Best Websites
There’s nothing like criminality to add spice to a family tree, writes
The free records that can expose a criminal relative
Researching prison inmates can be a fruitful and fascinating avenue for family historians. Murderers, bootleggers and other offenders grabbed the headlines, and even more prosaic encounters with the criminal justice system will have generated an interesting paper trail. There are all sorts of records open to you, from calendars of prisoners and prison registers, to court material from depositions and indictments; actual case files, pardons, reprieves and transfers; and newspaper reports and notices. And that’s still the case if your ancestor was on the other side of the bars, perhaps working as prison staff, or a witness – or even a victim.
Even if you can’t track down a specific record of your ancestor, such is the popular interest in crime that you should be able to find out more about the institution where they were incarcerated (or where they worked).
Some of the websites that we’ve chosen this month boast actual prison records, while others are more geared towards inspiring good research.
OUR CRIMINAL ANCESTORS
wourcriminalancestors.org
This free resource encourages people to explore the criminal past of their families and communities. It tends to eschew notorious cases, instead presenting illustrated how-to guides, timelines and case studies that feature more everyday criminality. One case study here charts the rise and fall of a Hull businessman, recounting the story of an estate agent who in the 1920s was brought to book for embezzling from his clients, and sentenced to 21 months’ imprisonment. The website draws on a number of sources to illustrate his story, including the census, newspaper reports and local court records. There’s all sorts of information about the history of policing, prisons, “bodily punishments” and youth justice, and in 2019 the site’s creators will add more material from assize records and additional prison records.