilton, N. E. S. A. (1868) The National gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland. London: Virtue. [Extract transcribed by Colin Hinson, 2003] https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/WIL/Froxfield : accessed 06 June 2021.

[32] Deaths (CR) England. Froxfield, Ramsbury, Wiltshire. 29 August 1913. GOULY DE CHAVILLE, Lucy Elizabeth. Entry no. 1.

[33] Census records. England. Islington, Middlesex. 30 March 1851. GOULY, Edward Ja[me]s (head). PN: HO107/1500. FL 750. SN 12. ED 68. p. 3. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 07 January 2021.

[34] Deaths (CR) England. Southgate, Middlesex. 04 Dec 1916. GOULY, Edward James. Entry no. 139.

[35] Marriages (PR) England. Holy Trinity, Islington, Middlesex. 24 August 1844. GOULY, Edward James and DEARSLY, Elizabeth Frances. Collection: London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1932. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 07 January 2021.

[36] Deaths (CR) England. Kentish Town, Pancras, London. 27 March 1895. GOULY, Julia Marianne. Entry no. 429.

[37] Deaths (CR) England. Holloway, Islington, Middlesex. 06 March 1853. GOULY, Elizabeth Frances. Entry no. 187.

[38] Marriages (CR) England. Parish Church of St. Clements, Bournemouth, Christchurch, Hampshire. 01 June 1882. GOULY, Edward James and HAWKEY, Julia Marianne. Entry no. 117.

[39] Census records. England. Islington, Middlesex. 30 March 1851. GOULY, Edward Ja[me]s (head). PN: HO107/1500. FL 750. SN 12. ED 68. p. 3. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 07 January 2021.

[40] Census records. England. Islington, Middlesex. 07 April 1861. GOULY, Edward J (head). PN: RG9/137. FL 23. SN 44. ED 70. p. 9. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 06 January 2021.

[41] Census records. England. St. Mary, Islington, London. 02 April 1871. CHEVILL, Emma M Gouly De (head). PN: RG10/276. FL 7. SN 26. ED 74. p. 8. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 06 January 2021.

[42] Census records. England. St. Pancras, London. 03 April 1881. GOULY, Edward J (head). PN: RG11/221. FL 43. SN 195. ED 39. p. 39. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 06 January 2021.

[43] Census records. England. St. Pancras, London. 05 April 1891. GOULY, Edward J (head). PN: RG12/139. FL 9. SN 62. ED 42. p. 13. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 06 January 2021.

[44] Census records. England. St. Pancras, London. 31 March 1901. GOULEY, Edw[ar]d J (head). PN: RG13/156. FL 66. SN 377. ED 19. p. 55. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 07 January 2021.

[45] Census records. England. Bounds Green, New Southgate, Middlesex. 02 April 1911. GOULY, Edward James (head). RD 132. PN: RG14/7401. ED 51. SN 208. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 07 January 2021.

[46] Deaths (CR) England. Kentish Town, Pancras, London. 27 March 1895. GOULY, Julia Marianne. Entry no. 429.

[47] Deaths (CR) England. Southgate, Middlesex. 04 Dec 1916. GOULY, Edward James. Entry no. 139.

[48] Testamentary records. England. 25 January 1917. GOULY, Edward James. Principal Probate Registry. Calendar of the grants of probate. p. 410. Collection: England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 13 December 2020.

[49] Testamentary records. England. 07 November 1911. GOULY DE CHAVILLE, Annie. Principal Probate Registry. Calendar of the grants of probate. p. 290. Collection: England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 13 December 2020.

Sunday, May 30, 2021

The Birth of a Surname: The life of Gouly de Chaville.

How often these days do we see the birth of a completely new surname? Surnames started to become fixed around the 13^th and 14^th centuries,[1] so now there is bound to be less change. However, with migration and marriage conventions changing, perhaps new surnames crop up a little more than we think. There are certainly going to be surnames in England and Wales that we would not have seen even 100 years ago, simply because the bearer has migrated from Europe, Asia, Africa or elsewhere. Double-barrelled surnames upon marriage also create new surnames in their own way, even if they are perhaps hybrids of names we have seen before. But what about when a new surname has come about through a ‘lost in translation’ scenario? That is exactly what the subject of this post is all about.

A chance discovery

In my final post about the history of my house, I came across a rather fascinating name in the tithe record for the Preston Plucknett area of Somerset in 1848. This name was Gouly de Chaville.[2] To my mind, the name automatically sounded French and further research proved my suspicions to be correct. But what about the name itself, ‘Gouly de Chaville?’ It does not seem to comprise the usual forename, surname composition that we are used to nowadays and really denotes that ‘Gouly’ is 'of Chaville.’ I will come to the ins and outs of the name in due course, but the most fascinating aspect of my research into Gouly de Chaville was the birth of a new surname carried by some of his children. And all of this came from a simple chance entry in a tithe record!

Before I delve further into the life of Gouly de Chaville, I should tell you now that both Gouly and his family were not always easy to find in the records. At times, they were frankly a nightmare! And why was this? Mainly due to the many ways their surname was recorded, both by the original record keeper and also by modern record transcribers. To add to the problem, the family had French origins, but were living in England and Wales. A lack of familiarity regarding foreign names (and in this case, specifically French ones), is a large part of the issue. That aside, there is a wealth of information available for Gouly and his children and they have proven to be quite the interesting study.

Birth of a surname_1_ Gouly house, 1848_Shersca Genealogy

The possible modern location of Plot 135 of the 1848 Preston Plucknett tithes. A house rented by Gouly de Chaville, this is now part of the entrance of Preston Park. The site may have extended into the house in the background. © 2021 Shersca Genealogy.

French Beginnings

It may not be surprising, but Gouly de Chaville did not begin life as ‘Gouly de Chaville.’ His given name at birth was Paul Benoit Joseph Gouly and he was born to Marie Benoit Gouly and his wife Marie Elizabeth Chaudier. This birth took place on 02 February 1797 in a little commune called Viroflay in the Seines-et-Oise department of France.[3] Viroflay is now in the Yvelines department, of Ile-de-France. It is merely minutes east of Versailles and so technically now could be considered part of the suburbs of Paris.[4] Around five minutes east of Viroflay itself is the commune of Chaville.[5] So now, the moniker ‘de Chaville’ makes more sense. But why would Paul Benoit Joseph Gouly have added this to his name? It may be that a Frenchman in England would have wanted to mark himself different to anyone else with his surname, or he may have been proud of his birthplace and wanted everyone to know it.

In either case, when the Frenchman travelled to England, he became known as Paul Benoit Joseph Gouly de Chaville. It seems likely that many an English authority recording his name sought a shorter name and so many variations appear in the records. As I have already mentioned, the Preston Plucknett tithes recorded him as Gouly de Chaville, neglecting his forenames altogether. Whereas in some later census records of the 1880s and 1890s his full name is recorded, but sometimes also as Gouly, Gouly de Chaville or with Gouly added as a middle name. Berkshire newspaper articles more formally call him Monsieur Gouly or Monsieur Gouly de Chaville. From this point on, I will refer to him as Paul.

It is so far unclear exactly when Paul travelled to England, but he first appears upon his marriage to Harriett Maria Sanders on 16 March 1822 in Surrey. The couple were married at St. Giles, Camberwell in Southwark.[6] At the time Paul seems to have been residing in Iver, Buckinghamshire and his surname was this time, merely Gouly. This was only the beginning of his nomadic existence in England and Wales. At this point, you will have to forgive me. I have not yet been able to acquire the baptisms of the couple’s children, due to COVID restrictions. It may prove challenging, as being French, there is the distinct possibility that the family were Roman Catholic. Luckily for me, most of Paul’s life takes place during the years of Victorian Civil Registration!

Children and a move to Berkshire

Paul and Harriett’s eldest child was Emma Maria, born in about 1825, in Uxbridge, Middlesex.[7] She was followed by the eldest son, Edward James in about 1827,[8] then Henry Hugh in about 1829,[9] and Mary Frances in about 1831.[10] Like Emma, the children that followed her were born in Uxbridge, although some records record their birthplace as Hillingdon. These two places are very close to each other. The youngest child, Pauline Maria, was born in about 1837.[11] Further research into the baptisms for the children may yet find that the couple had more children- that could certainly be the case as there is such as large gap between Mary and Pauline.

Then between the birth of Mary Frances and Pauline Maria, the family relocated from the Hillingden/Uxbridge area, to Reading in Berkshire. Pauline was recorded to have been born in Reading. They lived in Berkshire until at least 1841, where Paul and some of his children are recorded on the 1841 Census.[12] Curiously, his wife Harriett was staying in Bristol when the enumerator came to call that year.[13] 1848 was when ‘Gouly de Chaville’ appeared in the tithe records for Preston Plucknett, so Paul at least had moved to the Yeovil area by that time. It has been difficult to say whether the family was a close unit, as Paul often appears on census records alone, or with only a few of his family members. Again, though in the 1841 Census, Paul is known as Gouly de Chaville.

A distinguished man

Before the move to Somerset, Paul seems to have had a somewhat illustrious career during his time in Berkshire, where he offered his services as a private language tutor. This was a career he pursued throughout his life and may account for his nomadic lifestyle- he perhaps would have travelled (to some extent), to where the clients were. But when he lived in Reading, he appears in numerous newspaper articles, but there are some specific articles which are pertinent. Firstly, in 1835, Paul was associated with a Mr. T Burr (son of a professor at the military college in Sandhurst), as Mr. Burr was inviting applications for his military drawing classes via ‘Mons. G. De Chaville, 5 Southern Hill [Reading].’[14] This cements the name of Gouly de Chaville and completely omits any of Paul’s forenames. Perhaps this was a conscious choice on Paul’s part?

A further connection with Sandhurst, records Paul as ‘Goulay de Chaville,’ when he again appeared in the newspaper in December of 1836. According to the Berkshire Chronicle, the Queen’s nephew (Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar) was due to attend officer training at Sandhurst. Paul was apparently preparing him for his duties at Sandhurst, whilst the Prince was residing with Paul at Southern Hill in Reading. Quite an illustrious position! The newspaper further described him as the ‘M. de Chaville’ who gave a recent lecture on ‘Volcanoes’ to the Philosophical Institution. It was admired for its ‘elegance and force.’[15]

An issue of name

There are many other newspaper articles that relate to Paul in one form or another; far too many in fact to discuss here. But there is one final newspaper article from Paul’s time in Reading that involves his name. In March of 1838, Paul sent a letter to the editor of the Reading Mercury, asking for a correction to be made. Paul was asking for the paper to stop associating him with another man named Pierre Cheri Barthes. Both the Reading Mercury and the Berkshire Chronicle had been erroneously calling Pierre, ‘Pierre Chaville de Barthes,’ and Paul had taken a real exception to this! He felt that his own name of ‘de Chaville’ had been misappropriated as Pierre Barthes had nothing to do with Chaville. Paul had publicly confronted Pierre Barthes who declined to stop using the name ‘de Chaville,’ so Paul decided to address the problem himself, through the newspapers.[16]

This brings up the issue of why exactly Paul thought that he was entitled to use the name ‘de Chaville’ himself. Was it merely that he was from that area of France and Pierre Barthes was not? According to UK law today, a person can change their surname as they like and the process does not have to be documented (the real difficulties come when trying to change official documentation).[17] The article implies though, that using ‘de Chaville’ as a part of his name was a big issue for Paul, however he ended up with it. It really meant something to him, so perhaps he was showing real pride for his birth country and birthplace.

A new surname

And so a new surname was born. From the family name of ‘Gouly’ in France (which I suspect there may well be living descendants today), to ‘Gouly de Chaville’ in England. Both lost in translation yet deliberately chosen, Paul used the surname of ‘Gouly de Chaville’ until his death in 1890.[18] There is much more to his life: bankruptcy,[19] continuing work as a tutor of languages, as well as travel to Taunton,[20] Poole,[21] Winchester,[22] Aberystwyth[23] and finally Worthing in Sussex, where he died, in the presence of his second wife Annie. Sadly, his first wife Harriett had died in 1864, in Charmouth, Dorset[24] and Paul married his second wife Annie Mason, a year later.[25] I look forward to writing a fuller history for Paul in the future.

But the story is not over yet. The next post will chart the journey of Paul’s children, Emma, Edward, Henry, Mary and Pauline. Their father’s decision in terms of surname also affected the surnames of his children. It actually makes research more complex again, as each child was generally known in the records by different variations of Gouly, Gouly de Chaville, de Chaville and simply Chaville.

Until next time!

[1] Herber, Mark. (2004) Ancestral Trails. 2^nd ed. Stroud: Sutton Publishing Limited. p. 3.

[2] Tithe apportionments. England. Preston Plucknett, Somerset. 1848. TUCKER, Robert (Owner) and CHAVILLE, Gouly de (Occupier). Plan number: 135. Collection: Diocese of Bath and Wells; Tithe Maps and appotionments; Tithe appotionments. D/D/rt/A/475. Somerset Heritage Centre, Taunton, Somerset, England.

[3] Births (CR) France. Viroflay, Yvelines, Seine-et-Oise. Quatorze Pluviôse Cinq Ans, Republique Française [02 February 1797]. GOULY, Benoit Joseph Paul. Cote: 1140625. [p. 134] Collection: Registres paroissiaux et d'état-civil. Archives Départementales des Yvelines. https://archives.yvelines.fr/arkotheque/consult_fonds/index.php?ref_fonds=1 : accessed 11 December 2020.

[4] Google Maps. Directions from Viroflay to Versailles. https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Versailles,+France/78220+Viroflay,+France/@48.7990216,2.1341261,14z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x47e67db475f420bd:0x869e00ad0d844aba!2m2!1d2.130122!2d48.801408!1m5!1m1!1s0x47e67c6b79b4bafd:0x7eb214a8a71b03db!2m2!1d2.173231!2d48.79966!3e0 : accessed 30 May 2021.

[5] Google Maps. Directions from Viroflay to Chaville. https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Chaville,+France/78220+Viroflay,+France/@48.8031607,2.1728053,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x47e67b842cd216db:0x550be965d3149c70!2m2!1d2.192418!2d48.808026!1m5!1m1!1s0x47e67c6b79b4bafd:0x7eb214a8a71b03db!2m2!1d2.173231!2d48.79966!3e0 : accessed 30 May 2021.

[6] Marriages (PR) England. St. Giles, Camberwell, Southwark, Surrey. 16 March 1822. GOULY, Paul Benoit Joseph. Collection: London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1932. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 09 December 2020.

[7] Census records. England. Charmouth, Dorset. 30 March 1851. DE CHAVELLE, Emma G. PN: HO107/1862. FL 8. SN 38. ED 1. p. 9. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 13 December 2020.

[8] Census records. England. Islington, Middlesex. 30 March 1851. GOULY, Edward Ja[me]s (head). PN: HO107/1500. FL 750. SN 12. ED 68. p. 3. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 07 January 2021.

[9] Census records. England. Chard, Somerset. 30 March 1851. CHAVILLE, Henry Gouly de. PN: HO107/1928. FL 57. SN 75. ED 1b. p. 20. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 07 January 2021.

[10] Census records. England. Charmouth, Dorset. 30 March 1851. DE CHAVELLE, Mary F G. PN: HO107/1862. FL 8. SN 38. ED 1. p. 9. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 13 December 2020.

[11] Census records. England. Milborne Port, Somerset. 30 March 1851. CHAVILLE, Pauline du. PN: HO107/1931. FL 297. SN 81. ED 3c. p. 20. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 08 January 2021.

[12] Census records. England. Whitley, Berkshire. 06 June 1841. CHAVILLE, Gouly de [head]. PN: HO107/25. FL 6. BN 8. ED 10. p. 7. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 01 November 2020.

[13] Census records. England. Clifton, Bristol. 06 June 1841. DE CHAVILLE, Maria. PN: HO107/377. FL 9. BN 2. ED 3. p. 13. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 13 December 2020.

[14] Burr, Mr. T. (1835) Military drawing, sketching, surveying and fortification. Berkshire Chronicle. 08 August, p. 2d. Collection: British Newspapers. https://findmypast.co.uk : accessed 13 April 2021.

[15] Saint James’s Chronicle. (1836) We have much pleasure in correcting… Saint James’s Chronicle (reproduced from Berkshire Chronicle). 06 Decmeber, p. 2f. Collection: British Newspapers. https://findmypast.co.uk : accessed 13 April 2021.

[16] Chaville, G. de. (1838) Mr. Editor. Reading Mercury. 24 March, p. 2c. Collection: British Newspapers. https://findmypast.co.uk : accessed 13 April 2021.

[17] UK Government. INFORMATIVE NOTE: EXPLANATION OF CHANGE OF NAME IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/594307/Name_change_-_English_April_2016.pdf : accessed 30 May 2021.

[18] Deaths (CR) England. Worthing, Sussex. 04 May 1890. GOULY DE CHAVILLE, Paul Benoît Joseph. Entry no. 405.

[19] London Gazette. (1851) Whereas a Petition of Paul Joseph Benoit Gouly de Chaville… London Gazette. 25 February. p. 508b. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/21185/page/508 : accessed 13 December 2020.

[20] Census records. England. Taunton (St. James), Somerset. 30 March 1851. CHAVILLE, Gouly de. PN: HO107/1923. FL 23. SN 137. ED 1a. p. 39. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 01 November 2020.

[21] Census records. England. Parkstone, Poole, Dorset. 07 April 1861. CHAVILLE, Paul R Jos[ep]h Goul de. PN: RG9/1340. FL 63. SN 58. ED 9d. p. 14. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 01 November 2020.

[22] Census records. England. St. Faith, Winchester, Hampshire. 02 April 1871. CHAVILLE, Paul B J G (head). PN: RG10/1209. FL 35. SN 41. ED 2. p. 11. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 09 December 2020.

[23] Census records. Wales. Aberystwyth, Cardiganshire. 03 April 1881. CHAVILLE, Paul Benoet. PN: RG11/5445. FL 44. SN 362. ED 1b. p. 6. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 26 November 2020.

[24] Deaths (CR) England. Charmouth, Dorset. 05 February 1864. GOULY DE CHAVILLE, Maria Henrietta. Entry no. 320.

[25] Marriages (CR) England. Parish Church, Christchurch, Hampshire. 20 April 1865. GOULY DE CHAVILLE, Paul Benoît Joseph and MASON, Annie. Entry no. 190.

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

A meeting of Archaeology and Genealogy

I have wanted to write this blog post for some time, but sadly time has gotten away from me recently! So, what is this blog post about, I hear you ask? Back in March, I attended the Society of Antiquaries Conference: Seals and the People of Britain. This is obviously not one of the usual genealogical conferences in the calendar, but given my love of the Medieval, it was one I had been anxious to attend. Initially, it was due to be held in 2020, but as we all know, COVID put the brakes on that one. So, the organisers gallantly rallied together to produce an online version over two afternoons in March. I was very pleased to hear this, as I had particularly been interested in Helen Geake’s presentation entitled ‘Women and their Seals’ (yes, that Helen Geake of Time Team fame!). When I received the full programme, there were also other talks that captured my attention- it made it all the more worthwhile!

The Society of Antiquaries: Seals and the People of Britain

There were eight presentations overall, as well as the welcome by President Paul Drury and a brief summing up discussion headed by Fellow of the Society, John Cherry. Also heavily involved was Dr. Elizabeth New (also a Fellow). Those of you who use Latin in genealogy will recognise the similarity between ‘sigillography’ (the study of seals) and ‘sigillum’ which is a word often found at the end of documents to indicate that the signatories provided their seals. As I said, Helen Geake’s presentation was one that I was particularly interested in, and was included in the programme as follows:

Seals and the People of Britain: A survey of past work and present questions (Dr. Elizabeth New)
Seal matrices recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme (Rob Webley and Laura Burnett)
Women and their seals (Helen Geake)
Widows and their seals (Alister Sutherland)
Seals and Identity: Scottish Women’s Seals in the Archives (Rachel Davis)
New Impressions: a fresh look at sealing practices in Scotland (Ella Paul)
Irish Personal Seals (Raghnall Ó Floinn)
Personal seals: insights into personal culture (Malcolm Jones)

As you can see from the above list, there was a good range of presentations, covering a wide area of seal related material. The relevance to genealogists may not be obvious, but it should be remembered that seals can contain armorial information just as well as other representations of arms. This is perhaps most relevant for Medieval and Early Modern research, but as the range of talks suggest, seals could potentially be used for research in Scotland, Ireland and for women- they were not just used by English men. There are also some post Medieval seals (catalogued on the website I will discuss next).

The Portable Antiquities Scheme

A particularly interesting source that those researching in England and Wales should bear in mind when looking for seals, is the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS). A joint enterprise between the British Museum and Amgueddfa Cymru (National Museum Wales), the PAS aims to encourage the recording of archaeological finds found by members of the public. This means that the PAS has a record of many different objects which may also be of use to the genealogist too! As well as seals and seal matrices, the PAS has a record of coins, spearheads, buckles and many more objects from across a wide range of periods in British history. Even if these objects don’t lead to a specific ancestor, they could certainly inform background research (although I doubt that any of us genealogists would really be using anything as far back as the Roman period though).

Searching the database

Searching the PAS database, a search for ‘seal’ (with images available) returns just over 14,000 results! A further 2,000 are added if records without images are included. So, there is certainly enough of a dataset to search. You can also narrow the search by time period and by county as well. I found over 400 results for seals from Somerset. As the finds are those found by members of the public, they are returned to the owner after a record is made. Therefore, the details of each object naturally need to be full, with as much detail as possible. A description of the object is there, including materials used, inscriptions added, weight and size. The broad date of the piece can be found, as well as the date the object was discovered. Some even have specific details of where the object was found.

Using the PAS for research

A couple of the presentations spoke about the PAS and the results of research conducted on seals within the database. An interesting question arose of the equality of sealing practices. In earlier historical periods, it is generally expected that men used seals more than women did, and the extant seals do perhaps show that. But the question of status in those women using seals surprised me. Helen Geake’s research raised the possibility of whether higher status women were using seals quite as much as women lower down the social hierarchy, and other questions of a societal nature. That is perhaps a research topic for another day, but these sorts of findings both cement some assumptions about Medieval women and challenge others. These are things that we should be aware of when researching women further back in time.

Photo by Mélanie These on Unsplash.

Final thoughts

This blog post has only scratched the surface of the area of sigillography and I highly recommend looking at some of the resources below and in the rest of the post. I would also go and check out any published work from the speakers named above. It may have been a brief snapshot, but I hope I have been able to share my view that seals can be useful not only to historians and archaeologists, but to genealogists as well. I thoroughly enjoyed the Society of Antiquaries conference and I am so glad and grateful that it was able to go ahead (albeit in a digital format). I will be keeping seals in mind when I research- they are another tool that may yield more clues about that elusive ancestor!

Some further useful websites relating to seals are:

https://www.sigillvm.net/

https://www.imprintseals.org/

Another important source noted by Dr. Elizabeth New, is A Guide to British Medieval Seals by P.D.A. Harvey (check local libraries and online sources).

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Mapping Software for Genealogy: Part Three

The final post in my series about mapping software for genealogy is finally here! In the previous posts, I explored Family Tree Maker and then Family Atlas and Map My Family Tree. In this last post, I will be exploring two online based programs: Google Earth Pro and the Ordnance Survey online mapping facility. Remember, I am not only looking at mapping capabilities, but also sharing facilities and copyright terms and conditions.

Google Earth Pro

Let’s get stuck in with Google Earth Pro. Now, those of you who are familiar with mapping will say to me that technically this is not an online program. You would be right. Whilst Google Earth is an online mapping tool (I have used it many a time for distances and directions), the Pro version is not. This you do have to download to your computer and use from your desktop. That being said, it is still free and the download was straightforward. I found it here.

What are the features?

Like most of the programs I have explored so far (excepting Family Tree Maker), Google Earth Pro is specifically made for mapping. The interface looks just like Google Maps, with some additional toolbars and various ways of manipulating the map image. You can zoom in and out as much as you like and even use the ‘street view’ that the ordinary Google Maps offers. There are different layers to choose on the map itself too. I chose to include ‘borders and labels’ for ease of orientation but left out the ‘roads’ layer, as that was a bit too cluttered for me. With the borders layer switched on, you can see the county boundaries (albeit modern ones) and a few locations plotted. Perhaps they might be included in some kind of size order, as the closer in you zoom, the more appear. But I am not sure what kind of importance Google has ascribed to Southend-on-Sea and Eastbourne over Maidstone, Hastings and Brighton?!

Unlike the other programs I have tried so far, you do have to input the place data by hand. That is, unless you utilise the direct link from Map My Family Tree that I mentioned in my last post. That particular link does automatically import the places from your family tree into Google Earth Pro. As I said though, you do need to already have Google Earth Pro or download it for that to work. After having had issues with the software in these mapping programs recognising historical place names, I do like that Google Earth Pro lets you input the data yourself. That means I can search for a particular place using the search function and then add a label with the historical place details. That way there is no issue in modern places not matching with historical ones.

Mapping Software for Genealogy, Part Three_Shersca Genealogy_Google Earth Pro map view with toolbars

A view of the working map (with toolbars) for Google Earth Pro. Copyright Google Earth Pro.

How to use place markers

As with the other programs explored, there is a certain amount of customisation that can be done with the place labels. You can choose the colour and size of the text and even the appearance of the place marker itself. Being a mapping tool, Google Earth Pro lets you choose all sorts of icons for marking your places. There are drawing pins, letters, numbers, shapes, and more traditional map icons relating to transport, hotels and the like. There is also the facility to record a tour of the places plotted (complete with voiceover recording technology), and the ‘time’ facility which shows historical images of places on the map. At the moment, I would say that this is of limited use, as the furthest back in time you can see is 1940. For many families, that only scratches the surface! However, the facility to add paths and polygons is not as easy to use. It seems you need to draw the path yourself after clicking on the ‘path’ icon. Without a steady hand, this is not nearly as neat and tidy as the facilities in Family Tree Maker and Family Atlas.

So far, I am quite pleased with the way I can manipulate the data in Google Earth Pro. Each label comes with a description box which I can enter details of the event the place relates to, for example. The only drawback is that only one of these descriptions can be seen at a time in the main map view. They do not show up in a print of the map, but you can add them to the description box. There is the option to save as an image or print as a PDF. The saved/printed image also comes with its own copyright statement. A bonus, as that means you do not have to write one yourself. The final map looks quite nice on the page too.

Copyright and sharing

We have now come to the copyright portion of the experiment. It is a relief to find such clear terms and conditions of use! Under the ‘Help’ menu it is easy to find the Terms of Service, which helpfully contain links to online articles concerning further copyright guidelines. There is a specific section on Google Earth too, which puts the other programs in the shade (in terms of specificity in this area). The general guidelines say that a request to use the maps generally does not need to be made, as long as the terms of service are followed. They also talk about fair use in terms of copyright, but say they cannot decide whether the use of content is applicable under these terms.

The best part for me, is when they write (under the Google Earth section), that,

"Google Earth or Earth Studio can be used for purposes such as research, education, film and nonprofit use without needing permission.”[1]

Wonderful! As with other copyright statements, proper attribution is needed. But, the key word for me, is ‘research’. This (along with the examples they give), suggests that Google would be quite happy with me using an edited map from Google Earth Pro in something I would produce for a client. On top of this, the general guidelines section also states:

"You may annotate our maps with additional information – like points, lines, or labels. In fact, many of our tools have built-in features that make it easy to do just that.”[2]

However, Google Earth cannot be used for commercial purposes. The examples they give are a helpful illustration of some of the things that would be deemed acceptable or not. The following points come from the Google Earth Pro section of the terms and conditions:

"GO FOR IT

Inside of books, including textbooks (up to 5k copies)
Periodicals (Newspapers, magazines, journals, etc.)
Business documents such as company reports, proposals, presentations, etc.

DON’T DO THIS

Inside of books (more than 5k copies), or as cover art for a book
Used as the core part of printed navigational material (for example, tour books or guide books).
Consumer & retail goods or packaging (t-shirts, beach towels, shower curtains, mugs, posters, stationery, etc.)
Used in printed advertisements or promotional materials of any kind (flyers, pamphlets, magazines ads, etc.)" [3]

Me being a cautious person, I might just send them a message to clarify that me producing work for a paying client did not count as ‘commercial use’ in their eyes, but this leaves me feeling much clearer about what I can and cannot do, than all of the other mapping software so far!

Mapping Software for Genealogy, Part Three_Shersca Genealogy_Google Earth Pro final map

A view of the final map produced using Google Earth Pro. Copyright Google, 2021.

So far then, I rather like Google Earth Pro. OK, perhaps it doesn’t have all the features that the other programs do, but in terms of what I want to do with it, it is the easiest so far. I feel much less stressed after hunting for the terms and conditions too!

Ordnance Survey

The final tool I have explored is the Ordnance Survey online mapping tool. Ordnance Survey is of course, a big name in map making in the UK, so I wanted to see whether it could offer anything useful for the genealogist.

Can it offer anything for the genealogist?

In short terms, the answer is: not really. Ordnance Survey have set up their mapping tool for those who want to plan a route for a walk or other activity. This severely limits the usefulness for my own purposes. Using the route planning tool, it is possible to plot points and plan a path between them. This is similar to the capabilities of the ‘path’ icon on Google Earth Pro, as well as the similar features in the other software programs. As Ordnance Survey are more intending for it to be used as a guide for travel, then you cannot add your own comments. That really makes it pretty useless for genealogical purposes.

If you look at the interface and the look of the map itself, then it is clear, easy to use and with plenty of detail on the map itself (without being intrusive). You can also look for attractions that might be of interest, which might be of help to the walker or cyclist Perhaps also to ancestral tourists. But, to access many of the features you do have to create an account. There is a free account and a premium one and there is the option to have a seven day free trial. The cost is not too bad. At the time of writing, they are charging £3.99 per month and £29.99 per year. £6 is knocked off the latter fee is you choose the auto-renew option. Looking at the features, there is not a great deal to make it particularly attractive, especially with Google Maps around. The premium features are more to do with different uses of the technology, such as saving maps offline or importing and exporting routes. As I said, there are still some free features, such as being able to use the app on the web and via mobile and being able to plot and follow routes. But personally, I don’t see anything for the genealogist. That is a shame and perhaps Ordnance Survey are missing a trick?

Mapping Software for Genealogy, Part Three_Shersca Genealogy_Ordnance Survey map route view

A view of the 'route mapping' section of the Ordnance Survey facility. Copyright Ordnance Survey.

Printing and sharing

There are some simple printing options: A4 and A3, both portrait or landscape, fit map to page, or print to scale. Other than that there is no option for sharing in any other way. But then, that does not seem to be the purpose. I didn’t go into what would be possible in a free trial, as the rest of the service did not seem worth it. As far as copyright goes, there is the standard clause of using the service for personal, not commercial use. I did notice that they prohibit the bypassing of the built-in print function ‘to increase the printable area of the content.’ There is essentially no sharing of anything within the app, unless the built-in sharing function is used. This is likely a premium feature anyway.

On the whole I was a bit disappointed with the Ordnance Survey service, but it does seem that the purpose is more for current use in an activity. It is not really built for research purposes.

Final thoughts...

Comparing the two mapping services in this post, I have to say that I am quite impressed with Google Earth Pro, especially as it is not built specifically for genealogists. For my (admittedly simple) needs, it is easy to use, free, and has clear terms and conditions (which didn’t take half an hour to find!). Ordnance Survey was not really useful at all. Of the other programs in my other posts, my favourite has to be Family Atlas for ease of use and doing what I needed it to. Although, until I get further clarification from the makers of Family Atlas, Map My Family Tree and Family Tree Maker about their sharing permissions, my favourite is going to have to be Google Earth Pro. I feel that I know where I stand with that one and I can use the features to better effect.

Remember though, there are far more examples of mapping software that I just could not fit into this series of posts. If you come across any that I haven’t looked at and think it is worth exploring, let me know!

[1] Google. Geo Guidelines: Google Earth. https://about.google/brand-resource-center/products-and-services/geo-guidelines/#google-earth : accessed 13 April 2021.

[2] Google. Geo Guidelines: General Guideline- Personalizing your map. https://about.google/brand-resource-center/products-and-services/geo-guidelines/#general-guidelines-personalizing-your-map : accessed 13 April 2021.

[3] Google. Geo Guidelines: Google Earth. https://about.google/brand-resource-center/products-and-services/geo-guidelines/#google-earth : accessed 13 April 2021.

Monday, March 22, 2021

Mapping Software for Genealogy: Part Two

In a return to schedule, welcome to the second post in my series exploring different mapping softwares. In the first post, I explored Family Tree Maker and what its mapping feature had to offer. This time, I am going to get straight down to business and talk about the other two software-based programs that I have looked at. Remember that I am looking at these from a genealogist’s perspective and am particularly interested in their copyright specifications; especially on sharing their maps with clients.

Family Atlas

First up today, is Family Atlas from RootsMagic. Now, I haven’t personally used RootsMagic, but I know others who use it as their go-to tree-creating software. I was therefore interested to see how Family Atlas shapes up.

Family Atlas can easily be found on the RootsMagic website, where there is a useful information section. The program can be used on both Windows and Mac, although apparently the Catalina (10.15) Mac operating system does not support it yet. Not being a Mac user, I have no idea what that means, but I am sure it is important for Mac users to know!

Price-wise, Family Atlas comes in at $29.95. The exchange rate on the day I bought it, made this about £22. In comparison to Family Tree Maker (currently £79.95), that is not bad at all! You do have to remember though, that FTM is aiming to be a complete package and Family Atlas is only for mapping. At the time of writing, it is possible to buy both RootsMagic and Family Atlas as a package (currently $49.90), but this is not available for download only. You would need to buy this as a CD and download. Still, if you are looking for family tree software and you like the look of RootsMagic, this is not a bad option. The download was also painless and went smoothly, so I was very relieved!

Importing your data

To start using the program, you need to import either genealogical data or place data. I chose to ‘import and plot my genealogy’ and used the inbuilt wizard to help me. This was all very easy and the wizard walked me through step by step, but it did not want to read my FTM file. That was not too big a deal though, as I just exported my FTM tree to a GEDCOM file- no problem. It is also supposed to read files from RootsMagic, Legacy and PAF 5. This is something I would advise you to remember if you ever chose this particular software. I would make sure you can transfer your family tree into a GEDCOM file if necessary.

The wizard lets you select any of these file types and then browse your computer for the file you want. It then geocodes all of the place data and lets you choose whether to choose out of its suggestions for places it couldn’t find. Exactly like FTM, this includes Paul Gouly de Chaville’s birthplace, Viroflay. At this point, I began to wonder if my data wasn’t quite right, but the best match seems to use the modern place name instead: Viroflay, Isles-de-France, France. A better match than FTM, but for me, it doesn’t quite capture the historical data. Perhaps a general problem when trying to map historic names using modern software! In any case, you don’t have to accept this step, although it does affect the plotting of these locations. Basically, they aren’t plotted.

The Map pane for Family Atlas, showing the vital events for Edward James GOULY. Map is copyright of RootsMagic.

Adding more information

The next step is to add ‘genealogy markers,’ which are the points you want to plot. This is also relatively straightforward. You can give them a title, change the size, colour and style of both the marker point and the accompanying text and (like FTM), you can join them all up with a line on the map. There is also a rather nifty time slider option which allows you to choose to view events in a specific time scale. A drawback is that only county names are viewed in addition to the points plotted. Even zooming in does not show any nearby cities or towns, if you wanted to orient yourself within a county. The map publishing function does not show the lines joining the various events, but you can add a title and a legend. There is also the facility to add text boxes and lines yourself. It works a little like Word and Publisher in that respect.

Printing and sharing

I will need a little more time to play with all the features, but the edited map can be printed or exported to JPG or PDF files. What I am concerned with, is any rules governing the printing and sharing of the map. Many of you may not be surprised, but after minutes of searching, I could not find any specific references to sharing rules at all! I searched the RootsMagic website and the Family Atlas Program and all I came up with is:

If any other users of Family Atlas are reading this, then I would be happy to know if I have missed something here. But, this is a completely non-specific statement which doesn’t help me at all. I think an email to RootsMagic is needed, as you could infer that everything you do using Family Atlas is copyright of RootsMagic. In a way, I am a little surprised that this copyright statement is not more specific, as this is a program tailored to genealogy. I might expect a company such as Bing (used in FTM) to be a bit vague and not specifically mention genealogists. They are, after all, aiming at a broader market. But for RootsMagic to exclude a clause supporting or prohibiting use for professional genealogists who may wish to pass maps on to their clients? That is more unexpected. Although, I suppose it shows that the target market would be those researching for themselves without payment changing hands. I will be interested to see what RootsMagic say.

Map My Family Tree

Onwards to Map My Family Tree then. This is a standalone program produced by Progeny Genealogy, which I found through S & N Genealogy. It is currently selling for £24.95 (download only) from S & N Genealogy or $34.95 (download) and $39.95 (CD, US only) from Progeny Genealogy’s website.

Importing your data

I had a few difficulties downloading this from S & N (although that may have had more to do with general website issues at the time). Again, I had trouble opening my FTM file and had to use a GEDCOM file instead- FTM files after 2008 are not supported. Perhaps users of other programs will have more luck. MMFT is supposed to support additional files from:

Ancestral Quest (version 12 or later)

Family Historian

Legacy Family Tree

Personal Ancestral File

RootsMagic (ver. 3)

The Master Genealogist

As with Family Atlas and FTM, there are issues with the distinction of historic and modern place names which subsequently don’t get plotted. But the importing of your files is simple and just uses the ‘open’ function as you would in other programs like Word. You then just find the file and the program does its thing and encodes the place names and information.

Like the other programs I have explored so far, MMFT gives you options to change the colour of the map, the colour and font of the text; the latter down to the town, title, person and legend. The zoom function and movement of the map is straightforward enough, but some features are a little slow in loading. There is the option to focus in on events in a particular country or view them on the world map. On the face of it, the program is simple and perhaps too much so, if all you get is a list of places and events, plotted on a map. You do have a bottom pane below the map which lists the people in the tree, but to get more out of the program you have to actually read the instructions! As I have mentioned, I am not always great at reading the instructions and I prefer a more intuitive program in which I refer to the instructions if I have a problem.

The Map pane for Family Map My Family Tree, showing the vital events for Edward James GOULY and sister Emma. Map is copyright of Progeny Genealogy.

Adding more information

The program uses filters to show events relating to specific people and you create a filter using their specific dates, gender, number of generations or events. An advantage this has over other programs so far, is the ability to easily show more than one person at a time. I can see the events for Edward James Gouly de CHAVILLE, as well as those for his sister Emma. You do have to activate the filters though, or else you simply see the plots for all of the places in the family tree.

I haven’t yet mentioned the Gazetteer function, even though it is similar in nature to those from other programs. There is the ability to search for place names, create an ‘ignore’ list and set specific abbreviations for place names of your choosing. What it does have that the others do not, is a direct link through to Google Earth Pro. I already had Google Earth Pro for the next set of reviews, so I will talk more about that next time, but this does open up a completely different way of mapping to the rest of MMFT. It also brings up copyright issues, which I will come to in a moment. There are various other links to other similar programs (such as MapQuest or Google Maps), if you already have access to those programs.

Printing and sharing

The printing function is very simple indeed and is just that. There is no editing of the print ready map as with Family Atlas. You can however, publish the map as a PDF or JPG file, although (from the time I have spent with it) there seems to be no point. Viewing further information about the event in relation to the place seems impossible, unless you have a big long title on your map. This is at least an option when you edit the map in Family Atlas. This is more personal preference as to how it looks though.

As with Family Atlas, I could find no specific copyright statement that would tell me whether I could share maps with clients without infringing that copyright. There was nothing either within MMFT itself or on the Progeny website. Yet again, I can see an email to Progeny in my future to ask! Google Earth Pro would be a different matter though as, like Bing, Google has its own copyright statements which I would need to explore should I use that function through MMFT. As Google Earth Pro is part of my next post, I will come to their copyright statements next time.

Some concluding thoughts

On the whole, out of the two programs in this post, I prefer Family Atlas. MMFT seems a bit too simple on the face of it and does not do what I had hoped. Although, I do think that I would need more time to really read the manual in-depth, as there is probably much more to it that at first glance. In terms of being user-friendly, it just seems a little clunky to me. Don’t just take my word for it though. I would definitely encourage you to have a look at other reviews concerning these programs so that you can make your mind up.

Next time, I will be looking at two popular online-based mapping programs and giving overall conclusions. So, I look forward to Google Earth Pro and Ordnance Survey!

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

RootsTechConnect 2021- A show with a difference

Apologies for the slight break in my current series of posts about mapping software. If you haven’t seen the first one yet, you can find it here. I had to publish this post next, as it is quite time sensitive- any later and I would really miss the boat!

RootsTechConnect 2021

So, as I am sure you can work out from the title, this post will be about RootsTechConnect. I attended the show and both helped out with some of the exhibitors and had a look at some of the talks.

My first thought was how weird it all was! Having been to the last RootsTech in London in 2019 (getting on for two years ago, can you believe?), it definitely was different. Needs certainly must though this year, and in the absence of RootsTech being able to take place in person, RootsTechConnect was the solution.

To chat or not to chat?

As I am sure everyone will agree, it is much more fun to be able to meet up with fellow genealogists of all ages and stages of research. Meeting people (both new and old) is one of the reasons we travel the many miles to attend conferences like this. The team behind RootsTechConnect came up with the next best thing though, as the main mode of communication between attendees was the online chat function. I have never been a great user of online chat facilities, at least there are without a doubt those that use that sort of thing more than I do.

Whilst the online chat facility worked very well (i.e. I came across no break in service or such things), I am not sure how useful people really found it. Perhaps there were those who were chatting away, but I did not find that the case. Certainly, the chat facilities for the organisations I manned were very quiet indeed! This was true for both the Direct Messaging function, as well as the Chat Room function. The difference to a real time conversation is very obvious and I wonder if there is a better way. At least from the point of view of the organisations who took part. Instead of having to constantly man a chat function with no takers, perhaps some kind of real time video chat session would work? With each organisation having its own slot? In any case, it is something that I think would need some further thought for future online conferences.

What a range of presentations...!

Of course the best case scenario would be the ability to hold an in person conference at some point in the future. But I do think that there were benefits to holding something online. Firstly, there was the potential to connect with people from all over the world. An online conference automatically does away with the need to travel halfway across the world and improves accessibility. That is unless computer and internet access is a problem.

RootsTechConnect 2021- A show with a difference_Shersca Genealogy_RootsTech London, 2019

In the absence of any photos from this year's conference, here is one I took back at RootsTech London in 2019. A bit of a walk down memory lane! I now have a better phone too! © 2020 Shersca Genealogy.

Unlike an in person conference, the keynote speeches were available at multiple times of the day (likely having been pre-recorded). So if you particularly wanted to hear the celebrity of the day talk about what family and genealogy means to them, just pick your time. This was also a benefit for all of the talks and lectures. There were those that were shown at a specific time, but there was also an almighty list of other pre-recorded talks that are accessible for a good long while yet. I use the word ‘almighty’ with good reason. The list of pre-recorded talks was 18 (yes, 18) pages long! I don’t know about you, but that was slightly intimidating!

As you might expect at the moment, the number of DNA talks was large. It is great to see so many people interested, although it is not always my thing. There was a great deal for the beginner, for specific countries and areas, for certain record types and that is only the tip of the iceberg. Summarising 18 pages worth in a few sentences is not going to happen successfully, so I will have to just say that the choice was huge. Being a worldwide conference, I could see that the organisers were trying to cater to a huge range of interests. No obvious Medieval subjects though, but that’s just me…

...but was that a problem?

There is a problem with the range of talks that were available. As I said before, I found it intimidating and perhaps there were slightly too many. There were certainly many more than would be available at an in person conference, and choosing between ones available usually are difficult enough! I also felt the search function on the RootsTechConnect website was not as helpful as it could be. Perhaps it is just the researcher in me that would like to have seen an easier classification of the available talks. For instance, classifying by the language the talk is presented in is great, but I could see no further way of filtering. I still had to go through an endless scrolling process, making it almost essential to know the name of the talk to avoid that. However, if this is down to my lack of technical ability I will happily be corrected!

The talks I had a chance to view over the weekend were well presented and informative, although I would say that some were not automatically clear as to the country they related to. (Note to self: remember to read the description first!) There are still some that I would like to look at, so it is great that they will be around for some time to come. Having had a look (and been a part of) some of the exhibitor’s ‘stands,’ I thought the overall look was very professional and the allowance of different videos and uploads was helpful for both visitors and exhibitors. From a purely British perspective, I did feel that some of the usual suspects were absent from the Expo Hall. But then, time and cost is something that no doubt would have played a part and would have been considered within each organisation. Being the maiden voyage of RootsTechConnect, there are no doubt those who would have been unsure as to the benefit and reach. It was interesting to see exhibitors from abroad, who I might never get to see normally. Another benefit of an online conference.

In conclusion...

There are certainly pros and cons here and some issues that could be revisited. But on the whole, at a time when we are not able to do this in person, RootsTechConnect did the next best thing. Who knows, perhaps there might be space in future for both the in person RootsTech conference and some kind of online event? No doubt the intricacies of both will need to be worked out within the current state of things. We will have to wait and see, but until then I hope to eventually see you all again, hopefully in person!

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Mapping Software for Genealogy: Part One

Welcome to this week’s blog post. This will be the first in a series about my search for good mapping software. As you might have noticed, maps are a bit of a theme in my writing at the moment! There are no doubt other posts which give an overview of the pros and cons of all sorts of programs. In this series, I also wanted to explore the options in terms of copyright limitations as well.

The search begins...

For a long time now, I have been interested in finding a good way of mapping various places associated with my ancestors using computer software. Whether that is where they were born, died or where they lived in the census years. There are many times in our ancestor’s lives where we may want to plot their address, no matter if they have stayed in the same place for most of their lives, or if they moved elsewhere. A map of these locations can be helpful as a visual aid and as a collection of the information we have.

There are many different programs available to help with this, so I wanted to discover which one would be most useful for me by taking a look at a few. This is by no means a comprehensive list and personal preference does come into the decisions I have made, so do consider these and any others that you find yourselves too.

What and Why?

To begin then, which programs have I looked at? Firstly, as I already happen to have Family Tree Maker, I have explored their in built mapping function. I have looked at two other software based programs: Family Atlas from RootsMagic and Map My Family Tree. I also looked at two web based programs: Google Earth Pro and the Ordnance Survey online facility. Today's post will explore Family Tree Maker.

You can imagine that accurate mapping and an ability to input multiple locations on different maps would be of use. Price would also be a factor, but as a genealogist, the ability to share maps with others is also important. This brings me to the issue of copyright. As I also undertake client work, how do these programs set out their copyright clauses? Would I be able to edit a map with the information of a client’s ancestors and include that in a report? Let us find out!

Family Tree Maker

Family Tree Maker is not for everyone. It so happens to be the software I use for creating family trees, but it is certainly not the only one- I have just got used to using FTM over the years. As such, it is perhaps a little expensive in comparison to other programs. The current price (at time of writing) is £79.95 and the main purpose is not really for mapping. That is just a part of the program. Maybe it is not one for those specifically looking for mapping software, who do not already own FTM. After all, the clue is in the name- Family Tree Maker!

Mapping Software for Genealogy, Part One_Shersca Genealogy_FTM Person map view

FTM map view, sorted by person. The vital events plotted are those for Edward James Gouly (c.1827-1916). Map is copyright of Microsoft (Bing Maps) and FTM copyright of McKiev.

What are the features?

Having said that, if you do own it or are considering it, the mapping facility is not bad. It uses Bing maps, so an internet connection is essential. It works off the places you enter for each person in any specific family tree and there are two ways of viewing them:

By place- this is an alphabetical list of all places associated with people in the family tree. Clicking on a place will then show you who it is associated with and you can expand the person to show the event it is connected to.
By person- this is again an alphabetical list, but of each person in the family tree. You can then check the boxes of the facts you would like to see on the map and then each checked box shows the place associated with that fact.

An advantage of the second option, is that each plotted place is connected with a line. This means you can easily see where an ancestor was located at various points in their life. I personally prefer this view as it fulfils more of what I want when it comes to mapping my ancestor’s lives. A downside though, is that the points plotted only show which event it relates to when you click on it. The details come up in another window and basic details automatically shown on the map itself.

Other useful points

There are different map views, including a Road map, Aerial and Birdseye views, as well as Streetside and Ordnance Survey options. They include the facility to check unrecognised place names in order to resolve errors and misspellings, although I have not yet found that helpful for the particular tree I used. This tree belonged to some research I am currently undertaking about a language teacher named Paul Benoit Joseph Gouly de Chaville. He was briefly mentioned in my previous post about the history of my own house. Paul was French and born in Viroflay, in what would have been Yvelines, Seine et Oise. FTM doesn’t recognise this and suggests ‘Oise, Picardie, France.’ This doesn’t capture all of the information I would include for Paul’s birthplace. Of course, the program will only be as good as its code and this will dictate how well it recognises more unusual and/or historical names. You can also create migration maps for families, but that is something for another time. I am notoriously terrible at reading the manual, so I highly recommended that you do! The manual will tell you all of the things that the program can do, which I cannot go into here.

Copyright issues

One of the most important things for me, is of course the ability to share maps. FTM does allow you to print maps and share a place usage report (essentially the list of places and the ancestors associated with them). For printing, it captures the specific image/page you are currently looking at. But what about the terms and conditions? They are a bit of a maze, as they also have to take into account terms and conditions from other providers (yes Bing itself uses other providers and links to their Ts&Cs!). Unfortunately, they do not leave me feeling any clearer as to whether I could use their maps in client reports.

The Print Rights section seems to allude to the permissible use of sending PDF prints to customers, under the commercial purposes clause. For some reason, this is specifically for the Microsoft® Bing™ Maps Platform API.[1] On the other hand, the Microsoft Bing Maps and MapPoint Web Service End User Terms of Use, declares,

"Bing Maps and MapPoint Web Service is for your individual use, solely for internal use by you for your business, or for your own personal use. You may not modify, copy, distribute, transmit, display, perform, reproduce, publish, license, create derivative works from, sublicense, transfer, assign, rent, sell or otherwise convey any information, software, products or services obtained from Bing Maps and MapPoint Web Service without the prior written consent from Microsoft."[2]

This certainly suggests that I could not reproduce anything in a client report without written permission. Bing Maps is obviously not going to be written with genealogists in mind. I would want some further clarification from them before I used any of their maps in a client report- even through FTM.

Conclusions?

The conclusion I have reached is partly inconclusive! The mapping facility is OK and is easy enough to use. It seems to do most of what I would like, but it has a few drawbacks in that a printed map just shows plotted points. There is no indication of what they relate to. Not ideal. Then there is the copyright situation, which I would definitely need to clarify before I use the maps in client work. If any readers have experience with using Bing Maps for client work, I would be happy to hear about it!

Onwards to the next post then, which explores Family Atlas from RootsMagic and Map My Family Tree. Will they be more suitable? Will they be any clearer in terms of copyright? Join me next time to find out!

[1] Microsoft. Bing Maps: Print Rights – Under the Microsoft® Bing™ Maps Platform APIs’ Terms of Use. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/maps/product/print-rights : accessed 09 February 2021.

[2] Microsoft. Bing Maps: Microsoft Bing Maps and MapPoint Web Service End User Terms of Use and Embedded Maps Service Terms of Use. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/maps/product/terms-april-2011 : accessed 09 February 2021.

Thursday, June 17, 2021

The story of five children

Emma Maria de Chaville

Mary Frances and Pauline Maria De Chaville

Henry Hugh Gouly de Chaville

Edward James Gouly

Two surnames for the same family

Sunday, May 30, 2021

A chance discovery

French Beginnings

Children and a move to Berkshire

A distinguished man

An issue of name

A new surname

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

The Society of Antiquaries: Seals and the People of Britain

The Portable Antiquities Scheme

Searching the database

Using the PAS for research

Other presentations in the conference

Seals in Scotland and Ireland

Seals for social history

Final thoughts

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Google Earth Pro

What are the features?

How to use place markers

Copyright and sharing

Ordnance Survey

Can it offer anything for the genealogist?

Printing and sharing

Final thoughts...

Monday, March 22, 2021

Family Atlas

Importing your data

Adding more information

Printing and sharing

Map My Family Tree

Importing your data

Adding more information

Printing and sharing

Some concluding thoughts

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

RootsTechConnect 2021

To chat or not to chat?

What a range of presentations...!

...but was that a problem?

In conclusion...

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

The search begins...

What and Why?

Family Tree Maker

What are the features?

Other useful points

Copyright issues

Conclusions?