Family History Research in Northumberland and Co Durham
WHAT CAN I OFFER?
The service offered covers research throughout the pre-1974 counties of Northumberland and Co Durham, which include the modern county of Tyne and Wear and the northern part of Cleveland. The Cumbrian parish of Alston is also covered, as are those parishes transferred from North Yorkshire to Co Durham in 1974. Experience shows that the places in this region holding material likely to be of greatest benefit to clients are:
*** Northumberland County Record Office (at Melton Park, Gosforth, at the Morpeth Records Centre and at the Berwick Branch Office)
*** Durham County Record Office (in Durham City)
*** Tyne and Wear Archives Department (in Newcastle upon Tyne)
*** Durham University Library, Archives and special Collections (in Durham City)
*** The Bolbec Hall Library and Research Centre of the Northumberlandand Durham Family history Society (in Newcastle upon Tyne)
*** Major Public Reference Libraries throughout the region, especially that of Newcastle upon Tyne, which has excellent collections of transcripts of records.
In addition, I will visit any other place at all in the North-East of England where information likely to be useful in your researches may be found, be it specialised reference library or village churchyard. Further, I will make as much use as practical of my own private library of books (some quite rare), MS notes, microfiche, computer files and CD-ROMs. My computerised database alone currently includes about a million items of information, a large proportion of which are parish register entries while others are taken from census enumerators' notebooks and from a very wide range of lists of names, originally compiled for all sorts of purposes. My list of names appearing on local monumental inscriptions, for example, is large, unique and rapidly-growing. My microfiche collection includes transcripts of parish registers, parts of censuses etc, issued by numerous local publishers, as well as some standard local histories which are now very rare indeed. My pedigree collection, which includes some published in eg County Histories and others mainly compiled by myself, has been known to be capable of answering clients' genealogical problems "at a stroke"!
WHO AM I?
Apart from student days in Yorkshire, when I took a BSc in Physics at Hull University, and a few brief work assignments elsewhere, I have lived within the region I cover ever since I was born in 1942 and have been undertaking research for clients since 1976. I have been a FULL-TIME Professional Genealogist since 1990. Before that I was a technical editor and technical author in power engineering research (to 1980) and then a teacher of Science and Maths in Co Durham Comprehensive Schools until 1990. I believe this background helps ensure that my research is thorough and my reports clearly presented.
In 1975 I was one of the seven people who took the pioneering decision to found the Northumberland and Durham Family History Society. Since then I have served the Society in many capacities, founding its acclaimed "Journal" from scratch and remaining as its Editor for five years. I was the Society's Chairman from 1990 to 1996, the main achievement of that period being the creation of the Library and Research Centre in Bolbec Hall, Newcastle, and the supervision of all aspects of its setting up. I am currently Chairman of the Society's Gateshead Branch.
WHY COME TO ME?
As a FULL-TIME researcher I consider myself far better-placed than most to hear of developments in genealogical research in the region - which records have newly become available, who is compiling an index of what events, etc. I also consider myself much more knowledgeable than most others about the LOCAL HISTORY of places within the region. I regard the provision of background information about the location and history of your ancestral sites as being very important to making your research fully-rounded and, wherever possible, much more than just a list of names and dates.
WHAT ABOUT RECORDS HELD OUTSIDE THE REGION?
My Agents in London, Edinburgh and Kew provide me with information from National Archive Repositories, and I can undertake the provision of post-1837 certificates of Birth, Marriage and Death from local Registrars throughout the UK.
WHAT WERE THE PLACES LIKE WHERE MY FAMILY LIVED IN, SAY, THE 19TH CENTURY?
I have a large collection of images - old photographs, engravings and line drawings, and am always ready to send clients a copy of one. As I need to satisfy myself that I am not encouraging you to breach the rights of the copyright holder, I will always supply such material as a print-out of a computer scan and not as a computer file in itself.
WHAT ELSE IS ON OFFER?
Apart from family history research itself, please ask about my other services.
## MY "NATIVE GUIDE" SERVICE
When planning a visit to this beautiful and historic region, why not hire me to take you to your ancestral sites? Whether they lived in a castle or in a cottage which is now no more than a heap of stones in the corner of a field, I will help you find it and will provide transport so you can be sure of reaching even the most remote places - often inaccessible by public transport, especially if you wish to visit several widely-separated sites in one day. I will provide a commentary on the history and background of places we pass, and can also advise on such modern matters as where to get the best camera angles, which route to take (the quickest or the prettiest?), which is the best pub to visit for that lunch-time snack, etc, etc. My rate for this service is the same as for research, with nothing added for transport costs.
## MY UNIQUE "OFF-THE-SHELF" PEDIGREE SERVICE
Why not enquire whether I already hold a pedigree for the family which interests you - or of any family with the relevant surname? I have lists of pedigrees held in certain other collections, copies of which are sometimes to be found in my own. The knowledge that a family has already been researched, and possession of the resulting pedigree can save hours of research time although of course, any pre-existing pedigree must still be confirmed from primary sources before being accepted as correct. Pedigrees held by me are available for purchase as a print-out of a computerised "register-style report" priced on a "per family member mentioned" basis.
## LOCAL HISTORIES RESEARCHED
What was going on in your ancestral village during your ancestors' lives? This may reveal why, for instance, they moved away! I shall in any case tell you whatever I already know, but who knows what further research might reveal!
## INDUSTRIAL HISTORIES RESEARCHED
What was it like to work in the industry which employed your ancestors? Working conditions may have been poor by our standards but how would they have been judged at the time? Whose business was it and how did your ancestors travel to it?
*** MAKING CONTACT
Write to:
Geoff Nicholson, 57 Manor Park, Concord, Washington, Tyne and Wear
NE37 2BU, UK
Telephone from the UK:
0191 417 9546
Telephone from outside the UK:
+44 191 417 9546
E-mail:
GenicResearch@aol.com
