Topic: FAMILY HISTORY

[Suey]

If I can help at all EJ just let me know  ;D

[lorna]

I just can't believe I  have not seen this thread before. I so agree with Tim, I wish I had asked my Dad about his family. I know quite a lot about Mum's side. Over the past few months my nephews wife has been tracing my Dad's history (turned out he was illegitimate) in fact his Grandfather adopted him so one could say his Mother became his sister  :). Barbara is so dedicated  and she has traced cousins who we never knew existed. We now have photographs of Great grandfather, grandfather and uncles.
Bless her, she is now helping my sister-in-law trace husband's family. At the moment she is tracing three families on my behalf and two more on her side.

[Mrs Ava]

Thanks Sue.  It will be in the new year now.  I hav emade a list of all the sites that you have all reccommended and mum and will make a start.  The problem is how in depth do you go.  You start with someone, then their children, their childrens children and so on, and before you know it, your tree is getting huge widthways as well as lengthways.  I have a book packed with notes, letters from family members, a folder full of birth, death and marriage certificates, and lists of names and dates.  Once we make a start properly I will be picking your brains!!

[Suey]

Feel free EJ  ;D

[Tulipa]

EJ, you sound like me, it is knowing how far widthways to go.  Then I start looking at what life was like for each family etc and it gets huge.  But it is so interesting and I think the little snippets bring the facts to life.  It is making me think back to all those boring history lessons now and making them seem more real.

I have lots of soldiers in one tree and have learnt a lot more about Waterloo, the Crimea etc.  Their records have descriptions of them in them so I can find out what colour eyes etc.  I found one yesterday that has "age 53, nearly bald" added in pencil, makes it so interesting.  All my uncles on that side are bald...  This was written in 1840!

I have one family member who joined the navy and after a couple of weeks was discharged, sent "ashore, unfit for situation"  he had lied about his age and was 13.  No wonder he couldn't cope.

And reading about the poverty my husband's grandmother lived in in Birmingham.  I have a wonderful photo of her at school in a white pinafore, she's so pretty.

I am sorry, I am rabbiting, but it gets so exciting.... :-[

I am very happy to help too EJ, it's such fun.  And having success at finding someone else's rellies is just as good as finding my own...

T.

[fbgrifter]

EJ>>  it sounds like you need some software to organise your notes.  i recommend the free download from the familysearch site.  i find it very useful.  a note of caution about using the net for family research - there are loads of sites out there with an abundance of info, but they don't have ALL the info.  that means that when you come up with a 'match' it doesn't necessarily mean you have the right person and checking can end up expensive.  if anyone needs any help with family research i will do what ever i can to help.  i also own all the census' for the cheshire area if anyone wants me to look anything up i am happy to oblige.

[moonbells]

I found that when I got cracking on both sides, I'd come up with something amazing and phone home, only to be told 'Yes, we knew that'. There were a lot of muttered comments from me of 'It would have been good if you'd told me BEFORE I spent hours digging!' followed with the reply 'But dear, we don't remember until you remind us!'

Least I know that some facts are now verified :)

It's exciting when you make contact with a distant cousin. I found two 4th cousins the other day!

moonbells

[flowerlady]

Wow I've only just found this  :D... will be back ... ;D ...

... my brother IS a Mormon ... and I have been charged to do some rooting for him ... as he lives in Australia now  guess who gets to do the legwork ... have just registered at the British Libray for East India docs ;)

[Tulipa]

FL have you seen this site...

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~clday/

Family History in India.

Looks like there are a lot of us on here! :)

T.

[greyhound]

The problem is how in depth do you go.  You start with someone, then their children, their childrens children and so on, and before you know it, your tree is getting huge widthways as well as lengthways. 

They all had so many children!  (No telly, see.)

There must be at least 20 people on genesreunited who have my 3xG grandparents in their trees, but I haven't been in touch with most of them.  As you say, where do you stop?!   :o

[manicscousers]

my brother's dedicated a wall in his office to ours, he just seems to keep on going !

[saddad]

Greyhound... ;D... we have no TV from choice but only two children! The large families from the ea 20th Century have more to do with survival of Infants for the first time! ( Oh and very little contraception)
 ;D

[tin can]

Greyhound- I have got in touch with those people in my tree as they sometimes have found out info which I have not.

Here is a nice example of contacting distant relatives...
My grandmother's grandparents moved here from Norwich, leaving their eldest on behind.
 After getting in touch with one of his descendants , I now have a photo of that son as a young and elderly man and my grandmother's cousins,and she has a photo of 2 of his siblings and our relatives from me. The facial similarities are quite stunning!!
Am so pleased we made contact. :D

[Robert_Brenchley]

I've got my father's family tree back about 500 years thanks to a distant cousin, but I hardly know anything about my mother's family. This is her grandfather, who I vaguely remember; the boy is my great-uncle Cyril, who I also remember. My grandfather isn't there. They were military men and colonial masters; I never heard what happened to the two young men in uniform but since the pic was taken in 1912 I can guess.

[greyhound]

Greyhound... ;D... we have no TV from choice but only two children! The large families from the ea 20th Century have more to do with survival of Infants for the first time! ( Oh and very little contraception)
 ;D

It was a joke, tongue-in-cheek because it's a very old joke .... ::)

Greyhound- I have got in touch with those people in my tree as they sometimes have found out info which I have not.

I should perhaps have said I haven't been in touch with them yet.  I have got further back than that generation, and I just don't have room to fill in entire trees of descendants on collateral branches.   It's good to have the names of brothers and sisters outside the direct line, but following them all down to the present day, well, we are talking hundreds of names.  :o

It's odd how you find lots of people with connections to one little branch, and none at all for others.   :-\

[Marymary]

Bother I missed the free Family Tree Maker - I would have bought the paper for that if I'd known.  Never mind maybe it can go on the Christmas list.  I have sent for some certificates - it's really exciting when they come & reveal lots of details you can't get on line like mothers maiden name.

[saddad]

Greyhound... the old ones are the best!!!!!
 ;D

[moonbeam]

Hi just got into the family tree thing very interesting what you discover.
my sister has been doing most of the work and has traced our family Andersons back to 1819 seemed to start up by Aberdeen some moved to Fife IE Kirirkaldy Kennoway others Arbroath my family Dundee will start looking again in the new year. :o

[Tulipa]

Monbeam, I have got back to Aberdeen in 1821 too, but no Andersons in my tree, I just checked!  It is fascinating isn't it.  I have had to put it aside at the moment but can't wait for the new year and more time to research. 

Our local college is putting on a Family Research evening course in January so I am really looking forward to that.  I have found three new second cousins on Genes Reunited already. :) :)

[tim]

Love sepia.

Was I ever that young!!