Day 1 Durham Record Office

I'm staying in Wolsingham which is about half an hour's drive from Durham and using the new park and ride service. It's been really good; there's a bus every ten minutes from the parking area into the City - it costs nothing to park and £2 for the return bus service which easily beats the cost of parking in the city. There's a stop just outside County Hall (not to be confused with City Hall) and one just over the road for the return so it's all very simple. 

Once at County Hall, again, it's all straightforward; check in at the Helpdesk (they're all friendly here) and the Record Office is close by. There's a cafeteria where you can get a hot meal, sandwich or take in a packed lunch (which is what I've done) and there's a microwave if you need to heat something up. Brilliant!

Today I've been checking up on marriages in St Helen Auckland for the Little and Brown families. This has been really useful as I've been able to confirm most of them; still need to find a marriage for Robert Little and Ann Rodham - I can see the banns, but not the marriage. Will have another look before I finish  up. 

Interestingly, I've found the marriage for Mary Little and John Moses (1846); at some point they went off to Shuylkill County, Pennsylvania. Not the only Littles who went there so I must take time to write up more of the Little family in the USA.

Hannah Little married John Hodgson in 1848; a son, Robert was born in 1862 and there's some  fascinating research to come on him I think. It appears that he went off to the USA as a joiner and returned as 'an American physician and surgeon'. Could that be right?

More to do tomorrow!