Did Your Ancestor Attend College?

During the 17th Century, Oxford and Cambridge were the only two universities in Wales and England. Due to social and religious influences more men were attending universities than ever before. Therefore, Cambridge and Oxford were unable to be as elitist as they currently are. In fact more people graduated from the universities during this time from than any other until the 1950s. You should check university records and alumni records for "gems" of information that they might have. Oxford alumni records would include such things as parentage, birthplace, year of birth (occasionally even the exact date of birth), which of the Oxford colleges attended and degrees received. The Oxford alumni records from 1500 through 1886 can be found online for free. Visit http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.aspx?pubid=1270 for those records. --Gayla Mendenhall