{"id":3716,"date":"2023-06-02T08:30:13","date_gmt":"2023-06-02T08:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/?p=3716"},"modified":"2023-05-05T11:59:29","modified_gmt":"2023-05-05T11:59:29","slug":"gypsy-romany-and-traveller-history-month-at-dorset-history-centre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/2023\/06\/02\/gypsy-romany-and-traveller-history-month-at-dorset-history-centre\/","title":{"rendered":"Gypsy Romany and Traveller History Month at Dorset History Centre"},"content":{"rendered":"

June is Gypsy Romany and Traveller History Month, and during the month we will be sharing four blogs written by a DHC volunteer and professional genealogist about the challenges and unique features of researching GRT family.<\/p>\n

You can find further information about researching GRT ancestors and about some specific families at The Romany and Traveller Family History Society\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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We are proud to work with Kushti Bok<\/a>, Dorset’s own Gypsy, Romany and Traveller organisation which undertakes a wide variety of activities from raising awareness of GRT history and lifestyles at public events to vital advocacy work for today\u2019s GRT people in the West Country. Kushti Bok is run entirely by volunteers so if you\u2019d like to find out more and support their work do contact them.<\/p>\n

Our first blog looks at some of the challenges you might face when researching GRT ancestors…<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

What’s in a name?<\/h2>\n

Most of us know someone who is not known by their first given name \u2013 preferring to be known by a nickname or one of their other given names \u2013 but most people are consistent in their use of a surname.<\/p>\n

Anybody who has undertaken family history research is used to women taking their husband\u2019s name on marriage, children taking a stepfather\u2019s surname or maybe a change of surname in order to receive an inheritance. With a little research there is often clear documentary evidence behind a surname change.<\/p>\n

If an ancestor used an alias as part of criminal activities, court and prison records would record this and, often, cross reference with records of crimes committed under all aliases.<\/p>\n

However, how do you confirm that you have found the right person when use of a surname appears totally inconsistent? For anyone researching travelling ancestors, such as Gypsies, it is important to construct the whole family following paternal and maternal lines for each generation as shown in the short example below:<\/p>\n

Betsy AYRES appeared living in a Gypsy caravan on the edge of Winchester, Hampshire on the 1871 census. It is not until doing research on all of her siblings that you can identify that her father was Daniel, also known as Dangerfield, JAMES. This then allows her marriage to Henry HUGHES to be linked to the tree and her married life in Dorset. When Betsy\u2019s son, Dangerfield HUGHES, was registered, according to the GRO index, the mother\u2019s maiden name was recorded as STANLEY, yet this seems to be his paternal grandmother\u2019s surname as well as that of a maternal great-great grandmother.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Betsy Ayres, in the 1871 census.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Family history researchers are constantly reminded to be flexible and view findings objectively, but when an individual\u2019s sense of identity was not tightly bound to a given name or surname there is a challenge to being confident that correct individuals have been identified. Recreation of a full family tree is essential to demonstrate the accuracy of links and the changeability of names.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

June is Gypsy Romany and Traveller History Month, and during the month we will be sharing four blogs written by a DHC volunteer and professional genealogist about the challenges and unique features of researching GRT family. You can find further information about researching GRT ancestors and about some specific families at The Romany and Traveller… Read more Gypsy Romany and Traveller History Month at Dorset History Centre<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1892,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[82,191,453,109,454,468],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3716"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1892"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3716"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3716\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3732,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3716\/revisions\/3732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}