Genealogy Chat

Result! Went to the local Archive Centre yesterday to try and find a newspaper report on the Inquest of my Gt Gt Gt Grandfather. Found it in 2 seconds flat. Gruesome reading, but spent all yesterday with a smile on my face. So anyone looking for inquest reports it's well worth the hunt if you can find out where your local newspaper archives are kept. Bex x

I found local newspaper reports of the inquests of two of my husband's ancestors in the local library recently. They make fascinating (and somewhat gruesome) reading. One took up most of a page. The lady in the library was really helpful and was genuinely interested. It's amazing how much information is out there just waiting to be discovered with a little bit of digging around.

Nothing can beat doing it yourself, but if you have an exact date (death certs have this) for an inquest and you can't get to the right archives, you can often get the relevant library or records office to send you a photocopy for a small sum. I found my gt gt grandfather's inquest report in Islington Local History Centre (which is TINY) but although his death was covered in just a few lines, I read the rest of the paper. There was a particularly gruesome death of someone who was nearly decapitated whilst sitting on the top of an opendeck bus going under a very low bridge - ugh! And it told me that there had recently been flooding in the area. It was a snapshot of the times and area that my gt grandparents lived in. nell

Oh dear, meant to look up the inquest of another relation who was decapitated. He was only a baby and while his mother popped next door a young boy got into the house and killed the baby :(. Another trip to the archive centre coming up. I wish they would do lock-ins, I love it in there :)