BEHIND THE SCENES

WDYTYA? genealogist Sara Khan reveals celebrity records

Ed Balls

The politician turned TV personality looked into the life of his seafaring ancestor William Dunbar, his paternal 3x great grandfather. William was in the Royal Navy during the early 19th century and later worked in the Blean Union Workhouse. The following sources were a great help in Ed’s research.

Series 18, Episode 7
First broadcast 30 November 2021

1841 Census

Ed found his forebear on the 1841 census of England, Wales and Scotland, which was taken on the night of Sunday 6 June. The census entry shows William Dunbar living with his wife Sally and eight children in Herne, Kent, and confirms that he was still working as a surgeon at the time. Census returns are a crucial source for researching your family tree. They are available on all of the major genealogical websites including TheGenealogist (thegenealogist.co.uk), and subscribers to the site can see the return for themselves at tinyurl.com/thegenealogist-balls.

Historic Newspapers

Ed used local newspapers to research William’s life in more detail where he learnt that he was working as a surgeon in Blean Union Workhouse in 1841. The British Newspaper Archive (available at britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) is a great resource for local and national newspapers. Its collection includes the issue of the Evening Mail containing the article about William, and subscribers to the site can view it here: bit.ly/bna-dunbar.

Baptism Registers

William’s son Henry Douglas Dunbar, who was also Ed’s great great grandfather, was baptised in Queensborough, Kent, in 1832. Baptisms for Kent are available online on Findmypast (findmypast.co.uk), and subscribers to the website can view the register containing a record of Henry’s baptism at bit.ly/fmp-dunbarbaptism. The register mentions that William was an “assistant surgeon in [the] Royal Navy”. whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com