First time searching the archives

[camlass]

Where do I go first? Need to go up town to either Kew or Tower Hamlets or elsewhere? to investigate
John Murray born about 1770-80 Fishmonger of Shadwell/Ratcliffe. I have baptism addresses
for his children 1803 onwards and his work address in Broad Street Shadwell

I have never been before so I could do with some advice guys.

Thanks

[rosie99]

What sort of information are you after?

The London Metropolitan Archives covers Shadwell in part for Parish Registers, some of which are on Ancestry. If you are just after looking at Parish registers you could probably hire them to look up at your local LDS family history centre.

You can see from their website what sort of records Kew hold.  http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/ 

Rosie

[camlass]

Thanks, I am trying to flesh him out a little. If he had a shop would there be records of tax or rents anywhere?

Regards Pat

[GrahamSimons]

My advice is to spend time with their online catalogues deciding exactly what you want to do in advance. If you need to consult original records, they may have to be ordered up from a store room - if you can do that in advance it will save a lot of waiting and in some cases it is essential (some records at the National Archives are stored off-site and you need to give three working days' notice).

Make a to-do list, possibly longer than you expect to achieve; make sure you take your own data with you so that you can check out new leads. Be prepared for new sources - I blundered into two unexpected and exciting new lines of research when I happened upon two books in an archive.

Allow for time being processed for a reader's ticket.

Do read the guidance on the websites too. Don't take a pen; take pencils (and not ones with built-in rubbers); take the ID you'll need; and at least in the National Archives you will not be allowed to take loose sheets of paper in with you, they must be stapled.

Hope this is helpful

[dawnsh]

Try contacting Tower Hamlets first as they are smaller and won't be so overwhelming. Give them a ring and see what they can offer in the way of resources.

The staff there are experts with pointing first time visitors in the right direction.

I would save a trip to Kew for another time, once you have notched up some experience elsewhere.

[rosie99]

I would save a trip to Kew for another time, once you have notched up some experience elsewhere.

I would agree with that, Dawnsh.  It is overwhelming at first. 

Rosie

[alpinecottage]

Have you looked on www.historicaldirectories.org - there is a historical London directory from 1808 and putting the word broad into the search box gives hits for all the Broad Streets in London.  The one you want is Broad St, Ratclif, and you can see all the other traders in the same street.  (No entry for Murray that I can see and no entries for fishmonger either)

Have you also tried the Gale newspaper archive (free access through some County Library services) and also the new British Newspaper Archive (free to search, pay to view articles) for articles of events in Ratcliffe and Broad Street.

Note - and I'm not joking - at this date the letter s was often written as  f, so it's worth trying "fifh "in the search boxes.

[camlass]

Many, many  thanks for all your help.

Regards Pat

[GrahamSimons]

We're all dying to hear how you get on - please, please, pretty please post something in this thread when you get back!