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Archiver > PACAMBRI > 2004-12 > 1104516605


From: "Kathryn M. Doyle" <>
Subject: England to Cambria Co., PA
Date: Fri, 31 Dec 2004 10:10:05 -0800 (PST)
In-Reply-To: <200412311702.iBVH2sCW032211@lists5.rootsweb.com>


> Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 20:12:50 -0500
> From:

> I was unable to get to the English Records Office, but this is the advertised web site with
> all the English Census Records from 1837. www.1837online.com The English census years are the
> year xxx1, rather than xxx0 as ours are. I have not been able to use the web site yet, so I do
> not know anymore about it.
> Marilyn K. Washington

Marilyn,

I have found both my DOYLEs and McDONALDs in the 1881 British Census (familysearch.org) in
Northern England (DOYLEs in Northumberland; McDONALDs in Co. Durham) -- mining coal. I was amazed
to find that my DOYLEs were mining bituminous coal in England for 3 generations (wish I knew where
they came from in Ireland!) before my great-grandfather emigrated to Cambria Co., in the late
1880's. Unlike the typical miners, mine weren't very mobile. They married the local girls and
stayed put in Cowpen, Blyth, so I have easily traced them back to the 1861 census. I haven't yet
found them in 1851 -- the first British census that listed each family member individually.
British census records have not yet been as completely indexed as U.S. but the good news, as you
mentioned, is that vital records (birth-marriage-death) began in 1837 and church records are quite
complete for decades before that.

"The Coalminers of Durham" by Norman Emery mentions that "in 1879 the Enginemen's Mutual
Protection Society established an emigration scheme to assist any of its members who wished to
leave Durham for North America or Australia. Several miners and their families left for Illinois
and the coalfields of Pennsylvania..."

I would love to hear from other Cambria County researchers whose ancestors came from England --
especially miners. The jump to British research has been challenging and I would appreciate
advice about how best to access the vital records -- offlist, of course.

Kathryn Doyle
Piedmont, CA




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