In 1973 I decided to research my family with the intention of trying to discover the identity of my maternal grandfather. My mother was illegitimate and never knew her father. As I was living in Cornwall and my family were from the London area, I thought it might be a difficult task for a beginner, so I decided to practice on my then wife who was a local girl by the name of LEVERTON.

This proved relatively easy as the name was not that common. After looking through phone books in the local library and finding very few LEVERTONS, I decided to attempt to document everyone with the LEVERTON name. Thus started my 40 year research.

All my research was done before the internet by visiting Record Offices, Register Offices (when certificates were only 12p!), St.Catherine’s House, Churches (where many parish registers were still kept) and the Salt Lake City library in Utah. All the records were transcribed onto a card index with no attempt to sort people into trees.

Having been trained in electronics in the R.A.F., in 1980 I built myself a computer and spent the next few years entering all my information into it and sorting everyone into trees.

In 1999 I put all my research on the internet and since that time I have done very little research myself, but have added lots of information and media donated by contacts from all over the world. 

With the advent of commercial genealogy sites, I was finally able to research my own family and after taking a DNA test in 2018, I discovered the name of my grandfather, unfortunately too late for my mother who passed away in 2016.

All my original research papers, photos & documents etc., are deposited in the relevent Family History Society libraries in Nottingham, Lincoln & Truro, as well as being on this site.

I have recorded over 120 different spellings of the name during my research, but all are now spelt either LEVERTON, LEAVERTON, LIVERTON, LAVERTON, LIFFITON, LEVITON or LEVENTON.

Since the end of the 19th century there have been several immigrant families with similar names: LEVETON (Norwich and Birmingham). LEVITEN (Leeds). LEVITON, LEVITAN, LEVITTON etc. (London). Many of these have since changed their names to LEVERTON and thus caused me some problems.

There are several separate families and branches all originating from place names

Devon: Various places

The main branch originates from Livaton, South Tawton. A branch moved to Cornwall around 1590

Liverton, near Newton Abbot

Lincolnshire:

Leverton, near Boston

Nottinghamshire:

North Leverton with Habblesthorpe and South Leverton, near Retford

Somerset:

Laverton, near Frome

USA:

There is a family stating in Maryland, USA in the 1700's, but I haven't yet established where they originate from.

France:

Probably originating from Devon

Taken from transcriptions of the 1880/81 census returns and the England & Wales GRO  birth index 1837-2005