I was reading about the TV program “Who do you think you are”, which led me on to the magazine which has a feature on the 1841 Census. This inspired me to use Google Maps to create an overview of where all my ancestors were living in 1841. I used the “My Maps” feature and added all the places I could. Some addresses are not there any more, in which case I took the nearest centre of town. It didn’t take too long, maybe an hour or so. Here’s my map.
As well as researching the minutiae of my family history, I also find myself thinking about the wider social history. Already in 1841 there are a lot of ancestors living in south London, many of whom I know moved there from other parts of the country. Most of the others were to later move there – by 1901 I think nearly all the lines on my tree were in London. Its strange to think that now my family and I are moving away from London, back to the countryside…
