Genealogy Chat

see below in a mo

Hi, please can someone help me - is there a simple way of searching the historical directories site??????? It just seems to take forever for me to get anywhere and then I end up with the wrong directory - so for the sixth week in a row, I am about to throw in the towel - all I am looking for is my Great Grandfather Edward Henry Thomas Butt who was a House Decorator/Journeyman living at Penn Street, Shoreditch on the 1901 census. i have a big 'gap' beyond that before I can get to my records 'going backwards' if you know what I mean - can anyone give me any advice where else I can look for info between 1901 and approx 1920? Any help gratefully received - seem to have two disjointed 'blocks' of family - one stopping in 1901 and then picking up the pieces after WW! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Many thanks Looby

Well, I always find it so difficult to use aswell - I did write to them once setting out the probs I had using it and they replied saying they had been modifying it but I reckon it could be really a wonderful resource if they could make it more user friendly. Perhaps one of the geniuses on here will have a go for you!

It may be that the website doesn't have the right area or period that you want, or alternatively that your ancestor isn't listed. I've found several of my husband's London relatives on the site and none of mine. nell

There is no substitute for consulting the trade directories at source-this site that you talk about contains just snippets of what is actually available out there.

Glad it's not just me then Heather!!

what district is shoreditch?

I have to say I did find my GGF and GGFx2 cabinet makers businesses after a lot of trial and error but it isnt an easy site and you can go blind looking for someone, cant you. I guess the cost of setting it up so it was name searchable would be millions. I think when I found mine, I used the key word search - went to Surrey, then cabinet makers and then trawled all the directories that came up til I found them in Camberwell. Having said that, there was no other information other than I knew but it was nice having a bit more flesh for the tree.

I'll ask again-what district/area is shoredich?

From 1889 to 1965 it was in the County of London, Alter (before 1889 it was in Middlesex)......and I've already checked the HD website with no luck :o(( Merry

Shoreditch is in what is now the London Borough of Hackney, but originally would have been part of Middlesex. It's bordered by Finsbury, Islington to the west, the City to the south, and Bethnal Green to the east.

If you don't mind me saying so, you might find your Butt here.... www*eolfhs*org*uk/surnames/surres*asp?Surname=BUTT (Change * to.) Click on the orange membership number.

What I always do on that site is the 'Keyword Search' but choose location and decade and no keywords. Then you can see what directories are available for the area in the date range you want. Unfortunately practically all the London ones they have for 1900-1909 are 'suburbs' which will not include Shoreditch. But there are some central London ones for 1910-1919. What I usually do next for a search like this is pick the street directory for the year closest to the one I want, then click on 'Browse Directory' and find the right street by trial and error selecting the image number (that alphabetical list of streets at the very beginning is just the ones that aren't listed in alphabetical order in the main list, for example if they are listed as part of another street). I can't remember the name of the person you were looking for so I will post this up and be back in a minute... I am looking at the 1910 by the way. Kate.

Okay, the 1910 directory only lists a few house numbers for Penn Street, Shoreditch: 1,2 and 3 Mullard, 21 St. Peter's Mission House, 27 Arundel & Marshall, 29 & 30 Stowe. So your ancestor could have been living in that street and not listed in the directory. If you can get a look at the electoral rolls you may be able to find out when he stopped living at Penn Street, but of course that won't tell you where he moved to! You can use a keyword search in the Historical Directories to search for 'Butt', but there will most likely be loads of matches to look through and you don't know whether it will list all his first names (almost certainly not) or even all his initials! But that is just a failing of the way the directories list the information. Still, I for one will miss that site a great deal if it really does disappear next year when its funding runs out. Kate.

Just been checking the 1899 directory and Penn Street is listed in there as Hoxton. It is definitely the same street because the St. Peter's Mission House is there and also Mallard and Arundel & Marshall and Stowe too. But no Butt. Again, only a few house numbers are listed at all. There is a Fisher at 13 and a Meredith at 14A, so there obviously were other houses, but for whatever reason they were not listed in the directory. But that means, assuming Edward Butt was living there in 1898-9?, that he may still have been there in 1910, just didn't put his name in the directory. Kate.

Changing the subject slightly, but I think still relevant. I've read in the May issue of Your Family Tree magazine that Leicester University has run out of funding for this project and no further data will be added. Their funding to keep it on the internet also runs out in 2007. I must admit that I've used much more user friendly websites. I usually find the best way to use it is to first look to the index page to see that the place you want is listed. The directories are usually in alphabetical order, so say if the directory has 500 pages and the place name you're after starts with an L then go to page 250 then work backwards or forewards to you find it. This sounds a bit long winded, but it usually works. I don't find that the search option works particulary well. I know that this site has it's failings, but it is free. So use it whilst you can!

Sorry Alter Wasn't ignoring you - unfortunately 'puter went crazy and has been down all weekend - am now at work - thank god the boss is on holiday this week LOLOLOL Shoreditch is Hoxton area, Hackney/Islington etc. regards Looby

Errr ... is the website down??? Can't seem to get into historical directories site. Annie

Yes, it's down. It often is.