June 22 2004: The Wisemans by Ray :)

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The Wisemans

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22-JUN-2004	Img_6148c

June 22 2004:
The Wisemans

I spent the day at the Family Records Centre in central London today. It is the major centre for those, like me, researching family records, and holds much material, including census records and indices to birth, death and marriage certificates.

I’ve traced some of my line back to 1764, but today I learnt more about my family when they lived in Horsham St. Faiths, a village near the city of Norwich.

One of the birth entries here is for George Wiseman, who sadly died just two weeks after being born in 1839. For this brief time, he was a nephew to my great great grandfather.

It is quite rewarding looking through these old ledgers which have been painstakingly written up by clerks in a style of handwriting so alien to us today. And I’m not sure I saw a crossing-out at all!

I’ve enhanced this in levels to give the parchment a false hue; in truth is nearer an off-white cum cream.

Photoshop:
Cropped and Resized
Levels: 0, 0.77, 139
Grayscale
Contrast +40
Framed using #DBD2AF

Canon EOS 300D Digital Rebel
1/200s f/4.0 at 28.0mm iso400 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto

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photo and copyright: Ray Pettit

Karen Leaf		23-Jun-2004 00:52
Doing a geneology study can become addicting. Not only for the family background but the events that people lived through, that you can document thru the records. Have fun!

Guest		23-Jun-2004 00:10
Beautiful subject, nice fonts :)

Guest		22-Jun-2004 22:12
Really interesting subject, with wonderful treatment. That handwriting is amazing!!

brother_mark		22-Jun-2004 21:11
Interesting. My mom and I spent some time in the National Archives here in Washington, pouring through Census data. We could not get earlier than 1850 nor find any ships on which our ancestors came over. We did learn that my great great grandmother on my father's side, gave birth to 9 children. We had only known about the five who survived. Only one other made it into the decennial (every ten years?) census--Elizabeth. I believe she was 1 yr old in 1870. Dead by 1880.

Robin Reid		22-Jun-2004 21:01
Powerful memories. I knew what it was as soon as I saw the thumbnail. Thank you and well done. It must be quite the adventure for you.

Si Kirk		22-Jun-2004 20:56
superb image, i wonder just how far back it will go

Guest		22-Jun-2004 20:41
WOW that's exciting! I need to learn more about my family past. A few people in our London office keeps telling me Bosworth is such a STRONG ENGLISH NAME!