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

[Lindylu]

Hi

My 'addiction' started after my mother wrote down some of her memories in a notebook and secretly I typed them up and got photos to include, bound it and gave it back to her. I then went to a genealogy class and I was, like everybody else, hooked. It has taken me to some fascinating places - out of the way village churches looking for dead rellies - even my husband will join me in that, helpful county record offices, National Archives (I wish I could get there more often) and so on. I have found out I have an Irish great grandfather that my mother knew nothing about and in the same line of family I have a Polish ancestor which now explains the rather slav looking faces of my great grandmother and her eldest son. I am now in touch with other relatives who are also descended from this Polish man and am trying to see if there is a connection between him and a memorial in Portsmouth to Polish soldiers who were being transported to America but settled in England after a storm forced them to halt and they persuaded the captain to let them on shore. There is someone on it with a similar name but I would need much more evidence than that to convince me. Anyway, I am glad to join this new community and look forward to joining in more chats.

Linda

 

[Wicce]

I got hooked after marrying a Stemp and we started to trace the name and family, then I started with my side of the family, my grandparents had brought me up so I did know a little of their past and they even had a few old photos, which I am pleased to say I still have. With the advent of the internet and home computers I have managed to find out so much about our families and their history. Until a year ago I did not even know that my grandfather had a cousin Mary, which meant his father had a brother, who again I knew nothing about and so it has gone from there. At present I am working on my mother in laws side of the family, she has a very scratchy knowledge of her family as they were very broken up but I have put a lot together for her and even found her a second cousin and a photo of her grandmothers brother. Yes my name is Wicce and I am a familyhistoryaholic

 

[Guy]

Family history has been part of my way of life ever since I was an infant.
My mother used to show me a book my grandfather had written with the family pedigree in it.
I would spend hours (before I could even read) looking at the pedigree.
As I developed I would trace the words in the book and later even trace original parish registers as an aid to writing.
I can just imagine archivists allowing that now!

It must be said that research has never been so accessible, and cheap. Research used to involve having to visit numerous local or national archives, repositories and churches. Now an enormous proportion of research may be done in the comfort of ones armchair at home.
Even digital copies of original documents may be studied at home with a few clicks of a mouse, but this does detract from the richness of the experience.

Later, both when employed as a driver and later when I ran my own company, I would often be found taken my breaks from driving with my truck parked next to a graveyard and me wandering round searching the gravestones for ancestors.

I have witnessed to change from viewing mostly original records through the typed transcripts and microfilm/fiche stages to the digital era.
I have witnessed the birth of Family History Societies and even the arrival of the Computer Index (now called the IGI) to the UK.
Archives have opened, changed locations and even closed during my life in genealogy and so have attitudes.
It used to be that archivists viewed family historians as name collectors, gradually we overcame this obstacle to research and proved to them that family historians were just as informed, interested and even dedicated to history as other historians; only to be hit with family historians calling other family historians name collectors.

If they only knew, and experienced, the difficulties we had in breaking down the antipathy to family history they would never use that expression again.

Unfortunately I have also seen the downward spiral from family historians freely sharing their information (at some cost to themselves) to closing their research to others.
This coincides with the ease of sharing.
The easier it becomes to share, transcribing, photocopies, internet seemingly the less people are inclined to share.
Cheers
Guy

 

[elizy8]

Hi all,

Open question to everyone!

How did you get into Family History / Genealogy research?

There must be some great stories out there - share them with us!

Webmaster

I got into the wonderful fascinating world of FH quite by accident. My eldest son was doing a project, on this very subject, at college. When it wss complete he asked me whether I would like all the information he had collected and I've never looked back-that was nearly 20 yrs ago. Since then my research has led me from London (my roots) to Middlesex, Cornwall,Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Somerset, Australia and the USA. I am still enjoying it and even after all this time still have "brick walls".
elizy8

 

[deisel]

hi I good hooked after looking at my Grandma's death certificat. I have done some off my husbands family tree and have started my dads and mum as well going well on my dad my now starting to get stuck. Don;t have any family to ask as they are all dead. But i will keep trying to find out. Good look to everybody else who is looking.

 

[astwood]

I got addicted to my family history after researching the history
of Dragon Farm built in 1614 in Inkberrow worcesterhire I was
given some deeds and census scheduals and it kicked off from
there tracing my family back to cheshire lancashire and north
wales and numerous other places along the way
astwood>

 

[sue ault]

Can I just say please keep going with your family history research, I belong to many history sites the more the merry. After twelve years researching some wounderful person has checked AN update on a certain site for me. My grt x 2 Grandfather decided to make my life difficult and in the 1820s decided to take his mothers surname on. His eldest two children were baptised FROST and were born in woburn, beds. His next seven children including my grt grandfather were all given the surname Ault. I now have all nine childrens dates of birth, also all their baptisms. Life was made even more difficult as the curate or vicar interpreted the surname on occations as AUTT AND HALT.
Please keep going there is a wounderment of infomation out their and dont always rely on the net go to record offices.

 

[davelambert271]

My father fell out with his family in 1936 a couple of years before I was born. He did not speak about or have contact with them again, so we never visited as children and knew nothing about the Lamberts.
My father was called George Heritage Lambert, but did not know where the name Heritage had come from, except he thought Heritage was something to do with a big fishing compamy in Fleetwood. I decide to look further and that's how I became hooked
Imagine my delight when as a novice I found the marriage of his Grandfather to a Maria Heritage. His grandfather George was a basket maker, as was his father and brother Edward. These two brothers at about 20 years old travelled from their home in Norfolk to Barking, London where they lodged with a Fisherman. Why Barking? It seams in 1851, when the two brothers were there, Barking was a very large fishing port, and not only fishermen gathered there, but all the trades relying on them, sailmakes, chandlers, basketmakers etc etc. The fishing boats were powered by sail and it took a long time to get from the fishing grounds and up the Thames to Barking. Then someone decided to flood the Kent marshes in Winter, harvest the ice, store it in large hangers, then use it to keep the fish fresh. This enabled the boats to go further North, and with the advance in road and rail transport the boats started calling at Grimsby and Hull to offload their catch. Barking lost all its fishing industry as quickly as it had flourished.
All this to give a reason for the two brothers being in London - making Baskets to carry fish.
Edward stayed in London and married whilst George moved to Hull with the Heritage family, where he also married. The Heritages operated several Smacks out of Hull and Scarborough, one of which was lost with all hands whilst fishing off Spurn.
So my fathers understanding was partially right, and it was very pleasing to be able to tell him this story just before he passed away, a month short of his 100th birthday. I even showed him a photo found on the web of where he lived as a boy, complete with a row of shared loos across the end of the road!
Apart from several distant 'cousins' contacted along the way it was learnt that my Grandmother had passed away in 1932, and my Grandfather had married again the week after my father married . They did not go to each other's wedding. How sad.. but one last 'big kick' was the discovery of a descendant of this second wife complete with some photos and information about where they had lived after the 'fall out'
Anyone interested in the Barking story can find it on several google web sites about Barking.
dave

 

[teaurn]

My interest in my family began some years ago really when we went to a family reunion organised by my Aunt when another Aunt came to England from Australia.

I went along with my husband and the two children I had then and met lots and lots of family I knew nothing about.

Very busy over the next few years with children and work until I read that the 1911 census was available on the internet and I haven't looked back since Well I have looked back quite alot actually and am throughly enjoying the info I find. Not just names on a bit of paper or computer screen but the stories and whole how they lived type thing - fascinating :biggrin:

 

[jay]

Re: How did you get 'addicted' to Family History /

A general interest in history got me started and it is a hobby on which I shall have more time to spend. There is a story in the family that a Bowden(Bow pronounced as in longbow), circumnavigated with Drake. That is one of the names which I am researching.

 

[woodlander]

This is copied from the introduction to my Tribal Pages site - Audrey's Lanky Roots - bkch955.tribalpages.com. If anyone wants a browse through the password is Pilky.
My addiction started with a different slant so I thought it might amuse some of you to see how I began:-

Blame the dog!
I bought a book to learn about grooming / general care and needs etc. whilst I eagerly awaited the arrival of my new puppy. Life hadn't been the same since losing the last dog in my life and I've often wondered why I didn't just leave the pedigree in the drawer and enjoy playing with my new pal! I spotted a picture amongst the champions of the breed listed in the book and its name rang a bell. Sure enough, the dog featured in my puppy's pedigree. Playfully showing it to the puppy, I announced that here was her great grandfather and idly flipped the pages, wondering if any more
of her relatives were in the book. I quickly realised that life was never
to be the same again!!!
I spent quite a few happy searching years covering a dog breed history (West Highland White Terriers) involving tracing family trees of landed Gentry and their gamekeepers before toying with the thought of searching my own ancestry.

I didn't expect to get very far as my father was illegitimate - and I won't have to explain to you all what nonsense that turned out to be!
Happy searching everyone

 

[leefer]

That stinks.

 

[davelambert271]

Call me a fuddy duddy if you will, but I hardly think this post is anything at all to do with the reason I joined this site and has nothing to do with the post it is posted in
dave

 

[gibbo]

I think that is quiet rude! Are you researching your ancesters or just joined for cheap adverising? As far as im concerned go advertise and sell you stuff elsewhere.

 

[juliejtp]

Cheap advertising now dealt with.

 

[gibbo]

Cheap advertising now dealt with.

Thank you Julie.

 

[juliejtp]

Scent him on his way. :2fun:

 

[gibbo]

Scent him on his way. :2fun:

:2fun: :2fun: :2fun: that cracked me up! :2fun:

 

[p.risboy]

Call me a fuddy duddy if you will, but I hardly think this post is anything at all to do with the reason I joined this site and has nothing to do with the post it is posted in
dave

Dave, you're a fuddy duddy.:biggrin:

And I agree, keep these jerks off here.

Steve.

 

[leefer]

Scent him on his way. :2fun:

Like it Julie....he was abit of a brut.