28 November 2016
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Mrs Beeton
Flesh out the lives of your Victorian ancestors with these free genealogy websites.
Flesh out the lives of your Victorian ancestors with these free genealogy websites.
If you want to flesh out the lives of your Victorian ancestors, you should explore their culture. In Family Tree Christmas, Emma Jolly tours a host of wonderful free websites that will add colour and depth to your knowledge and understanding of your ancestors' lives in the 19th century. To get you started, here are three of Emma's top choices. Don't forget to grab the issue for the rest - click here to visit our store.
1 Charles Dickens Online
One of the most celebrated authors of the Victorian age is, of course, Charles Dickens. Born in 1812, Dickens is admired today for his depiction of contemporary Victorian life. At www.dickens-online.info gaols, workhouses and the weather of various parts of England are all elegantly described, providing us with plenty of socio-historical details that may be missing from the formality of records such as institutional registers. Dickens’ novels cover the period from 1836 to 1870, when he passed away.
2 Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management
This website at www.mrsbeeton.com offers an insight into middle-class domesticity and allows access to the complete text of Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management (published in 1861), enabling readers to explore hundreds of contemporary recipes, advice and commentary on family life.
3 Queen Victoria’s Journals
Even those not descended from royalty or a member of the royal household should find useful insight into life in the Victorian age through Queen Victoria’s Journals (1832 to 1901) at www.queenvictoriasjournals.org. This rich resource provides free access to online digital images of every page in the entire sequence of the Queen’s diaries. The pages are transcribed, and the site can be browsed or searched by keyword.
The Victorian era is a remarkable period during which our ancestors saw enormous change, akin to the technological revolution that has made it so much easier for us to trace them today, and exploring it will provide further fascinating insights to your ancestors’ lives. Don't miss the Christmas issue for more websites to aid your research!
