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Esther Rantzen has always been intrigued by the story of a ‘black sheep’ in her otherwise middle-class and respectable family. By speaking to other family members she discovered that the scoundrel was her great-grandfather Montague Leverson, who abandoned his family after landing in financial trouble and fled to America. Esther visited The National Archives in Kew to look at his naturalisation papers (See the thumbnail image on the right).
Esther went on to investigate the origins of her unusual surname. As she traced her family back she was stunned to learn that her wealthy stockbroker grandfather was born in an East End slum. Her subsequent investigations into the Rantzen family’s rapid social rise exposed a close family connection with one of the richest men of the 19th century.
The easiest way to start your search for an ancestor is through census records. If your ancestor had a particularly unusual surname this may make your research easier.
If your ancestors moved around you may be able to trace their voyages to or from the UK in passenger list records. Outbound passenger lists have been digitised and can be searched online.
We hold naturalisation records between 1844 and 1948, although records dated after 1922 are closed for periods of up to 100 years.
The National Archives holds criminal and prison registers for the 19th and 20th centuries that may help you trace criminal ancestors.
The Moving Here website explores 200 years of migration in England. It provides a fascinating insight into how entire communities came to England and settled, including many Jewish people.
If you have any media player, download podcasts from many of our talks held at Kew including:
Modern sources for immigration - part 1
