Ancestors lost in the crowd?
New to family history research?
Perhaps these articles on our website may help:
Census 1841 - 1911
Birth, Death and Marriage Registration
The London Gazette
Newspaper archives
Trade Directories
History of Elsenham

St. Mary's Church, Elsenham
©Robert Edwards
Photograph by kind permission of Robert Edwards,
contributor to the Geograph Project
Welcome to the home page for the History of Elsenham and its inhabitants.
Below you find links to a range of sources transcribed by History House. Further below under 'more local history sources' you will find to links to other places on the web where you can continue your research.
For other locations in Essex see our alphabetical list of Essex towns and villages.
Poll of Voters 1847
Elsenham inhabitants who voted in the 1847 general election.
White's Directory of Essex 1848
ELSENHAM, a pleasant village, 7 miles North West by West of Dunmow, is about a mile east of the North Eastern Railway, >>more.
White's Directory of Essex 1848 - list of inhabitants.
White's Directory of Essex 1863
White's Directory of Essex 1863 - list of inhabitants.
Post Office Directory of Essex 1874
Post Office Directory of Essex 1874 - list of inhabitants.
Elsenham Criminal Cases
Court cases involving Elsenham residents - ongoing project >>more.
Education in Elsenham
Reports and returns on schools and education in Elsenham.
Elsenham Snippets
When researching for this website we often find a little snippet of information on a location or subject which may be of interest. Here's one for Elsenham.
Images and Maps
Images and maps of Elsenham by Francis Frith.
Elsenham Poor
Under the Poor Law of 1834, Elsenham became part of the Bishops Stortford Union. See our article on researching your workhouse and pauper ancestors.

My Elsenham Ancestors
Are your ancestors from Elsenham? Why not tell us their story: My Ancestors.
More local history sources
Ebay is now a great source for old images of Essex towns and villages. If you're looking for pictures to add to your family tree album, then try one of the auctions, or there are several 'Buy It Now' shops offering postcards which have been touched up and improved - so if you're unsure about bidding, try these. Link already formatted for Essex. Browse through or type the name of the location in the Ebay search box. >>
Also on Ebay are legal documents on vellum. This link is formatted for Essex. (Sometimes I think these should be in an archive.) >>
Books featuring Elsenham from Abebooks. Just click the logo. The search terms are already formatted for Elsenham.
Search for Elsenham census returns at ancestry.co.uk.
1841 England Census | 1851 England Census
| 1861 England Census
1871 England Census | 1881 England Census
| 1891 England Census
1901 England Census
The Essex Record Office: an excellent starting point for research. The ERO has an online catalogue by the name of SEAX and a database of Parish Records held in the ERO. Access to both via their home page.
Village web site with some photographs of the St Mary the Virgin Church and description of the church.
History of the Elsenham to Thaxted Railway.
1881 Ordnance Survey Map from the British History Online web site (Essex: 023, Ordnance Survey 1:10,560: Epoch 1.0).
Ordnance Survey - type the place name in the gazetteer search box to view detailed map of Elsenham.
Heritage Gateway. Database of national and local records of England's historic sites and buildings. Includes records and photographs of all listed buildings, and historical and archaeological information on locations throughout England.