How do I find information about an ancestor from England?

Question:I have traced the my mother's maiden name, Overbay, directly to a Sir Giles Overbury, who came to America from England. I would love to be able to find more info about this man. I would appreciate some suggeastions from other geneaologists out there.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I have traced the my mother's maiden name, Overbay, directly to a Sir Giles Overbury, who came to America from England. I would love to be able to find more info about this man. I would appreciate some suggeastions from other geneaologists out there.

www.rootsweb.com
Giles Overbury
Birth: 1590 in Quinton, Gloucester, England
Death: 1653 in Bourton- On-the-Hill, Gloucester, England.
NOTES:
Giles matriculated at Queens College, Oxford University on January 23, 1606/7. In the following years, he was admitted to the Middle Temple (May 1, 1607). In 1611, he was granted a license to travel three years, which expired in 1615. After 1611, he began to tour the continent. He was knighted by King James at Theobalds December 1st, 1623.
Giles married Anne Shirley on February 24, 1624 and had Nicholas, who died in Virginia, Thomas, and Giles. Nicholas came to America during the time of Bacon's rebellion in 1676 and lived in a fort near Jamestown, Virginia. He became a farmer where the city of Petersburg, Virginia now stands. )

Married: 24 FEB 1623/24 in England to
Anne Shirley (Her Father: John Shirley)
Birth: 1603
Death: UNKNOWN
Their children:
1.Thomas Overbury-- b: ABT 1626
2.Giles Overbury ,Jr.-- b: ABT 1627 in Bourton On The Hill, England c: AUG 1627 in Islesworth, Middlesex, England
3.Nicholas Overbury-- b: NOV 1628 in Isleworth, MIddlesex, England
4.John Overbury-- b: 1630 c: 24 APR 1630
5.Anne Overbury-- b: 1631 c: 11 OCT 1631 in Islesworth, Middlesex, England
6.Edward Overbury-- b: ABT 1632 c: 4 FEB 1631/32 in Islesworth, Middlesex, England
7.Richard Overbury --b: ABT 1634 c: OCT 1634 in Islesworth, Middlesex, England
8.Mary Overbury --b: 1637 c: 11 SEP 1637 in Islesworth, Middlesex, England

Giles Parents:
Nicholas Overbury (or Overby /Overburie/, Overbey)
Birth: 1547 in Aston Sub Edge, Gloucester, England
Death: 30 MAY 1643 in Bourton On Hill, Gloucester, England
Burial: 31 MAY 1643 Bourton On Hill, Gloucester, England
Occupation: 1621 Knight
Christening: 1547 Ashton-Sub Edge, Gloucester, Eng
Married: 1578 in England to:
Mary Palmer (Father: Giles Palmer b: ABT 1520 in Compton Scorphin, Warwick, England)
Birth: BET 1550 AND 1551 in Compton-Scorpion, Warwick, England
Death: 1617

Giles' paternal grandparents:
Thomas Overbury , Jr
Birth: ABT 1518 in Aston Sub Edge Micketon, England
Death: 1580 in Aston Sub Edge, Gloucester, England
Burial: 1580 Churchyard, Aston-Sub-Edge, Gloucester, England
Married: 1543 in Aston Sub Edge, Gloucester, England to:
Isabel Elizabeth Rutter
Birth: BEF 1522 in Hidcote, England
Death: UNKNOWN
Their Children:
1.Elizabeth Overbury --b: 1544 in Aston Sub Edge, Gloucester, England
2. Mary Overbury-- b: 1545 in Aston Sub Edge, Gloucester, England c: 8 MAR 1544/45 in Aston Sub Edge, Gloucester, England
3.Nicholas Overbury-- b: 1547 in Aston Sub Edge, Gloucester, England c: 1547 in Ashton-Sub Edge, Gloucester, Eng
4.Grisagona Overbury-- b: 1554 in Aston Sub Edge, Gloucester, England c: 30 MAY 1554 in Aston Sub Edge, Gloucester, England
5.Agnes Anna Overbury --b: 1556 in Aston Sub Edge, Gloucester, England c: 27 NOV 1556 in Aston Sub Edge, Gloucester, England
6.Anthony Overbury-- b: 1557 in Aston Sub Edge, Gloucester, England c: 9 JUL 1557 in Aston-Sub-Edge, Gloucester, England

Giles' paternal Great-grandparents:
Thomas Overbury , Sr
Birth: ABT 1485 in Gloucester, England
Death: 1544 in Aston-Sub-Edge, Gloucester, England
Burial: 6 SEP 1544 Churchyard, Aston-Sub-Edge, Gloucester, England
Married: in Gloucestshire, England to:
Jone Porter
Birth: ABT 1485
Death: UNKNOWN , but in England
(They had 6 children)

http://edge.net/~jwbrown/Direct%20lines/...
I found these generations for you:
Thomas Overbury, Sir (abt 1485-1544) m. Jone Porter
Thomas Overbury, Sir (1518-1580) m. Isabelle Rutter
Nicholas Overby, Sir (1547-1643) m. Mary Palmer, Lady (abt 1550-1617)
Giles Overbury, Sir (1590-1653) m. Ann Shirley, Lady (1603-?)

http://thesussexweald.org/N10.asp?NId=54... marriage record:
Overbury, Sir Giles
Date-- circa 1600
Type Information --Born: son of Sir Nicholas Overbury of Bourton, Gloucestershire
Parish/Area Source --Elizabeth Bridges' records

Date: 24th Feb 1624
Type information--Married Ann Shurley
Place--St Margarets Parish Church ;Isfield, Sussex
Parish/Area Source --Sussex ;Isfield
Parish Registers--Elizabeth Bridges' records

Overbury [Shurley], Ann--daughter of Sir John Shurley and Jane Shurley [Sherley]
Date--1603
Type Info--Born
Place--Isfield, Sussex
Parish registers--Elizabeth Bridges' records

Date--31st Dec 1603
Type info--Christened
Place--St Margarets Parish Church, Isfield, Sussex
Registers--Elizabeth Bridges' records

Date--24th Feb 1624
Type info-- Married Sir Giles Overbury
Place--St Margarets Parish Church, Isfield, Sussex
Registers--Isfield Parish Registers; & Elizabeth Bridges' records
(NOTE:above site also has a pedigree chart for Anne Shirley Overbury.)

http://www.connieq.com/main-overbury-tho...
Has a picture of Thomas Overbury

(I just typed in "Giles Overbury" in Yahoo's search, and there are over 11 pages of information that mention his name.)

Well you could start from the internet. You can google it. And it that doesn't work, then, you can ask you parents. If that doesn't work, you could go the agency. You can hire a detective to find him for you.

The census for 1841,51, 61,71,81,91 and 1901 for the UK are available online for you to investigate. Look here: http://www.ukcensusonline.com/

I have to say this firstly, I am not a genealogist I am just studying the subject at the moment, I had to make that clear as there are top contributors who are far from happy with my lack of research ability.
I just googled the name and I was quite amazed at how much information there was in relation to him.
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/...
hope this helps.

You have done this incorrectly. You cannot do genealogy by tracing a surname and then assume that whoever you find with that surname must be your ancestors. Genealogy does not work that way. By doing that, you have basically done the equivalent of researching people in your local phone book of the same last name and assume they are all your relatives. That is completely inaccurate. You cannot research a last name and then assume that is your family. You must research the INDIVIDUALS........the people........starting with yourself, then your parents, then their parents, etc., as far back as you can go with documented proof.

Last names came about in a number of ways. Some were based on occupation like Smith for a blacksmith. There were countless blacksmiths all over and they were not all related nor were they all in or from the same country of origin. Other names came about by relations......such as Johnson. That name identified someone as the son of a man named John. How many men named John do you suppose had sons? Again, countless of them in many different countries, and were not all related. And then there are people, such as the slaves for example, who did not have their own surname, so they adopted the name of their masters.........which definitely have nothing to do with their heritage or ancestry.

I hope you can see the error of your research. It is not about the names.....it is about the people......each single individual, regardless of their name or the origins of the name they carry.