Standing on giant's shoulders

I first came across the concept of advancing knowledge by standing on the shoulders of giants from the statement of Isaac Newton in 1675. However, I gather the idea goes way back to the 12th century and Bernard of Chartes.

On my mother's side of the family there is a wealth of information - letters and diaries in both private and university collections; my great grandmother's publication of selected letters to and from her grandfather, William Bodham Donne; similar unpublished edited letters and diaries collated by my great aunt (although she could be somewhat cavalier with information at times) concerning the Norfolk Donne and Johnson families; a colossal published genealogy of the Moncktons; a pedigree held by the College of Arms; and several hand drawn collated charts put together by my mother. Perhaps my forebears were not giants but what a start!

However, what, I wondered, is there to know about my father's side of the family? At the time (some 20 years ago) the answer was very little. As my uncle put it, the family was "genealogically uncommunicative". So, somewhat late in the day I started to dabble and very soon became hooked. The rest, as they say, is history ......