DORSET-L Archives

From: <>
Subject: Re: Memorial in Netherbury
Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 20:03:30 EDT

Hi Rosemary: I thank you again for answering me. I would like to very much
stay in touch with you since you are the first person I have found that is
very interested in Butt ancestors. I was hoping that you might help me by
telling
me how records are kept in England etc.

For instance, here in the United States, we have states, then areas set apart
as cities and towns. However, the states are then separated into counties,
whereby a number of cities and towns comprise a county. On the city, town
level we house birth, marriage and death records. There is also a state wide
index for these births, marriages and deaths. However, probate records are
kept on a county level and we have our district courts within each county.
Immigration records are kept on a federal level. Since most of our legal
practices
are based on our early forefathers from England, I was wondering how English
records are kept.

The records in Canada are kept very similarly and those records are very good
except for Newfoundland. Newfoundland is very remote and did not become
a province until 1949. Records to about 1800 were kept, but not very orderly
and not all that descriptive and informative. Before 1800 they are very
scarce
and one has to play a guessing game. To make it even more difficult and
confusing, every Butt family member is named John, William, George, Roger
or Joseph (so it seems) or Ann, Mary, Patience, Martha. Newfoundland in
particular was not so easily settled because of the harsh weather and terrain.
Early on it was inhabited mostly for its rich fishing waters. Anyway,
because of
this, the clergy only made occasional visits to Newfoundland and records are
almost nil because of this. My thought is that many settlers may have
recorded
their vitals in England. I think Poole might have been a possible place to
have
recorded this information. Do you have any ideas on this?

Sorry, if I have rambled on with the history lesson, but the only clues I
have at
the moment is one Henry Butt ca early 1800's who kept a horse in Gillingham
and a John who wnnt to live in Canford Magna in 1727 from Newfoundland. Are
Gillingham
and Canford Magna close to one another.

Any help you could give me or if you can recommend some reading material,
I would be very grateful. In any event, please keep in touch.

MaryAnn

This thread:

• Memorial in Netherbury by Lynette & Dave Rees <>
  • Re: Memorial in Netherbury by "Rosemary Nation" <>

  • Re: Memorial in Netherbury by <>

  • Re: Memorial in Netherbury by "Rosemary Nation" <>