In my research, I discovered that Abraham’s surname changed from Aldous to Aldus to Aldis. This variation in spelling was common in England before civil registration began in 1837.

Abraham Aldous

 
Born: 5 MAR 1636 in Fressingfield, Suffolk County, England
 
Father: Thomas Aldous (10 MAR 1593 to Unknown)
Mother: Mary Woolnough (9 MAR 1591 to 16 FEB 1674)
 
Spouse: Rachel Howlet (1641 to Unknown)
 
Married: 30 SEP 1662 in Fressingfield, Suffolk County, England
 

Children:

Rachel Aldous (1663 to Unknown)
Abraham Aldous (1665 to 1708)
John Aldous (1666 to Unknown)
James Aldous (1673 to Unknown)

Died: Unknown

Burial: All Saints Churchyard, Stradbroke, Suffolk County, England

Timeline:

1662 Marriage to Rachel
1663 Birth of daughter, Rachel
1665 Birth of son, Abraham
1666 Birth of son, John
1673 Birth of son, James
1674 Death of mother, Mary

Occupation: unknown

Records:

Suffolk, England, Extracted Church of England Parish Records, 1538-1850
UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current

Variations of Surname: Aldis, Aldus

Surname Variation:

There are three records attached to Abraham’s profile page on Ancestry.com. Each of these documents is a transcription, which means that I cannot view the original record. If I could, I would be able to determine if the surnames were incorrectly transcribed or an actual variation of the name.

On the marriage record, the surname was transcribed as “Ladous”, an obvious typo for the surname, Aldous.
On the baptism record for son, John, the surname was spelled “Aldus”.
On the Find A Grave memorial, the surname was typed as “Aldis”.

This variation of the surname could have been caused by many factors. The Family History Alive website notes:

“. . . spelling was not standardized to any great extent until relatively recently – some sources say until the mid-1800s. Add to that the number of different regional accents in Britain, and the fact that, even after “standardization”, some enumerators or parish record-keepers were not good spellers, and it is easy to see how surname variations could arise when pen was put to paper.”

Wrong Death Date:

Several years ago, I had discovered a memorial on Find A Grave for Abraham Aldis. The page gave his death date as 24 SEP 1708. I added this information to his profile.

This year, as I was searching for more information on Abraham Aldous, I found a family tree on Family Search. Under the Details Menu (More Information) was a partial transcript of a Last Will and Testament.

The names listed in this document led me to conclude that this was not Abraham’s bequest, but that of his son, also named Abraham. The younger Abraham had married Mary Gowin. His two children were named Mary and Thomas.

With this new information, I removed the death date from Abraham’s profile. From the Find A Grave memorial, I knew he was buried in the All Saints Churchyard.

I have sent an email to the current pastor of the church to see if they have burial records for both the father and the son. As soon as I receive an answer, I will update this post.

Fill in the Blanks:

This posts contains many “unknowns”. The reason for this is that I do most of my research on Ancestry.com. This family tree website currently does not have many records for this area of Suffolk County, England before the 18th century.

If you are a family historian who can “fill in the banks” on this post, please contact me at dlwakenight@yahoo.com. Or, you can leave a message in the Comments Section of this page.

Spouse:

Rachel Howlet:

Rachel was born in 1641 in Stradbroke, Suffolk County, England. She was buried in All Saints Churchyard in Stradbroke, Suffolk County, England.

Daughter:

Rachel Aldous:

Rachel was born in 1663 in Stradbroke, Suffolk County, England. She married a man named Robert Goodwin on 5 OCT 1686 in Withersdale, Suffolk County, England.

Notes:

Here are some links to websites that helped with my Aldous family research:

Aldous.net (Aldous family history and family tree)
Ancestors of Tim Farr, Descendants of Stephen Farr (family tree)
Reid-Schroeder Genealogies (family tree)
The Tree of Us (family tree)
Family Search (family tree website)
The Internet Surname Database (surname meaning and origins)
House of Names (coat of arms)

 

Creating Your Family Tree

 
Interested in building a great family tree? Remember these important steps:
 
Look in your photo albums. You may have old pictures that your parents or grandparents gave you. Or, ask them for copies of photos that they have in their possession. Many people will write names and dates on the backs of photographs. Letters, diaries, and family bibles are also an excellent source for vital records.
 
Talk to your older relatives to find out about your ancestry. They may relate stories about an ancestor that you can add to your family tree. Family history is usually not found in newspapers. It is more of a verbal memory passed down from generation to generation.
 
Find the right family tree builder that suits your needs. You can choose one that has a paid subscription like Ancestry.com. There are also free sites like FamilySearch.org.
 
When you start building your family tree, add documentation to your ancestor’s profile. Records should include birth, marriage, death, census, military, city, and county directory listings. Any information that you can find will help create a life story about your ancestor.
 
If you have a unique surname, you may find databases on the internet that are useful in your search. I use SurnameDB.com for my English surnames. There are other websites on the internet for countries like Italy and Germany.
 
Genealogy is the study of a person’s “line of descent.” As you create your family tree, you would start with one individual and go “back into time.” You would add their parents, grandparents, and so on. There are also family trees that go “forward into time.” Many of these family trees start with a famous person, such as a president or royalty. They would then move forward into the present time. The purpose of this type of pedigree is to establish a person’s bloodline to that famous person.
 
There is no limit on how big your family tree can grow. The blank canvas is there for you to use. Cherish your family history, and it will be there for generations to come!