How did you get 'addicted' to Family History / Gen

[ageless]

hello everyone,i just wanted to try and leave some memories for my daughter,hopefully for her family of my ancesters.sadly i dont have any photograhic memories to show her.hopefully i will be able to leave,with fellow members help written memories of my family past,anyway by for now and good hunting.regards.john

 

[oldnall-hants]

Hi First of all hope I am doing this corecctly as I am a bit new to forums.
My addiction with the family history bug started about 1996 when after my mother in law went into a home I was helping my father in law sort out things in their house I found a box of old photo's in a cupboard. my FIL said they had come from his wifes mother. I wanted to know who all the people were. We identified some of them but there were lots we couldn't also some of places we couldn't.
Well over ten years on and I have only a very few photos unidentified now. I have researched both sides of my MIL tree and with help from contacts made in various places including the net got them back to the 1700's I have also researched by father in laws families and my own.
I have seen lots of comments on this thread by gentlemen saying their wives complain about the time they spend researching and looking for dead relatives. Well I am a woman and it is my husband and also my children who moan when I mention I have found another ancestor
Since 2000 we have been living in the area where my MIL ancestors came from and we have found some distant relatives in the church we attend. My husband even plays in the church band with a relative.
One last thing (I hope this is not too long) I have even written a poem about our obsession which is called "The Bug" I will post it up on the forum if someone points me to the correct board.
Thanks for a great forum.

ElwynB.

 

[patrickw]

I started after suffering a series of heart attacks and having had bypass surgery found that I was bored out of my mind sitting at home with nothing to do. Both my parents died when I was 14 Dad and 15(mum) so I had to start from scratch.
I got a serious second wind when my grandaughter was born and realised that I wanted her to know "who she was".
As most previous contributors say, I have found it highly addictive but immensely satisfying. The internet does help of course, but its people that make the difference, either in libaries or museums and especially on places like this. I have found this site to be the most informative and supportive that I have come across and I intend to continue using it and supporting it as much as I can. I urge others to do the same. Thanks for reading
Pat

 

[kateblogs]

I started because my mum asked to find out about her great grandmother, who was an almost legendary figure in our family, but little was known about her origins. I became totally engrossed in the research and still am.

 

[Happy]

Hi

I was introduced to family history by someone i met on the internet.

He told me about his interest for a while but it didnt really grab me until I saw my great aunt on the 1901 census - and I knew her as she didnt die until 1976. Her sister, my grandmother and my grandfather both died before I was born so seeing them on the census didnt really connect for me - but Aunt Eliza was a real person to me and I thought - wow! I was hooked from there.

Sadly, the guy turned out to be a nutter lol but I still have the interest so he did me a favour.

 

[prefabkid]

Hi

I was introduced to family history by someone i met on the internet.

He told me about his interest for a while but it didnt really grab me until I saw my great aunt on the 1901 census - and I knew her as she didnt die until 1976. Her sister, my grandmother and my grandfather both died before I was born so seeing them on the census didnt really connect for me - but Aunt Eliza was a real person to me and I thought - wow! I was hooked from there.

Sadly, the guy turned out to be a nutter lol but I still have the interest so he did me a favour.

hi Happy
What seems to start off as an interest,developes into a passion and ends up as an obsession!
We all have been there and never grow out of it! (fortunately).
Even when you come across brickwalls,rather than deter you it spurs you on to solve the problem.
Happy hunting!

 

[horrobin]

I started two years ago, when my friend had made a start and she took me along to the local voluntary family history place. I had been thinking about it for a long while though, just hadn't bothered to do anything.
Any way I found researching my Mothers side of the family easy to do (on her Fathers side). We came from what used to be a village (Oadby) and from there it was just a straight line. Through leicester, Syston and then Keyham. But I have found out some fascinating facts along the way, and how generations of my family used to live. Sometimes i get so frustrated because I want to know so much and half the time I don't know where to look. But it has been an interesting journey so far.

Pat

 

[liz Stokes]

Hi all,

Sadly my dad died last year and athough I'd had a vague interest in Genealogy prior to that, it was then that I got a strong urge to trace my roots. Amazingly I came across a number of 'lost' relatives who I'd not seen for many years on genesreunited and ancestry.com That really spurred me on and, best of all, I was able to meet up them. In fact I have just spent the weekend with some of them. We all seem to have caught the 'bug' and have been able to share our findings. One thing is absolutley sure, I am not going to loose tough again!! Genealogy/Family History has not just given me hours of pleasure but given me my family back!

Liz

 

[benny1982]

Hi

I knew that I had some Durham and Suffolk and Essex ancestors. I did yearn for some London ones though. I was then told by my mum that her maternal grandmother was from London. This was 5 years ago. I was well pleased to find it was true. The rest is history. That is why I became addicted.

Ben

 

[darkcrystal]

Initally it was an interest of my mums, and as she knew very little I decided to 'find' things out for her, (I have had an interest in FH/local history for a long time)

when the 1901 census went online this spurred my research alot, and then I found the LDS site 'familysearch' and found my gt grandad with his parents, I was on the moon.!!

I was very green, I had been a member of GR and made some headway with my tree, but I didnt really get the bug, it was a case of as and when.

I also discovered 1837online which enabled me to purchase those all important certs... which enabled me then to brave ancestry and begin searching in earnest..

sadly, my mum hasnt seen any fruits of my research really, as she died in 2004, two months before the birth of my son.

I know though she would be as proud as can be though with the progress I have made.

like the rest of you, now I am totally hooked and find now that I get some 'quiet time' by going to the Records Office. But I could do with a few weeks there, as I find it always throws up more questions that I want to get answered yesterday!!!

I just wish that I could arrange some time to goto Exeter... where I will find the records for my gt grandparents as they both came from Devon....

 

[Ellie]

It was my late uncle that got me interested in tracing the family tree. He was telling me some interesting things, so I decided to research myself,and I'm addicted now

 

[Katie-Lou]

I bought a couple of immediate family birth certificates several years ago, but didn't really get into family research until we got our computer about 14 months ago. I am elderly and not very mobile so this has opened up a new world and has enabled me to find out far more than I could otherwise have done. Like everyone here, I am totally hooked and feel a great attachment to my ancestors. They are definitely a part of who we are. There were several painters and decorators among my maternal ancestors and my sister is never happier than when she is painting and hanging wall-paper. That gene definitely missed me!

 

[p.risboy]

My interest started when I eventually investigated a box of bits and bobs that had come to me from my Aunty Hilda's possesions after her death 5yrs ago.
I found a large picture of my Uncle Charlie, who was killed inWW2, amongst other family photo's. And as they say "the rest is history". And don't we all know it.!!!!!

Steve.

 

[benny1982]

Hi

Genealogy is very addictive. It doesnt take much to get hooked.

Ben

 

[lewis]

It all started with one of cousin's doing a family tree on the McKinstry's
which is my name. He ended with thomas wesley mckinstry But, now I have
new information on john mckinstry who lived Ireland and now it's full speed
head.


Lewis Wesley McKinstry Jr

 

[nigel simmons]

It all started about 4 years ago when my wife (Trish) bought me a family tree programme for christmas it stayed in the box till about April when a auntie of mine phoned me up for information on my father because she was tracing the family tree on my fathers side(Simmons) asked my father a few questions and started doing some research myself got hooked and have got back to the 1600 to relatives living in Ramsgate and have numerous amount of books on the subject and been on many sites this one being the best
many thanks
Nigel

 

[glees123]

Hi all,

I clearly remember being interested in myancestors from about the age of seven and asking my Mother about them. I used to try and build up a tree but was not entirely sure how. It was only about 2 years ago when i was 15 that i joined Genesreunited despite being underage. Unfortunately i was caught out and my tree was deleted but as soon as i turned 16 i started again and built up my tree.

I really enjoy finding out about my family history and find it really interesting. I find it exciting to have discovered ancestors that nobody in the present day really knew of. when i come to a brick wall it just becomes more challenging.

I plan to continue building up my tree for both the benifit of my curiosity as well as that of members of my family who are interested or may one day become interested.

Good luck with your research everyone!!!



Glees123

 

[gunnadomee]

We live in Australia. At one of our local cemeteries we discovered a grave with 3 family members, 1880,1882&1927. So started our journey about 12 months ago to find out all we could about the family. Have heaps of info, gone back to England to 1810. Just love it and will keep on exploring the past.

 

[JMR]

Hi All,

I was scratching my head one day trying to find a way of spending better quality time with my Dad who is 82, a crusty engineer who doesn't do 'small talk', knowing that time left with him is limited. He had put together a family tree that no one was interested in, (me included) quite a few years ago. Then I saw an ad for 14 fee days on Ancestry on my computer. Within a week I had found out many things that Dad never knew about his family (his Grandmother's illegitimacy for one) and we started to have a lot of fun together researching.

The second week I was emailed by a "cousin" who is the Granddaughter of my Gt Grandfather's brother, who still lives in the area I was born in! After that I was hooked on this hobby, which is likely to see me in poor house, the same place that my rellies of the past ended their days in!

JMR

 

[SuzanneW]

Hi all

How I got hooked..................... well here we go...............


My mum had always promised my Aunt that they would sort out the Family Tree, you know what it's like? Then sadly my mum passed away some 8 years ago, closely followed by her brother and then her father (her mum had passed away some 25 years prior to this), so yes, a quickly dwindling family, I have had a bit of a mid life crisis (I think? ), or was it the medication? well that's my excuse anyway!!!

Was seriously ill from 2006 - 2008, and life and your attitude to it tend to change drastically in these situations, so with this I decided that I needed to firstly find out who I was? where I came from? what my family was really about? what they did for livings etc.

Secondly, I want to be able to leave a legacy or something about us to future generations, to my son, to his future children (oh my god!!! not yet, I'm too young to be a Grandma!!!!!!:biggrin: ). I do feel, that if my mum had the time to do this before she died, what a lovely gift it would be to leave your family - unfortunately she didn't :'( - so it is down to me....

I think it is just one of those things............ you either want to know about your past or you don't?

I do, and I feel proud of who I am and where I come from - so far (anyway!!!), the day I got an email from another researcher telling me she had found my Great Grandad's military records and that he had been awarded several medals - I cried, I was so proud, (how daft, you are all saying???) but it is quite emotional at times, exciting at times and also, extremely frustrating at others, but once you start...................... you just can't stop!!!!!!!!!!

You really do get hooked, and also, you get to chat to some lovely people online who offer so much help and advice, and you find, like I have that you learn so many new things.


Love it, love it, love it!!!!!!

(Can't say the same for the hubbie mind!!! he just isn't interested at all - saddo!!!!!)

Even got ropped in helping the mother in law!!!! - now that is pushing the daughter in law/mother in law relationship a bit too far!!!!!!!

Anyway, that is enough from me, just wanted to say one last thing...........

'enjoy every minute of your searching and cherish every piece of info you un-earth, family history is priceless, as is time!!!)

Take care everyone.

xx