Up until fairly recently, tracing my family history wasn’t really something I’d ever thought about. Debbie, my wife had often mentioned that she’d like to trace her family, but I worked long hours and never had much time for anything else.
Then, my Father died of lung cancer within two months of the diagnosis. And I realised that because his Mother and Father had died years before I was born, I was only aware of his three brothers and his Sister. All of whom had already passed away. (during my investigations, I found out he had another Brother and Sister he wasn’t aware of… They both died before he was 4 years old)
So, apart from that, I knew nothing else about his side of the family.
My mother grew up with her adopted father and her birth mother, who died when I was 2 years old. So I really didn’t know anything about her side of the family either.
So, that’s when I decided that the time had come to find out where I’d come from. And I have to say, I’ve really got the bug! Almost all my spare time now is spent discovering the insights this wonderful hobby has to offer. But back to the story…
The only information I could find out at the time was that my Mum’s Mother was Gwendolin Todd and My Dad’s father was known as Herbie.
I also knew the towns they lived in when they died.
Since I started, I’ve managed to go back 10 generations on the paternal side of my tree and 7 generations on the maternal side.
I don’t subscribe to any of the ancestry sites, or to any of the ‘paid for’ registries, etc. But, I have thought about the 14-day trials at Ancestry.co.uk, FindMyPast and My Heratige. If I try them, I’ll let you know how I get on, in a separate post later.
The main reason I started this site, was to pass on the nuggets of information I’ve gathered during my initial struggles, including the things I wish I’d known when I first began.
As well as that, I’ll also share some of the stories I uncover along the way. After all, the main reason for me starting this journey is the discoveries I’ll hopefully make about my ancestors’ lives.
As time goes on, I’m sure I’ll learn lots of other helpful tips and information that I’ll want to pass on as well. I’m only a beginner myself, but I hope the things I learn can help you too. And hopefully, you can help me, by telling me of your triumphs and tribulations.
There are so many ways to research your family history, depending on your area of study. So, the more people there are sharing their approach, the better it will be for everyone.
I hope we can be partners on our journey through time.
