40 years of searching!

I began researching my family history in 1972 after my father died. I did it the hard way, scrolling through miles of microfilm at Record Offices. I hit a brick wall left it for a few years then my mother gave me a book on the subject and got me started again about 1990. I managed to find out some more as there were now more resources available and was thrilled to find a 2x grt grandfather (who was recorded as drowned in 1864 in the Family Bible) had not been born in the North East like my other ancestors but in Blakeney Norfolk, a place I had visited on holiday and loved.

I have been researching it continuously since then, taking advantage of all that the Internet offers. However, searching original documents is always more fun than clicking a mouse. I have discovered some amazing things about our family that were never known to my immediate ancestors. I now help to run our local branch of the Nthbld and Durham Family History Society and carry out family history search as a volunteer at our local museum.

I strongly believe that everyone,s family is far more interesting than people think, in fact every family is extraordinary.

 

Have to agree with that

 

My dad started researching our family history and sometimes took me with him. My earliest memories are of visiting an old dark church in Worcester in the late 1960s filled with rows of tall shelving full of books. My dad spent his time thumbing through parish registers, I was more interested in the man with the SLR camera on a tripod taking photographs of each page of register books.

20 years later, I noticed a work colleague using some strange software and armed with an illegal copy of her software (Family Tree Maker version 2 or 3 for DOS) my interest was rekindled.

 

I started around 2003 researching my family. I found my Northwich Whitlows, Musketts and Litlers, etc. through the Internet facilities as well as my Marthall Bowers.

Then came the difficult part. I found my grandfather's German ancestors using Family Search but couldn't tie up my great grandparents to the correct ancestors. Here, a good friend of mine helped me.

A lot of my German ancestors emigrated to the States and I have found all but one great uncle.

I subscribe on and off to FMP and am fascinated by the Historic Newspapers. I made a very interesting discovery in the American Newspapers:

My grandfather's brother who emigrated to America around 1883 and settled in Burlington, Des Moines, Iowa, was quoted as having received a large inheritance from his father's sister who, with her husband, had accumulated enough wealth as pork butchers in Bradford, Yks, to allow them to live an extremely comfortable life in their birth town. My grandfather also must have inherited. My great uncle was a representative of the Burlington Gazette, on the School Board, Treasurer of Burlington Council and much more.

The Americans entered every "movement" in and out of town of all their citizens. Even one of my aunt's 6th birthday was recorded mentioning her little guests. I now know that my great grandmother's younger brothers were in close contact with her son and his family as well as with the children of her second marriage who had emigrated with their father to the States. My grandmother died before she was able to join them.

It is true, one's family is far more interesting than one thinks.