My Dad is an only child, both his parents are dead and he is getting on himself (87) and I was interested to see where his roots where and if he has any relatives still around. i've only been researching for a short while 3 years, well that seems quite short, some of you have been researching for years and years. So I've along way to go yet. But i really enjoy it and get really obsessed by it. Have to take a time out sometimes to catch up with my own family :biggrin:
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How did you get 'addicted' to Family History / Gen
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Hello
First started trying to research the family tree back in 2003, but for various reasons didn't get very far. Started again about 6 weeks ago, now have the time to research. I have been interested in my side of the tree as my mother parents (who were of French\Italian descent but were born out in India) died when she was very young, so i have never known my maternal grandparents.
My married surname is double-barelled and have been told the 'family story' of how it is supposed to have come about - but don't think the story is right, so hoping to find out the truth. Plus a few other family stories that are 'under investigation' but as they concern some living relatives cannot go in to at this moment in time.
Addictive is the right word - we have joined a local FHS, this site, visiting FHS events and generally enjoying getting to know our roots. We have encountered conflicts of information here and there, but how pleasing when everything finally comes together and you know you have the right person! Plus it will be something personal to leave each of our chidren.
First started trying to research the family tree back in 2003, but for various reasons didn't get very far. Started again about 6 weeks ago, now have the time to research. I have been interested in my side of the tree as my mother parents (who were of French\Italian descent but were born out in India) died when she was very young, so i have never known my maternal grandparents.
My married surname is double-barelled and have been told the 'family story' of how it is supposed to have come about - but don't think the story is right, so hoping to find out the truth. Plus a few other family stories that are 'under investigation' but as they concern some living relatives cannot go in to at this moment in time.
Addictive is the right word - we have joined a local FHS, this site, visiting FHS events and generally enjoying getting to know our roots. We have encountered conflicts of information here and there, but how pleasing when everything finally comes together and you know you have the right person! Plus it will be something personal to leave each of our chidren.
Hi everyone,
I'll admit that my addiction started after seeing the first series of 'Who Do You Think You Are?' on the BBC.
DH and I started our trees simultanously and it didn't take me long to come across my first and still current brick wall. My mum's grandad (my g-grandad) was 'adopted' in 1877 - long before official adoptions began. There were a few stories in the family about him - centering around the fact that his birth mother was Scottish and that she had been sent down from Scotland to have her baby 'in disgrace'. Also that his birth family had tried to contact him in the early 1930s, via a solicitor as someone had named him in their will.
Sadly good old g-grandad refused any contact with the birth family so that link was lost .
Added to all that was that he had been adopted by on old couple - in their mid 50s when they adopted him. They were not family members (sadly) as they were definitely paid a wage by the birth family.
I have managed to trace a decendant of the adoptive family, but sadly he knew nothing further about the mysterious adoption...
so, that branch of my tree is stuck firmly in 1877, with a man whose name I know (George Bain) but I have yet to even find a record of his birth, either in England or Scotland.
At the moment I am trying to narrow down all the old ladies with Bain in their name who died in the mid 1930s in Scotland....in the hope that I can find this will in which 'our George' was named as a beneficiary...
Phew, that's it for now.
Like everyone I bet, what started as a hobby has really taken over - to the extent that I am on the point of setting up a research business..
Bye for now,
Hawkeye.
I'll admit that my addiction started after seeing the first series of 'Who Do You Think You Are?' on the BBC.
DH and I started our trees simultanously and it didn't take me long to come across my first and still current brick wall. My mum's grandad (my g-grandad) was 'adopted' in 1877 - long before official adoptions began. There were a few stories in the family about him - centering around the fact that his birth mother was Scottish and that she had been sent down from Scotland to have her baby 'in disgrace'. Also that his birth family had tried to contact him in the early 1930s, via a solicitor as someone had named him in their will.
Sadly good old g-grandad refused any contact with the birth family so that link was lost
.Added to all that was that he had been adopted by on old couple - in their mid 50s when they adopted him. They were not family members (sadly) as they were definitely paid a wage by the birth family.
I have managed to trace a decendant of the adoptive family, but sadly he knew nothing further about the mysterious adoption...
so, that branch of my tree is stuck firmly in 1877, with a man whose name I know (George Bain) but I have yet to even find a record of his birth, either in England or Scotland.
At the moment I am trying to narrow down all the old ladies with Bain in their name who died in the mid 1930s in Scotland....in the hope that I can find this will in which 'our George' was named as a beneficiary...
Phew, that's it for now.
Like everyone I bet, what started as a hobby has really taken over - to the extent that I am on the point of setting up a research business..
Bye for now,
Hawkeye.
Two years ago I received a message via Friends Reunited that someone was trying to contact me who thought she may be a relative.At first I didn't recognise the name,but then she dropped a few of her family members names into the conversation and I realised that she was a cousin I had not seen for thirty years.We had grown up in the same street but had both married and moved away.Coincidentally,she had now moved just about five miles from where I now live.
We communicated at first by email and then met up.The years fell away and we were soon chatting like the old days.Each of us assured the other that she 'hadn't changed a bit.' (Wishful thinking )
My cousin has been a passionate Family History researcher for years and gave me lots of information for which I was very grateful.Thanks to her,I have become hooked on this wonderful hobby (more of a passion really).I spend as much time as I can researching (more than I should,really,but if it's a choice between doing the ironing and an hour on my research,the ironing is never going to win!)
We communicated at first by email and then met up.The years fell away and we were soon chatting like the old days.Each of us assured the other that she 'hadn't changed a bit.' (Wishful thinking
)My cousin has been a passionate Family History researcher for years and gave me lots of information for which I was very grateful.Thanks to her,I have become hooked on this wonderful hobby (more of a passion really).I spend as much time as I can researching (more than I should,really,but if it's a choice between doing the ironing and an hour on my research,the ironing is never going to win!)
Hi, With regard to how did i get into this. I was first interested at 15 and now am 44. My g/g/father was the only one of his family to come to Australia. My g/mother on my other side came from Scotland when she was
only 17. I was really curious to know where the rest of their families were. precious
only 17. I was really curious to know where the rest of their families were. precious
Hi,
I've always been interested but never got around to researching anything. I decided to start 3 days ago when my mother told me about my aunt. She 'supposodly married' but her sons found no marriage certificate. Her husband was married previously and had a daughter but his wife mysteriously disappeared and was never found. My father remembers going to my aunts and his wedding but said there was a massive argument at the ceremony but didn't know what it was about. Also, when her 'supposed' husband joined the forces he was asked to give a name as to whom his belongings should go to if he should die and he named his 'wife' as his cousin. Sadly, he died quite young, due to decapitation from some scaffoling, so I have no links to his family, but I found this very fascinating and decided I'd research it (but to no avail) although that's probably because I haven't got a clue where I'm supposed to look. Anyway, I'm having lots of fun trying to find things out.
Cath
I've always been interested but never got around to researching anything. I decided to start 3 days ago when my mother told me about my aunt. She 'supposodly married' but her sons found no marriage certificate. Her husband was married previously and had a daughter but his wife mysteriously disappeared and was never found. My father remembers going to my aunts and his wedding but said there was a massive argument at the ceremony but didn't know what it was about. Also, when her 'supposed' husband joined the forces he was asked to give a name as to whom his belongings should go to if he should die and he named his 'wife' as his cousin. Sadly, he died quite young, due to decapitation from some scaffoling, so I have no links to his family, but I found this very fascinating and decided I'd research it (but to no avail) although that's probably because I haven't got a clue where I'm supposed to look. Anyway, I'm having lots of fun trying to find things out.
Cath
Hi Everyone
I got interested in family history because my father originated from the South and I visit there quite a lot.
My Mothers, mother also came from the south of England. I only ever saw one of my mums aunts who came to visit my grandma and I aways wondered
about the other sibling as they were a family of 13. My nan came north in service as a young girl. I have made contact with with some of the family members and have found out that my nans youngest brother & sister are still alive. I think when you get older these things seem to matter more. I have also started on my husband tree but it becomes very addictive I can't wait until I retire so I can spend more time on it.
Good luck with your searching
Cazzand
I got interested in family history because my father originated from the South and I visit there quite a lot.
My Mothers, mother also came from the south of England. I only ever saw one of my mums aunts who came to visit my grandma and I aways wondered
about the other sibling as they were a family of 13. My nan came north in service as a young girl. I have made contact with with some of the family members and have found out that my nans youngest brother & sister are still alive. I think when you get older these things seem to matter more. I have also started on my husband tree but it becomes very addictive I can't wait until I retire so I can spend more time on it.
Good luck with your searching
Cazzand
I got started about 10yrs ago, when i wonder if my grandparents on my fathers side had any brother's or sister's. there was never anything said about there family so i took it upon my self to find out. I found out that my grandmother had two brothers and two sisters, my grandfather had four brothers. And by doing this i found my two cousins that live in Australia i knew that my aunt and uncle [my fathers sister] went to Australia but did not know they had children. It was only throw the Family history mag that i found them. I am addicted to family history it seems to taken over my life but i love it and will keep going even when i can not find what i'm looking for, never give up.
Records
Records
Although I knew a great deal about my own family my husband knew next to nothing about his - not even the maiden names of his grandmothers.
I started by trying to 'fill some gaps' for our children and now, like so many others, I am hooked.
With a subscription to one or two genealogy sites there is never a dull moment, but neither are there enough hours in the day!!!:'(
I started by trying to 'fill some gaps' for our children and now, like so many others, I am hooked.
With a subscription to one or two genealogy sites there is never a dull moment, but neither are there enough hours in the day!!!:'(
I started researching my family history about ten years ago after a chance remark from my daughter saying that she 'knew nothing' about her gt grandparents. I suddenly realised that I knew nothing about mine either! When I started, my father's family was a total blank to me. I knew he had a brother and that I had one cousin, but apart from my grandmother's maiden name, and my grandfather's name, that was it. I have now found a cousin in Canada, several in Yorkshire, one in Scotland plus many others all over the UK. I have found gypsies, an ancestor who was in gaol and deaths in a fire where 'foul play' was suspected! My mother was such a snob and I must say I delight each time a new 'scandalous' relation is uncovered! She told us children on numerous occasions that we were descended from 'German royalty' on her side of the family - needless to say I have not found any trace of this. :biggrin:
Well it keeps me off the streets!!!
Penny
Well it keeps me off the streets!!!
Penny
A photo. Pure and simple.
My dad has a photo on his wall of his grandmother as a young woman in about 1900. We knew her name was Polly Cornelius, but that's all. She had died on he daughter's (my grandmother's) tenth birthday, so no further details about her were known.
The initial quest was was simply to obtain a birth certificate for her. The rest is,quite literally, history.
My dad has a photo on his wall of his grandmother as a young woman in about 1900. We knew her name was Polly Cornelius, but that's all. She had died on he daughter's (my grandmother's) tenth birthday, so no further details about her were known.
The initial quest was was simply to obtain a birth certificate for her. The rest is,quite literally, history.
For me it was because I hardly know any of my family and neither do my parents. My dad was born when his parents were in their 40's and 50's and his parents were the younger children of their families. On my mother's side sadly most of her relations passed away when she was young so with little knowledge I find it very intriguing!
Many years ago I was given a photograph (c.1905) by my grandfather (1886-1981) of him with his brothers and sisters and their parents along with the family Bible belonging to his grandparents.I made a trip to St. Catherines House to consult the B/M/D indexes to verify some of the dates and that was it until about 2 years ago when I became 'computerised'.
I joined Genes Reunited and within a couple of days had made contact with family members in Cornwall,Sheffield and Melbourne -I WAS HOOKED!
Systematically going through the Census returns for the various branches of the family,relations were pouring out of the 'woodwork' and the excitement lay in watching the tree grow almost daily.
The challenge now is tracking down individual members,overcoming 'brickwalls' (and there are a few of those!) and trying to connect parts of my tree to those of others.But the obsession hasn't abated and is always refuelled when you strike 'gold' (and you never know when or where that's going to happen!)
My wife has become a bit of a 'family history widow' and I'm always being accused of being 'up my tree' (but does show a sudden interest when I find members of her family-even if one was classed as an 'imbecile' in one census!)
I hope to pursue my obsession until I become an ancestor,but at least I will have left my descendants the legacy of showing them their roots-I rest my case!
I joined Genes Reunited and within a couple of days had made contact with family members in Cornwall,Sheffield and Melbourne -I WAS HOOKED!
Systematically going through the Census returns for the various branches of the family,relations were pouring out of the 'woodwork' and the excitement lay in watching the tree grow almost daily.
The challenge now is tracking down individual members,overcoming 'brickwalls' (and there are a few of those!) and trying to connect parts of my tree to those of others.But the obsession hasn't abated and is always refuelled when you strike 'gold' (and you never know when or where that's going to happen!)
My wife has become a bit of a 'family history widow' and I'm always being accused of being 'up my tree' (but does show a sudden interest when I find members of her family-even if one was classed as an 'imbecile' in one census!)
I hope to pursue my obsession until I become an ancestor,but at least I will have left my descendants the legacy of showing them their roots-I rest my case!
i started to look for my grandmothers grave for my mum as she wants to be buried with her she never really knew her mum as she died when she was 2 but went to the grave when she was 10 we have found the place but not the plot yet i found a cousin and she sent me a photo of her mum which was nice cos mum never had one
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