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| LIFE IN SOLERA | OCTOBER 2023 | 45 THE PEERAGE The Peerage is essentially the nobility associated with a monarchy. They are the Dukes/Duchess, Marquess/Marchioness, Earl/Countess, Viscount/Viscountess, and Baron/Baroness. Baronets and Knights are not part of the peerage. Members of the Peerage are either hereditary (passed from father to son/daughter) or are Life Peers (only part of the Peerage during their lifetime). Most of the world's monarchies (some 40 plus) have Peerages, but it is the European Peerages that are the ones most looked at by genealogists. Of these the Peerages of Ireland and the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland) are the ones most often referred to and used. These Peerages can be found online using Chrome/Google, Bing, and various ancestry databases and search engines. They can also be found in reference documents and books. The most notable book reference is published under the title of Burke's Peerage of … (Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and England)'. These Burke's publications can be found online and in many public libraries. They provide family members with information on members of the Peerage, both current and historical, which helps to put together their family trees. If you are lucky enough to have them in your tree, you have an easier time in building out that branch of your tree. The Peerage of the United Kingdom are the primary members of the House of Lords in the British Parliament. If your family tree goes back to other European area than the United Kingdom and Ireland, then identifying members of those monarchy's Peerage now has a language problem. For example, a Duke in Germany is a 'Herzog' and in France an Earl is a 'Comte'. So, if you come across a 'foreign' title for a relative, I suggest you go to Wikipedia's 'Imperial, Royal, And Noble ranks', as it provides the equivalent titles for a variety of languages and Peerages. You can also reference in Wikipedia, 'Peerage in the United Kingdom' for more details on their Peerage. I hope this article has provided some insight for those of you who may have connections to nobility whether in the United Kingdom, Europe, or other monarchies of the world and want to explore their trees and how your tree will accommodate their family branch. ~ Bill Cramsie ANCESTRY GROUP Last month the History Group was treated to a fascinating talk by resident David James on the history of underground mining. This month, guest speaker Wayne Purcell will relate two murders that took place in Bridgeport, CA in 1891. Wayne will have a few books on the topic to sell. Wayne's talk should be fascinating as well! Don't miss it… Join us Oct. 2 from 4:30 to 5:30 pm. HISTORY GROUP Frontier Justice: e 1891 deaths of Poker Tom & Ah Quong Tai in Bridgeport CA; Solera History lecture by Yucaipa resident Wayne Purcell on Oct. 2

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