This is the sources page of the OysterTown web site. Throughout the site where we have gleaned information from various places we have linked to this page for reference so that you can either follow our research or find out more about a specific subject that interests you.
The page is split into sections dependent on the type of source. Where information is gained directly from family members their contribution is acknowledged along with the text on the relevant pages unless they prefer not.
The 1881 Census. This is a sub-section of the Familysearch.org site (part of the Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints). There is no charge to access this information. In addition to finding a person, once you view the household, you can look at the previous and next households. This is very useful when researching an area as we did with Beach Alley. Take me there.
The 1901 Census. Here you can search for your ancestors by name, or by place , institution or vessel. There is no charge to search, but there is a charge to look at the actual record. The minimum session fee is £5.00, so make sure you have enough enquiries lined up before you start a session to get the best value from this service. Take me there.
The Merchant Ships of Whitstable. by Wallace Harvey. Emprint Publications. First printed 1993. ISBN 1 871716 04 7. Details and pictures of many of the hundreds of Merchant ships owned by Whitstable people in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.
Oysters & dredgermen. by Geoffrey Pike, John Cann and Roger Lambert. Compass Publications. First Printed Dec 1992. ISBN 0 9509984 4 3. Illustrated, with details of the history of Oysters in North Kent along with the men and companies that harvested them.
Whitstable and the French Prisoners of War. by Wallace Harvey. Emprint Publications. First printed Oct 1971. ISBN 0 9508564 2 8. Details the means and routes used by local smugglers as they found a lucrative new market - aiding the inmates of the prison hulks to escape back to their own country.