Family History and Genealogy Tours

If your ancestors came from Cornwall, you can visit the house, the cottage, the farm, the church, the exact spot where they lived, were married or are buried.

During the second half of the nineteenth century, almost twenty five per cent of the population of Cornwall emigrated. As well as those who crossed the Tamar to England, the Cornish left in large numbers for the United States of America, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Central and South America and later to South Africa. As a result, there are some 6 million people world-wide who proudly claim Cornish ancestry.

By now you'll probably have discovered where they lived - possibly the church where they were married, maybe the church where they are buried.

~~~just some of the places to which the Cornish migrated~~~

***Tell us the addresses and we'll make arrangements for you to visit these places, perhaps speak to the present people in the house/cottage/farm, enter the church/chapel, maybe with the minister there to talk about your family and the history of the church, look around the graveyard and view and photograph the headstones.

Did you know that around year 1840, the whole of England was recorded on TITHE MAPS (very detailed maps) and TITHE APPORTIONMENTS (a detailed record of who occupied each and every property)? The tithe maps and apportionments were created for tax purposes - so the government made sure they were correct! These documents are at the Cornwall Record Office and can be inspected - free of charge. So if your ancestors were still in Cornwall at that time, we can arrange for you to inspect the maps and apportionments at the Record Office. If you're not 100% sure, this will also help you identify exactly where they lived.

The Cornwall Record Office is one of TWO important resource centres for Genealogists and Family History Researchers in Truro ... probably the two most useful resource centres in Cornwall for Family History Researchers.

1. At the Cornwall Record Office there are all the Censuses, 1841 to 1901 (1911 won't be released until 2011), Parish Registers, Wills, Tithe Maps, Bishops' Transcripts and much, much more. The staff there are very helpful - and we'll help you book it.***
2. At the Cornwall Family History Society there are the St Catherines Records since 1837 (the hatches, matches and despatches!), the IGI, the Censuses, the Indices of the Memorial Inscriptions (the headstone records), and much, much more. Once again, the staff (all volunteers) are very helpful - and we'll help you book it.***

Both the CRO and the CFHS need to be booked. The CFHS is open on Wednesday evening. We're members of both organisations.

You may know the name of the ship they migrated on and the port they departed from. Did you know that at one time more people were leaving from the little Cornish port of Padstow than any other in the United Kingdom? Padstow is worth a visit whether your people went from there or not - old, picturesque - just as you'd expect a Cornish fishing/merchant port to be.

As an experienced Genealogist/Family History Researcher we expect you'll know all about the following websites! - but here are the links anyway:-

• Cyndi's List
• RootsWeb
• Public Record Office for the UK
• UK and Ireland GenealogyInformation Services
• Federation of Family History Societies - UK
• Society of Genealogists UK
• Guild of ONE NAME Studies
• LDS (IGI) - Family History
• Cornwall Record Office
• Cornwall Family History Society

And of course, we'll be pleased to help you plan your tour in any way we can. Just email us!