The red area on the map of England is where Barnsley is located in the County of Yorkshire where my Hepworth ancestors lived for many generations.
When great-great grandfather Thomas and brother John left England in 1852. Both parents were living as well as two more brother's, James and William and a sister Sarah.
Their father Samuel was born on 12 Feb 1793 in Barnsley. At this writing I don't have a confirmed birth date for mother Sarah. Sam married Sarah Jackson on 25 Jun 1820. With great excitement I found the digital image of their marriage entry. This record doesn't give the occupation of Samuel (a butcher) or the age of Sam and Sarah or who their father's were. There is a Thomas Jackson as a witness but, I don't know how he is related to Sarah. What's so valuable about this record is their signatures. Which means they were educated. (Found on Ancestry.com)
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This record does mention the occupation of John, (a) Butcher. That makes three generations of Butchers that I have found. And, take note of the signatures. Priceless.
Familysearch.org and Ancestry.com are the two internet sites I search for English Records for my Ancestors. Family Search is free where Ancestry costs $300.00 a year. The best thing about Family Search is it keeps Ancestry improving to keep ahead, which is the reason digital images of records can be found on Ancestry where only the text information is found on Family Search. There are some selected records in digital images on FS but, Ancestry is best. I'm very grateful.
Renée
