Final newsletter

 I am reproducing the text of the ninth newsletter here which will be the last in this form but will continue to write blog posts if anything interesting comes to light. Links to news items or other websites will be posted on the Rigmaiden Facebook page.

Ninth newsletter of the Rigmaiden One-Name Study Group

1.     I have decided that this will be the last Rigmaiden One Name Study newsletter as I feel that I have taken it as far as I can and will be concentrating on the completion of a book on the subject in the coming months. I hope that you have found the newsletters interesting and that maybe they have answered questions for some of you or encouraged some to take up your own researches.

I will continue with the blog at http://rigmaidens.blogspot.co.uk/ and the Facebook group which is called the Rigmaiden Family History Group, for the time being.

Unfortunately, at the time of writing, there has not been anyone interested enough in the Rigmaiden family to take the FamilyFinder DNA test though I do understand that some may have chosen the Ancestry DNA route. If anyone wants to transfer their results to the FamilyFinder website from Ancestry I believe that this option is available. The cost of the Ancestry DNA test which is an autosomal one is £79 plus postage but they do offer special prices every now and again.

I have the sad news to relate that David Hedges, one of my earliest and most enthusiastic Rigmaiden descendants in the United Kingdom passed away last March. He was able to tell me many stories of the family of Edward Henley Rigmaiden and his children, most of whom were daughters, from direct recollection and experience. I must thank Nora, his widow, for taking the trouble to write to me to let me know.

As I move forward in putting the research into some sort of form I will be sending the primary source documents to the Society of Genealogists Library in London who keep a surname index collection relating to specific family studies.  There is already a box for the Rigmaiden family but when I last enquired there weren’t many documents in the box. My contributions will include civil registration certificates, wills, parish register extracts and so on.

Anyone who may be interested in researching a particular branch or aspect of the family may find something of interest there and, of course, the Society of Genealogists Library is the first port of call for geneaologists.

Lastly, I would like to thank all correspondents in this country and abroad who have contributed their own recollections and knowledge to this project and hope that it has inspired others to take up a One-Name Study, maybe their own family name, one that appears somewhere in their family tree or maybe a name that they have an interest in. The Rigmaiden profile which appears on the Guild of One-Name Studies website will remain. Many of us have at least one unusual surname in our family trees that may have piqued our curiosity and many of us may have more than one.

Obviously, it is not recommended to study a common surname particularly if you are working alone but some of the less unusual names have taken on by teams of people, looking at particular aspects. Sadly, the Rigmaiden family does not have any living descendants in the UK anymore but the name is more prevalent in the US.

The Guild of One-Name Studies is an excellent society to join and will give lots of help for those starting out. They offer local meetings, annual conferences, national seminars, a journal and a very helpful website.

For those who are more interested in local studies I understand that One-Place Studies are also possible projects which may involve a study of the village or town where you live or a village connected with your family.

Best wishes and Happy Christmas!

Julie Parker

Eighth Newsletter

Eighth newsletter of the Rigmaiden One-Name Study, November 2015

Julie Parker, Millbank Cottage, Winson, Gloucestershire GL7 5EW

Some of you may know of the exciting new Rigmaiden DNA Project that has recently been set up with the help of The Guild of One Name Studies under the auspices of the Familytreedna.com website.

I will be printing the text of the informatory letter that is currently being sent out to a number of male members of the Rigmaiden family here – if you happen to know of any who may be interested in the Project perhaps you could pass this on to them.

Attached to this letter is an interesting piece from The Gentleman’s Magazine published in 1830 regarding the discovery of a brass seal in Nottinghamshire. In the last newsletter I mentioned this item but, as I couldn’t put my hands on the original article, remembered it as being a ring. Enquiries to the Museum Service are ongoing.

Meanwhile here is the text of the DNA Project letter:

 I am writing to you regarding my family history research for the Rigmaiden surname.  If you are not interested in family history, please pass on this letter to someone in your family who is interested.

I have been researching the Rigmaiden surname, world-wide, for over a decade.   This type of research is called a one-name study, and I am a member of the Guild of One-Name Studies, London, England.  If you have access to the Internet, you can learn more about my research at the following web site: http://one-name.org/name_profile/rigmaiden/

From my research, I have built many Rigmaiden family trees.  As part of my research, I contact those with the Rigmaiden surname.   My objective, and that of the Guild, is to ensure that I have accounted for every Rigmaiden family tree.  In the course of my contacts with fellow Rigmaiden descendents, I have helped quite a few people around the world learn more about their Rigmaiden ancestry.  I provide family tree information from my research at no charge, and keep confidential any information you share about living members of your family tree.  I very much hope I will hear from you, so I can identify your family tree and share information with you regarding your family tree from my extensive research.   All I need to get started is any information you may know about your Rigmaiden ancestors.

As part of my research into the Rigmaiden surname, I am also the administrator of the Rigmaiden DNA Project.  This is a new genealogy project that has just been set up. Scientists have discovered that a small portion of the Y chromosome is passed from father to son, typically unchanged.  By testing this small area, you can determine if two men are related.  The test result is a string of numbers, and contains no personal information. 

The test is a harmless genealogy test.  A test kit is sent to you in the mail, and you swab the inside of your mouth.  You must be male to take this test, and have the Rigmaiden surname. If you believe there is a Rigmaiden in your direct male line, although you have a different surname, you are also welcome to participate.  If you are female, please find a direct line male to participate, to represent your tree.

I would like to invite a male from your family tree to participate in the Rigmaiden DNA Project, and represent your family tree.  As our project grows, we will have many exciting discoveries. We encourage males to order a Y DNA test for 37 markers, if possible.  If you order fewer markers, you can upgrade later, though this costs a little more.

Participating is an opportunity to uncover information not provided in the paper records, which will help with your research of your family tree. We will also discover which family trees are related.  As the project progresses, the results for the various family trees will provide information about the origin and evolution of the surnames.

The goals of the project are:

* Discover information to help with our family history research

* Discover which family trees are related

* Discover information to help with brick walls

* Confirm surname variants

* Validate family history research

* Get on file a DNA sample for trees at risk of extinction of the male line

* Discover information about our distant origins

You will be an exact or close match to those men to whom you are related.  By also testing a distant direct line male in your family tree, if possible, you will validate the family tree research to the common ancestor shared by both men who test.  In addition, the test result will tell you about your distant origins.

We have also established a General Fund, to accept donations in any currency via credit card.  These funds will be held at the testing company, and used to help sponsor test kits for key males who are unable financially to participate.  We encourage you to make a donation.  Click on the link below to visit the project web site, and then click "Contribute to the Project General Fund" on the left to make a donation. If you decide to donate, please specify "Rigmaiden Project General Fund" in the top box of the Donation form.

http://www.familytreedna.com/public/Rigmaiden

Both males and females may also be interested in learning about their direct female line, which would be their mother, their mother's mother, and back in time.  You would order a mtDNA test.  For matches in a genealogical time frame, order the mtDNA Plus test.

Recently introduced is the autosomal DNA test for both men and women which can identify common DNA signatures up to five generations back. This can help identify more distant relatives where you have GGGgrandparents in common from both your mother’s and father’s line of descent. On the Familytreedna.com website this type of testing is called Family Finder.

If you join the project there is the option to purchase the kits more cheaply via The Guild of One Name Studies in the UK or via FamilyTreedna.com, but if you are interested in the project and find the cost prohibitive we may be able to discuss this.

If you wish to order from FamilyTreedna.com via the Project the link is:

https://www.familytreedna.com/group-join.aspx?Group=Rigmaiden

I am looking forward to hearing from you.  If you have any questions , don’t hesitate to ask.