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

[Scratch And Patch]

The " BUG CAUGHT ME " 2 yrs. ago , ever since on the Dodman side of my family I am past 1697. Somewhere around 1630 I would say. With a Robert Dodman whom that was married to his wife Mary ?

On my mothers side of the family whom are Holmes from Irland. I have just recently got back to a Ninian Holmes b.1715 & d.1772. Ninian was married to a Mary Erwin. I just got this breakthrough recently prior to writing this letter.

Scratch And Patch

 

[kmarie]

Hi, I got started about 9 years ago, had a break for 3 years and only just started it off again yesterday.I got interested about it when I found out that my grandfather had a brother who died when he was 6 and nobody in the family knew where he was buried, I made it my mission to find this little boys grave, i found it and then it kind of snowballed from there.I think the only problem with family history is, its the most addictive thing in the world, once you start you just cant leave it alone!

 

[AEConsultant]

Hi,

I became interested in family history, after my mum saw a feature on the local news about the unveilling of a commemorative plaque in the local town hall. About halfway down the plaque she noticed the name of her great grandfather. So, we contacted the council and we were informed that there had been a ceremony to commemorate the loss of 13 local Italian civilians who had been lost aboard the SS Arandora Star whilst being taken to an internment camp in Newfoundland during World War 2.
From there, I started to research my family tree and have found out lots of interesting information. The only branch I am having a little difficulty with is the Brown's on my dad's side. It was mentioned that they used to own a large house in the Northumberland area possibly sometime around the 1800s, but I cannot trace it as yet....

 

[Scratch And Patch]

I got addicted by getting some real good advise , from all the people who have helped me along the way.
THAKS TO YOU ALL
Especially Dave ( davelambert271).
Yours Truly
Scratch And Patch

 

[Jkd]

My father died and I realised I did not know much about his family, I started doing some research and got addicted. I wish I could find some living relatives from my fathers family, due to a rift in the family my father never knew his father's family, it would be great to find some of them.

 

[Gerald]

I suoppose I have always loved history in general, and when I was ' found not fit for purpose'. 3 years ago, by Human Resources. after 32 years. My wife said "Well don't think that you are sitting around the house all day". So I Joined a local Heritage group, and here I am. I enjoy the detective work, and writing up short articles about local people in the area's history.

 

[Nightryder]

I first became interested in family history after reading my grandmothers inquest papers, they mentioned she had a brother I had never heard of & the hunt began, ive been hooked ever since.

 

[LouiseD]

I first got interested in family history since I was told, I was related to royalty I started asking questions and then started digging deeper and found out something interesting and I read the story of the family history.

I can't wait to find out more about my family history.

From Louise

 

[glynmarie]

Hi all,

Open question to everyone - members and guests alike (guests will need to register first - yes it's FREE! )!

How did you get into Family History / Genealogy research?

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

i have always had a great interest in history, social history i find fascinating. last year i decided it was time to find out about the family as no-one seemed to know anything beyond our grandparents. i wanted to know where i came from how my life has been shaped by those who had gone before, i wanted to know where they came from what they did, how they lived, what was happening in the world when they were alive.

with the help from some great people on this amazing site i now have a much better feeling of who i am. i am now in contact with some living relatives and it is great to be able to tell them things i have learned about our relatives, the people are not just names and dates to me the more i find out the more alive they are to me.

yes it is highly addictive but so exciting when you find that one bit of information that brings it all together.

thank-you everyone at fhuk who has helped.

 

[juliet bravo]

A couple of years ago, I came across the death certificates of my great Grandparents, who died within two weeks of each other. Nobody in my family knew much about them as one of their children, Leslie Arthur Davis,(My paternal grandfather) settled in Malta and over the years, lost touch with his family in Devon. What intrigued me about these certificates is that a Frederick S. Bennet, listed as son-in-law, was in attendance at both their deaths. I wanted to know who he was. Before long, I was astonished at how (relatively) easy it was for a complete novice to find a whole lot of family members whom I didn't even know existed, just from searching on line. Ironically, it has been easier to find family members from my English side than my Maltese side as here the records are not digitised so leg work is required to trace ancestors!
I am a bit stuck with my research now as it gets more difficult pre 1837. My dream is to find photos of my direct ancestors (at least). I have their birth certificates, and also some marriage certificates, and I would like to put faces to the names.
A very emotional moment for me during this research was when I found the 1911 census record for my great grandfather, Nicholas James Davis, and discovered who his other children were! I have a photo of Nicholas in his navy uniform and I keep it near my computer and look at him when I need to do some lateral thinking to keep the research going!

 

[Seamus]

When my kids were at secondary level at school, they were doing projects on families. They wanted to know their family backgrounds. They pestered me until I gave into one of them and started to research our extended family. From then on it snowballed.

 

[tomwdcraftr]

Underneath, I've always had a curiosity about my ancestry, but had little time to pursue it. When I retired I was an addicted wood turner and sold miniature turnings online. After a few years, I gave that up and gave my equipment to my Son.

With time on my hands, one day I was browsing some books of my Grandmother's. At the front of one book was listed the names, location and date of deaths for her parents, and some of her siblings. The address for her parents was in Minnesota. I knew my McMillan Great Grandparent's had also lived in Minnesota. I went to the Minnesota Historical Society webpage, and ordered all 4 death certificates.

That's how I started my quest just several years ago. At first, I thought I could accomplish what I wanted to know in a year or so. Hah, hah!!! This will be a never ending quest. I have an unending passion to know more, and more, and more!!!!

Now, I just wish it would catch on with my children, and grandchildren!!

 

[look4family]

I started about 8yrs ago. I am from England living in USA. The addiction comes from finding one link and needing to find another. The frustration comes from not being able to find more info. When the families divorce, remarry have kids it gets more addicting. I have ancestors who served in British Army during Queen Victoria's reign over India. Not being able to find that info makes it worse. Needing to find the info and not knowing where to go.

 

[jay]

Hello,
There are military websites which you could try for colonial service if you haven't done so already. Fitzpatrick is possibly an Irish surname and again there are separate sites for irish ancestry. You don't say which area(s) your ancestors came from ... many counties have family history societies
and could be worth a try. Good luck.

Researching: Stretton; Bowden; Barker; Hopley; Wolliscroft; Phillips; Morris.

 

[Nimbus]

Our dad had my brothers, sisters and I believe he was born in Ireland. I decided to try and prove this (after he died) Turns out he was born in Leeds and, if i have got things right, so was his dad and his grandad. I'm now looking for his g/grandad. Addicted? definatly!!!

 

[look4family]

I started about 8yrs ago and am still searching. I began to think that it was important that my decendents knew who their ancestors were. I began as most do on ancestry.com. Finding one person and it makes you go more. I was born in England and with the marriages/divorces etc the search has taken me all over the world from England to the Netherlands to Jamaica to India and all over the USA. I had to 'ease' my addiction because the cost of web sites and subcriptions (especially to overseas sites) became ridiculous. It is interesting how I and other searchers in the family get to a brick wall with one branch, or one person, of the family. A message or search will find another part of the family and I one the hook again. Still have not got past great grandfather on my father's side. I hope my decendents, one day, will get the 'bug' and look further.

 

[cacran]

I have only recently got addicted. My granddaughter is a baby and my daughter said that she would like to have a family tree done for her. My Mum was very interested in the family tree but soon after starting her researc she developed Alzheimers and died two years ago. She left lots of notes on what she found out,which has helped me no end. I remember snippets of things that she told me, but am never going to be able to confirm them. I am jotting down things that my dad tells me now as soon there will be no one older than me, left.I can't really afford a subscription and get frustrated as I think I have gone as far as I can without spending.
Genes Reunited is not too expensive but I think maybe it is probably not as good as the other dearer sites.
I will just have to hope they have a free weekend on the census another time. I was so excited about the 1911 free weekend a couple of weeks ago and found a lot of interesting fact, there.

 

[Rune Mussett-Sharp]

Having browsed around again this morning trying to familiarize myself with this site (I am not the sharpest when it comes to computers.) I am having a hard time deciding if searching my own family or reading all the facinating tidbits about family histories and history in general is the more addicting. Thanks to all of you who know so much of English legal history.
Cheers!
Rune

 

[ebonyuk72]

I got addicted when our new library here in Maidstone opened up.

I'd always grown up hearing the story about my fathers sister who had died in an accident at school, she'd slid down the banister of a fire escape and fallen backwards onto the iron railings below, she was 11 at the time (health and safety would have a field day now!)
When the library opened they had all the local papers back to 1900, I knew she'd died in 1945 and the date so I went to have a look to see if I could find the story, I found it within ten minutes. Then I decided to find her grave, I knew roughly where it was but eventually found its exact spot.
That then led to me looking for a story from my husbands side of the family from when his Grandfather jumped in our local river and saved a boy from drowning in 1920, I found that too.

I got such a buzz from doing that, I just sort of never stopped looking, one thing led to another if you like, now people dont dare ask me what i'm looking for because I never shut up about it:biggrin:

 

[jay]

Hello Ebony,
I have just discovered how useful newspapers can be for filling out details about ancestors' lives. Good luck.

Researching; Stretton; Bowden; Hopley; Barker; Morris; Phillips; Wolliscroft.