Building a database for a One-Place Study is like building a new home. The foundations need to be solid and reliable to construct and support a growing community. Sources are required for every fact otherwise if they cannot be proved, they might as well not have happened. Statistical analysis requires accurate data in order to produce meaningful results.

Although it is down to personal preference how a Name & Place project should be started, it is useful to upload the census from 1841-1911. Don’t panic! A detailed explanation on how to achieve this will be given in a future blog. This will ensure that everyone who was enumerated will have their own profile.

Then, a layering process is brought into play. Pre-1837 baptisms, marriages and burials should be obtained together with post-1937 certificates of births, marriages and deaths. By this point a fair assessment of past inhabitants will have been captured give or take a few stragglers.

Applying further layers of wills, deeds, land tax records, manorial rentals and more to each and every name will start to restore the community to a three dimensional view. Maps, photographs, postcards and newspaper articles can be assigned to each person and property. Identified properties can be allocated records associated to them producing a house history and timeline of occupancy of various owners and tenants.

Name & Place loves gathering data and helping to restore communities.