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From: "Andrea Vogel" <>
Subject: [HWE] Re: SPRAKE
Date: Mon, 22 Jul 2002 11:29:23 -0700


Hello, everyone --

This is a response to the post on 14 July from Stuart
<> re: SPRAKE surname and
possible Huguenot connections.

Stuart, I was interested in your message because, like your
great-grandfather Edwin SPRAKE, my father was also born
in Glasgow, although almost a hundred years later than your
Edwin. I know how difficult it can be to begin researching with
very little info and in a very populated area such as Glasgow
where there are lots of records to go through and it's difficult or
impossible to know where to start.
When I first began researching, years ago, I found it invaluable
to get the help of a professional genealogist who was able to
gather a few key facts to get me started. You might want to
consider that option. There is a cost involved, yes, but it may be
well worth it.

It's not uncommon for researchers to have a family story
such as yours that there is Huguenot lineage in the family. However,
this is impossible to prove one way or the other until you search
back into the past to find the genealogical connection between
the family members you already know about (ie. your grandmother
and great grandfather) and those you do not (your great great
grandparents and beyond). Unfortunately, little appears to be
known about Huguenots in Scotland.
Even if you do find the SPRAKE surname on a "list of
Huguenots" somewhere, this only proves that *some* individuals
of that name were Huguenot but it doesn't prove that every one
was. A section on our list website may be helpful -- it's titled
Which Surnames are Huguenot Names? and it's at:
http://www.island.net/~andreav/hugnames.htm.

Before I suggest anything else, I would ask you to consider that
possibly the Huguenot connection in your family came from a
surname you don't know about as yet -- ie. that it wasn't SPRAKE
but, instead, came from the maiden name and line of one of your
female ancestors. Again, the only way to prove (or disprove) this
is by researching the family through generations, to an earlier
time period than the one you mentioned.

Have you searched for the birth/baptism record of your
great-grandfather Edwin (c1827)? As I mentioned this
probably won't be an easy task because of Glasgow's
population density and the date is also before the start of civil
registration of births, deaths and marriages in Scotland (which
began in 1855). So church (parish) records are the only alternative
in this time period.

You mentioned that Edwin was married in Monmouthshire
(Wales). Do you have the marriage certificate? This would
include his father's name, which would give you one more bit
of info to use when searching in Glasgow.

You didn't mention when Edwin went to South Wales but, if it
was after 1841 or 1851, then the Glasgow censuses of those
years should list Edwin and his family (ie. parents and siblings,
their ages, occupations, birthplaces). However, because of the
size of Glasgow, going through the censuses without having a
street address or at least a neighbourhood will be time-consuming.
Even if Edwin left Glasgow before 1841 or 1851, it would still
be useful to know about SPRAKEs listed on those censuses
because they may be family members he left behind when he
went to Wales.

What about Edwin's apprenticeship records for the iron foundry?
Such records sometimes include info such as father's name.

Lastly, be sure to check the indexed Scottish OPRs (Old
Parish Records) for SPRAKE. (Usually available, at least here
in Canada, on microfiche at Mormon FHCs.) Even though most
of these records will be in a time period earlier than the one you
know about at present, they might still provide some useful clues
as to the numbers and distribution patterns of the SPRAKE name
in Scotland.

Hope these comments have been helpful to you, Stuart.
Please contact me privately (off-list) if you think I can give you
more help with researching in Glasgow. Andrea






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