Researching James Watt
Research the background of James Watt using the links below. We hope you find this information useful!
 | Did you know that in the 1881 UK census there were 11484 people with the Watt surname? In that year Watt was ranked number 358 for popularity in the UK. |
The name James means "one who supplants" and is of Hebrew origin.
Records of James Watt on Ancestry
Ancestry is a major source of information if you are filling out the detail of James Watt in your family tree. A vast range of data is available to search ranging from census records, births, deaths and marriages, military records and immigration records to name but a few. Free trials are normally available and are a good way to fill out a lot of your tree quickly.
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Ancestry.com Global records search results for James Watt. |
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Ancestry.com US records search results for James Watt. |
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Ancestry.co.uk UK records search results for James Watt. |
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Ancestry.ca Canadian records search results for James Watt. |
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Ancestry.com.au Australian records search results for James Watt. |
DNA
Sometimes you can run into a brick wall in your tree and you just don't have enough evidence to make that next step back in time. If you are lucky then you may find some previously undiscovered Watt ancestors. Additionally, the modern DNA test can give you a breakdown of your ethnic mix - you may be surprised at the results!
Have you reached a brick wall in your Watt Tree?
Birth, Death and Marriage Records for James Watt and the Watt Genealogy
Birth, Death and Marriage records are often the best method of making the links to the Watt Genealogy that will form part of your family tree. Although records vary from country to country, they are normally the most formal record of a person's relations. From the sources below you will be able to find a birth record and, from that, a birth certificate can be ordered which lists the names of the mother and father, taking you back another generation in your tree. A marriage certificate may also list the names of the respective fathers of the bride and groom which may then help you to find them earlier in life on a census record enabling you to fill out more detail in the Watt family tree.
Look at Parish Records for James Watt at Find My Past.
Check out for the UK registered births, marriages and deaths of James Watt using the FreeBMD database.
Investigate Genealogy Bank for James Watt records.
Explore MyHeritage for James Watt information.
Look at the LDS Database for records about James Watt.
Research the Watt surname using fold3 Military Archives and view images of original Watt Military records.
| Did you know that there are currently 14323 people with the Watt surname in the UK? Watt is now ranked number 403 for popularity in the UK. |
Watt Family Tree Databases
Another way to build your tree quickly is to use the research other people have already done. This can help to confirm or refute your own deductions - however, be wary of taking this data at face value as other researchers may not have been as meticulous as you. Always try to back up deductions with some definitive sources rather than relying too heavily on others.
Look at the WikiTree database for user contributed records for James Watt.
Study MyTrees for information on the Watt family and people looking to contact living Watt relations.
Study One Great Family for Watt records submitted by people who are already researching the Watt Family Tree.
Find James Watt from Ireland on findmypast.ie
Watt Forums
There are a number of forums which are dedicated to rearching particular surnames. These can be good places to share your findings and also to tap into the knowledge that others may already have. These can sometimes be a good way of finding living relations as these tend not to show up on the other sources of information for privacy reasons.
Research the Watt surname using Genealogy.com forums .
| Did you know that there are currently 18229 people with the Watt surname in the USA? Watt is ranked number 151 for popularity in the USA. |
Miscellaneous Watt Databases
Explore the Ellis Island Database for information on James Watt. This database contains over 25 million immigration records detailing passengers arriving in the United States of America.
Some Famous People called James Watt
James Watt
James Watt ( 30 January 1736 (19 January 1736 OS) – 25 August 1819) was a Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer, and chemist who improved on Thomas Newcomen's 1712 Newcomen steam engine with his Watt steam engine in 1776, which was fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.
While working as an instrument maker at the University of Glasgow, Watt became interested in the technology of steam engines. He realised that contemporary engine designs wasted a great deal of energy by repeatedly cooling and reheating the cylinder. Watt introduced a design enhancement, the separate condenser, which avoided this waste of energy and radically improved the power, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of steam engines. Eventually he adapted his engine to produce rotary motion, greatly broadening its use beyond pumping water.
Watt attempted to commercialise his invention, but experienced great financial difficulties until he entered a partnership with Matthew Boulton in 1775. The new firm of Boulton and Watt was eventually highly successful and Watt became a wealthy man. In his retirement, Watt continued to develop new inventions though none was as significant as his steam engine work.
As Watt developed the concept of horsepower, the SI unit of power, the watt, was named after him.
Source: James Watt, Wikipedia, The Free EncyclopediaJames Watt (loyalist)
James Watt also known as Tonto (born 21 September 1952) is a former Northern Irish loyalist who was the top bomb maker for the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) in the mid-1970s. In 1978, Watt was convicted and given nine separate life sentences for murder and attempted murder. These included bombings which killed a ten-year-old boy and two teenagers in two attacks carried out in April 1977 as a part of a UVF bombing campaign against republicans.
Following his release from prison in 1989 he left the organisation and in 1995 became a preacher having embraced Born-again Christianity while serving his sentence.
Source: James Watt (loyalist), Wikipedia, The Free EncyclopediaOther names that sound a bit like Watt
Family names can get corrupted over time, particularly where literacy was not as good. The following list contains some names that have similar sounds so you may want to also look at one or two of the more likely possibilites.
Wadd Waddie Waddy Wade Wadie Wadih Wahtee Wahtie Waid Waight Wait Waite Waith Waithe Waitt Watee Wathey Watie Waud Wayd Wayde Wayt Wayte Waytee Wayth Waytie Waywood Weait Weathey Wedd Weed Weedy Wehde Weida Weide Weidow Weight Weit Weiwoda Weth Wethey Wetta Whait Whate Whatty Wheat Whiet Whight Whit White Whiteway Whitey Whitt Whitta Whitte Whittey Whitty Whyatt Whyte Wiat Wiatt Widd Wiedey Wiet Wight Wightway Withee Withey Witt Witta Witte Wittey Witty Witway Wodd Wode Woida Wood Wooday Woode Woodie Woody Wyat Wyatt Wyatte Wyd Wyda Wyeth Wyett Wyteway Wythe
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