Help With Research

[CarlPeters]

We often have the discussion about wondering who has lived in our house over the past 100 years, what has happened in these four walls, who lived in it first?

Whats the best way of starting to research it? Where should I look? It must be documented somewhere surely?

The history of my road in general is also an interesting one - what resources are there out there for me to try?

I shan't put my addess on here as you'll all be turning up expecting to be fed, but thanks in advance

[dunsbyowl1867]

Give us a road name then!

[RichardB]

Try the Recordsonline and Indexers links in my signature block.

We often have the discussion about wondering who has lived in our house over the past 100 years, what has happened in these four walls, who lived in it first?

Whats the best way of starting to research it? Where should I look? It must be documented somewhere surely?

The history of my road in general is also an interesting one - what resources are there out there for me to try?

I shan't put my addess on here as you'll all be turning up expecting to be fed, but thanks in advance

[RichardB]

Trade Directories may be useful, try library or local studies (if you are local).

We often have the discussion about wondering who has lived in our house over the past 100 years, what has happened in these four walls, who lived in it first?

Whats the best way of starting to research it? Where should I look? It must be documented somewhere surely?

The history of my road in general is also an interesting one - what resources are there out there for me to try?

I shan't put my addess on here as you'll all be turning up expecting to be fed, but thanks in advance

[RichardB]

Have a look at our 1950's OS maps, your road may be covered, it may not. You might find evidence of stuff missing, areas of housing removed/knocked down for new roads etc to be put through; even possibly gaps from Hitler's attempt to flatten the place.

Give us a road name then!

[RichardB]

Google your own address !

e.g. "23 Fishcake Avenue" Sheffield - not all estate agents want shooting, some sites may give you the year it was built.

We often have the discussion about wondering who has lived in our house over the past 100 years, what has happened in these four walls, who lived in it first?

Whats the best way of starting to research it? Where should I look? It must be documented somewhere surely?

The history of my road in general is also an interesting one - what resources are there out there for me to try?

I shan't put my addess on here as you'll all be turning up expecting to be fed, but thanks in advance

[RichardB]

If the place is old enough, try Ancestry and the 1881 Census - available free still, I think.

Or buy a few pay-as-you-go-bonkers credits and try other years/sites for other census information.

We often have the discussion about wondering who has lived in our house over the past 100 years, what has happened in these four walls, who lived in it first?

Whats the best way of starting to research it? Where should I look? It must be documented somewhere surely?

The history of my road in general is also an interesting one - what resources are there out there for me to try?

I shan't put my addess on here as you'll all be turning up expecting to be fed, but thanks in advance

[RichardB]

Tough one this ... consider that your road/street/boulevard may have been renumbered at some point in the past.

We often have the discussion about wondering who has lived in our house over the past 100 years, what has happened in these four walls, who lived in it first?

Whats the best way of starting to research it? Where should I look? It must be documented somewhere surely?

The history of my road in general is also an interesting one - what resources are there out there for me to try?

I shan't put my addess on here as you'll all be turning up expecting to be fed, but thanks in advance

[RichardB]

Try Google Books with

"23 Fishcake Avenue" Sheffield

you never know.

We often have the discussion about wondering who has lived in our house over the past 100 years, what has happened in these four walls, who lived in it first?

Whats the best way of starting to research it? Where should I look? It must be documented somewhere surely?

The history of my road in general is also an interesting one - what resources are there out there for me to try?

I shan't put my addess on here as you'll all be turning up expecting to be fed, but thanks in advance

[RichardB]

Like what Dunsby said, give us a road name. I have a 1957 Kelly's, SteveHB has a 1965, Stuart0742 has a 1970. Other people have other directories.

I have a variety of CD's covering 1925, 1905, 1893, 1871, 1849 etc etc

Give us a road name then!

[Bayleaf]

I shan't put my addess on here as you'll all be turning up expecting to be fed, but thanks in advance

Fair enough, but perhaps an indication of the district/area would help?

[RichardB]

and if you really do live at 23 Fishcake Avenue, I apologise

Fair enough, but perhaps an indication of the district/area would help?

[HughW]

Find your street/house on the maps at http://www.old-maps.co.uk/index.html - bit fiddley to use but a very useful site

Go down to the Local Studies Library and look in the Trade Directories and Electoral Registers, they also have lots of maps.

You can look at Sheffield directories up to 1911 at http://www.historicaldirectories.org

At Sheffield Archives you can look for planning applications, and yet more maps.

Some genealogical websites allow address searches in census records.

One of my favourite occupations at the moment is browsing or searching 19th century newspapers online, including the Sheffield Independent. Sheffield libraries doesn't subscribe to that database but I found I could join a Lancashire Library, so i research Sheffield history as a proud member of Blackburn Library (registration all done online).

If the house goes back to the 1890s or earlier there are the ratebooks on microfilm in the Archives.

Or, you could enlist the willing help community of local and family historians by giving us an address. We are all generally sufficiently well fed

Hugh

[RichardB]

Some of us a tad more sufficiently than others

We are all generally sufficiently well fed

Hugh

[Wadsleyite]

I have access to census returns to 1911, and Sheffield directories for 1905, 1925, 1942, 1954, 1968 and 1973. If you email your address to me on edward.robinson913@ntlworld.com I'll see what I can do!

[RichardB]

You sound like a man I'd like to know !

I have access to census returns to 1911, and Sheffield directories for 1905, 1925, 1942, 1954, 1968 and 1973. If you email your address to me on edward.robinson913@ntlworld.com I'll see what I can do!

[History dude]

Fred Housego did the same thing in the BBC TV series History on Your Doorstep. There's was a book made of it. Perhaps still revelent, though not on the internet stuff. I remember he went into his local studies lib, ask the assitant about the place he lived and then sat at a table while they place box after box of material around him! I did the same thing at Sheffield L S and got one book

Mind you a few years after that I asked about Manor Lodge pictures and got the same thing as Fred