1921 Census - now on subscription

You emphasise my point, the cost of FMP is almost an income's worth!

 

Perhaps you'd like to explain how you feel about parting with what I see as a large amount of money.
The importance or otherwise is neither her nor by when price versus income is involved.

 

But there is the thrill of the chase! When I first started researching family history my husband and I would travel to small country towns to seek out information. Similarly when in England we have visited cemeteries and churches. And there is nothing so exciting as the postman delivering a large envelope containing a long-awaited certificate!

 

Researching on the internet doesn't have to take that away. I agree there are some pleasures in visiting local record offices that can't be found online, and of course, not everything is available online. But a 2-3 hour trip to London on a crowded train, followed by an equally busy journey on the underground, just to check GRO indexes and so on is something I am more than happy to exchange for online research. And until relatively recently the certificates still came by post, and when in large envelopes, often crumpled and torn by Royal Mail.

 

Thankfully, the cost of my Genealogical subscriptions - mainly (but not exclusively) Ancestry & Findmypast - are no longer contentious issues between my wife and I - but once they were, usually with the comment..."and its only a hobby".

She thought the annual costs were outrageous and the price of Certificates and such exorbitant. She was not even placated by my pointing out of our joint pension incomes, mine comprised the higher proportion - not by a huge margin as she also enjoyed a final company pension income - but still 5-4 higher. I also made clear my Family History research was NOT JUST A HOBBY and fell not far short of 30 years as she well knew. I also pointed out I set-aside monthly provision to meet genealogical expenses and was not averse to trimming-the sail to stay within budget.

Looking back the disagreement lasted but a short while, and as I never challenged when she wanted to spend on things personal to her, PAX VOBISCUM soon reined on the Genealogical front; and still does I'm pleased to say.

 

Yes, I forgot to add that we did a lot of churchyard trawling in the early days, and we used to "bribe" our young children by offering 5p (pence) for finding a gravestone with a family surname and 10p for finding one with an ancestor on it. It kept them amused and occupied, and sometimes inspired them into looking carefully.