Twenty years and still going...

Hello, this is my first official post on the Forum.

Like a lot of people I started my family history research late, i.e. after both parents had died.

For someone who liked to talk, my dad rarely mentioned his family. I knew some names from his mother's side but nothing about his father's side. When one of his cousins was doing her own research I remembered hearing some of dad's side of the conversations and but, foolishly, never asked about it. When he had had to clear out his own mother's house I remembered him filing papers away saying that it felt obscene to be going through her papers so I never felt encouraged to ask further. Mind you, I inherited the box files after he died. It's just the memories he could have supplied that I regret not asking about.

Growing up, I heard a bit about my mum's paternal line. But I never knew anything about her own mother's line - grandma had died when my mum was only 7yrs old and mum's only clear recollection was of her mother crying because she hadn't been able to by a loaf of bread because the price had gone up by 1d/loaf and she didn't have enough money. Fortunately, I had a cousin (sadly no longer with us) who had inherited some old photos and certificates and she was more than willing to pass on her memories of what her own mother had told her.

My never ending journey to find out more about my ancestors started in 2000 and has been on-going in fits and starts ever since. There had been some falling-outs between my mother and some of her siblings and I'd not been in touch with my cousins for years - thankfully that situation has been rectified. And now that I no longer work and Covid restrictions are easing I'm hoping to get back into research mode at the county archives...

Kind regards,
Rose

 

Welcome to the forum, Rose, and thank you for telling us how you started researching your family. So many of us wish we had asked questions of our parents and other older relatives while we had the chance!