Patrick Victor Martindale White was born on this day, 28 May, in 1912 in Knightsbridge London. He can be found in the England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915 shown below. 

His family moved to Australia 6 months later and Patrick White went on to become a renowned author, penning 12 novels and 8 plays.

White spent some time in England and returned to Australia after the War, settling in the Sydney suburb of Castle Hill. He is shown below on the Australian Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980, described as a farmer. 

In 1973, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, the only Australian to have been awarded the prize. He was also named Australian of the Year in 1973. He died in September 1990.

The England and Wales National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858–1966 records are particularly interesting as they show where and when your ancestors died and the value of the estate they left behind.

Now I don’t know about you, but none of my ancestors left too much money behind, but there are a few famous faces in these records who had larger estates than the average person.

• Noble Prize Winner George Bernard Shaw died in November 1950, leaving behind a huge fortune of £367233 which equates to over $16 million in 2012.

• Former Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill passed away in January 1965, leaving behind an estate worth £304044 or approximately $7.7 million by today’s standards.

• Celebrated nurse Florence Nightingale left behind £36127 when she died in 1910. That’s the equivalent of over $5 million in today’s money.

• Poet T.S Eliot died in 1965 and left £105272 to wife Esme, which is approximately $2.5 million by today’s standards.

The 1911 England & Wales Census contains over 36 million records and a wealth of information for family historians.

I was having a look through the records and found a Mr William Joylance Court. His occupation is listed as a Barrister at Law and he is shown with his wife Mary and 2 daughters, Evelyn and Dorothy. Also listed are his 10 staff members including a butler, valet, footman, housekeeper, two ladies maids, head housemaid, kitchen maid, housemaid and scullery maid.

How big a house would you need for all these people? Well, the wonderful 1911 England Census tells you! On the back of the schedule, there is a space for the number of rooms. As you can see from the image below, the Roylance Court household had 26 rooms!

What have you found in the 1911 England and Wales Census? Leave a comment below or post on our Facebook Wall.

Best known as a Sydney criminal, gang member and madam, Matilda “Tilly” Devine was born Tilly Twiss in the UK in 1900.

She can be found on the 1911 England and Wales Census with her parents Edward and Alice and 7 siblings, residing at 57 Hollington Street, Camberwell in London. A few years later in 1917 she married Aussie serviceman James Edward Devine. She arrived in Australia in 1920 and became infamous for her criminal activities. She died in 1970.

New research from Ancestry reveals that New Zealand film-maker Peter Jackson’s grandfather had a brush with the author of the Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien.

The story began in World War I with Peter’s grandfather, William John Jackson, who fought at the bloody Battle of the Somme with the South Wales Borderers’ second battalion. 

On July 24, 1916, a young Tolkien arrived at the Somme. He would share many of William’s frontline experiences.

William did some reconnaissance work there and his battalion was relieved by the 1st Lancashire Fusiliers, who Tolkien was with.

William, born in 1889, survived the war and won a Distinguished Conduct Medal for his efforts on the Western Front. His record from the British Army WW1 Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920 is shown above.

Tolkien went on to publish The Hobbit, a prelude to his Lord of the Rings trilogy, in 1937.

William John Jackson died in England in 1940 while his son, William Arthur, was serving in World War II.

Today marks 100 years since the death of Dracula author Abraham “Bram” Stoker. He died in 1912 aged 64 and can be found in our England & Wales National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills & Administrations) 1861 – 1941.

As you can see from the record above, he left effects of GBP4723 to his wife Florence – approximately AUD$670,000 in today’s money - a considerable amount compared to the others listed on the record.

His wealth is also reflected in the 1891 England Census (shown below) where he appears with his wife and two servants – Mary Drinkwater, listed as a Cook and Ada Howard, a 22 year old house/parlourmaid. Stoker was a busy man, his occupation noted as Barrister, Theatrical Manager and Author.

Amazing how much information you can get from historical records!