James’ surname was originally written as Aldous on his 1705 marriage record. Through the years, this surname changed to Aldis as shown on the Find A Grave memorial.

James Aldis

Born: 16 FEB 1673 in Stradbroke, Suffolk County, England

Father: Abraham Aldis (1636 to Unknown)
Mother: Rachel Howlet (1641 to Unknown)

Spouse: Mary Balls (1680 to 1758)

Married: 9 OCT 1705 in Syleham, Suffolk County, England

Children:

James Aldis (1708 to 1783)
Mary Aldis (1710 to 1719)
Benjamin Aldis (1713 to Unknown)
Abigail Aldis (1716 to Unknown)
John Aldis (1720 to 1720)
Mary Aldis (1720 to Unknown)

Died: 1755 in Earl Soham, Suffolk County, England

Burial: St Mary’s Churchyard

Timeline:

1705 Marriage to Mary
1708 Birth of son, James
1708 Death of brother, Abraham
1710 Birth of daughter, Mary
1713 Birth of son, Benjamin
1716 Birth of daughter, Abigail
1719 Death of daughter, Mary
1720 Birth of twins, John and Mary
1720 Death of son, John
1755 Death and Burial

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: Aldous

I have very little information on this part of the Aldous family tree. James’ surname was listed as Aldous on the marriage record. The surname appears as Aldis on the Find A Grave memorial for St Marys Churchyard.

In many instances, a surname is copied from a burial register of a parish church. I have discovered that this tendency to variate surnames happens often in pre-19th century documents.

Spouse:

Mary Balls:

Mary was born in 1680 in Syleham, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1758 in Earl Soham, Suffolk County, England.

Daughters:

Mary Aldis:

Mary was born in 1710 in Earl Soham, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1719 in Earl Soham, Suffolk County, England. Mary was 19 years old when she died.

Abigail Aldis:

Abigail was born in 1716 in Earl Soham, Suffolk County, England. Death date unknown.

Mary Aldis:

Mary was born in 1720 in Earl Soham, Suffolk County, England. Death date unknown.

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 excellent sources 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!