Tracing your Family Tree in Ludham

Of all the enquiries we get at the Ludham Archive, questions about tracing your ancestors back to Ludham are the most common. We are always glad to help if we can and this is why we have created this section of our website which we hope you will find to be a useful resource. Do let us know if you have any suggestions for things to put in this section.

Use the buttons above to explore the rest of the Ludham Archive website.

LUDHAM FAMILY PAGES

For lots of Ludham Families we have specific information which may be helpful in your research. Click the button to see if your family is included. If you would like your family to be included or you have more information, please send us an e-mail. Details on our Home Page.

LUDHAM GRAVES SURVEY

Gravestones are a great resource and a source of all sorts of useful information. However, not everyone can make a personal visit. If you would like to know if your ancestor is buried in the churchyard, we have added an alphabetical index to this website.
You can also browse all the inscriptions on the stones and have a look at photographs. Just click the button.
Please remember, this is a list of all the graves with stones, crosses, mounds and other monuments. There are other people buried in the churchyard who have unmarked graves. Not everyone could afford a stone in the past as they were expensive items.

PARISH RECORDS

The Parish Records contain lots of useful information. Here you can find records of baptisms, marriages and deaths.
There was a time when the Parish Records lived in an old chest in the church, but those days are long gone. Now the Ludham Parish Records are at the Public Record Office in Norwich This used to mean having to travel to Norwich in person, but now, thanks to the efforts of many volunteers, you can search the Parish Records on-line by using the FreeReg website. Click the button to go to FreeReg.

FLEGG ISLAND FAMILY PAGES

On these pages you can browse Birth, Marriage and Death information about families living in the nearby parishes of Thurne, Repps with Bastwick, Martham, Somerton, Winterton, Ashby with Oby, Rollesby, Hemsby, Fleggburgh, Ormesby, Filby, Stokesby with Herringby, Mautby and Caister which are collectively known as the villages of Flegg Island.

Census information is normally the best place to start. You will need an account at the Ancestry or Find my Past websites to do this. Generally speaking, it is from the census records that people find out that their ancestors came from Ludham.

Searching Parish Records

To do this go to the FreeReg site and start searching. (The Parish records button on this page will take you straight there). This site is not part of the Ludham Archive website.

You can browse actual images of the records at FamilySearch You will have to sign up then follow the instructions. Again the site has nothing to do with the Ludham Archive Group.

The actual documents are at the Records Office in Norwich. It is a good idea to warn them in advance if you are coming.

The Graves Survey

In 1980, the Women's Institute (WI) carried out a survey of all the gravestones and monuments in the churchyard at St Catherine's Ludham. However, that was a long time ago and the survey got out of date. So during 2008, the Ludham Archive Group carried out a new survey. We photographed all the stones, created new location maps and recorded and updated the inscriptions. The survey was further revised in 2014 and 2019.
From this we have produced a book which is available in the Church for you to use when you visit. St Catherine's is open daily and a visit is surely the best way to carry out your research. However, everything in the book is on this website so you can research the graves from home.

Flegg Island Pages

These pages are full of family information researched by the late John Brown from Parish Records. They used to be part of a separate website, but after John died, the Ludham Archive Group restored the pages and we now maintain them as a useful research resource and as a memorial to John.
Ludham is not actually on Flegg Island but borders it and many Ludham families have connections in the area.

The Genes Reunited website has lots of family information and it is worth checking it to see if any relevant family trees have been posted there.