My Ancestry

 

As many of you know, last year I finished working on my Family History story. 

For the last fifty years (my goodness!) I have been gathering information about my children’s ancestors, and finally got it all put together (with sources) and a copy given to each of my children.

It was a mammoth task and I decided it was time to end my research.

However, my children keep telling me that I need to publish it, so others can also benefit from my work.  The cost of doing this is prohibitive, so I’ve not really felt like that was an option.

There are other family members who also do research, and I have been aware that most of them use ancestry.com as their go-to place to build their trees – mine has all been done on my computer, using Word but no other programme.

Yesterday I visited a sister-in-law who loves her genealogy hobby, and she got me interested in looking at ancestry.com and what it could do for me.

I thought about it overnight, and today I am going to subscribe and begin transferring my information into that format.  What a great way to publish my Family History so that a wider audience can access it.

This is me (a few years ago now!)

I’m happy to report that we have been in touch with all our family and friends in areas so stricken by Cyclone Gabrielle.  The devastation has been terrible, but it has been a relief for us to know people are safe.  It is going to take some time to rebuild again.

Margaret 😊

 

Rusty Loves Me

 

I had a lovely visit with Rusty (and his owner!) yesterday afternoon.  He always gets so excited when he hears my car arrive, and races around the room when I enter. 

Maybe he has an ulterior motive though, as he loves having someone throw his soft toy so he can chase after it.

Taking photos of Rusty can be quite difficult as he is rather camera shy.  When your face disappears behind some machine and then it clicks at you, his ears go flat and he starts to shake.

Poor Rusty.

Rusty’s owner and I did some family tree research together.  We thought we had discovered a West Indies cotton plantation owner (complete with slaves) in an off-branch of the family, but further research showed that this was incorrect.

It is a bit like a treasure hunt discovering what happened among the family all those years ago.  I don’t think I will ever completely rid myself of the thrill of that hunt.

How can you not love finding Skeletons in the Family Closet?

Margaret 😊

 

Pruning Strawberries

 

I was reading online that if you want strawberries to fruit well for a second year, then you need to prune them back to about an inch above their crown during the autumn.

As most strawberry plants now really only crop well in their first year, I thought I would give this a try.  I haven’t been quite as drastic as what was recommended, but have pruned back all the excess foliage.

The instructions were to then fertilize the strawberry plants with a 10-10-10 fertilizer, but I have yet to do this.

I recently received some new information about one of my Lusher ancestors in Norfolk, so have been busy trying to chase that up – not very successfully, as many records are incomplete for the years I am looking at (around the 1800 mark), but it has been fun looking.

Until next time,

Margaret 😊

 

Almost What I Expected

 

My brother recently had his DNA assessed by Ancestry.com to see what his ethnic genealogical composition is, and the results have now come back.

I was really interested in his results as my background will be the same, although in different proportions.

My great great grandmother, who was the grand-daughter of an Australian convict

So, what are we?

Scottish – no surprise there, as both my parents have ancestors who came from here

Irish – we know of at least one family who came from the Emerald Isle

Norwegian – we can find no immediate connection here, but perhaps they were responsible for our fair skin and red hair!

East European – predominately Ashkenazi Jewish, which was something we suspected in one family at least

And that was it.  We were both very surprised that there was no evidence of English / Anglo-Saxon there, as we have had family living in England for a couple of centuries – obviously they came from somewhere else!

Knowing all this makes absolutely no difference to our lives; it is only interesting and perhaps adds a bit of light onto our origins.

Have you ever investigated your DNA background?

Have a marvellous day 😊

Margaret.

 

Family History : Publication

This is the last of the series I have been writing about what I do with the information I have found while researching the histories of the families of my husband and myself.

The ultimate result of genealogical research is to produce a coherent story about where you have come from – who your ancestors were, where they lived, what they did, the families they had.

I believe most computer programmes allow you to print off such details, but I actually prefer my own system (detailed in this series).

In the year 2000 I printed off the information I currently had and gave bound copies to various members of the extended family (I printed it at home from the computer, and used covers from a stationers to bind them).

I have so much more information now!  Mistakes have been corrected, new families have been added, more stories have been uncovered.  I feel it is time to print out the information I now have, only this time I intend to only give my immediate family a copy (unless others ask – and they can easily receive a computerized copy).

It has been suggested to me that I take my work to the University and see about getting it professionally bound.  I may still do that.

In the mean time I will print a copy here at home and store the pages inside a ring-binder folder.  Each page can be put inside one of those archival envelope thingies, and I can also store birth certificates etc. the same way, keeping each family’s information together.

Genealogy research never ends.  It is like an eternal treasure hunt and there is always something else to find.

I hope you have enjoyed this series – or skipped them completely if genealogy leaves you cold.  I once had a person observe to me that it was a study of “a lot of dead people” – couldn’t argue with that one!

Cheers J

Margaret

 

Oh, that last photo – that is me on the left, with the big bow in my hair J

PART ONE of this series, which also lists the other posts, can be found HERE

Family History : References

When you share your family history research with another person and they ask, “How do you know that?” it is helpful if you can tell them!  Having references to your notes allows you to add authentication to your research.

Unfortunately I never knew this when I first started researching, almost fifty years ago, and I find I now hold some vital information that cannot be verified in any way (a lot of my early knowledge came via my paternal grandmother who was in contact with extended family living overseas).

However, I have been trying to rectify this and have spent much time over the last several years hunting up things online and gathering references for them.

  

When I add information to the Family Page I use, I like to add a reference with it.  For example:

Christening                          Sunday 27 August 1775 Slamannan, Stirlingshire, Scotland ¹¹⁸

Father                                  #224   John BROWN ^{118  264}

Mother                                #224   Elizabeth BROWN nee McDONALD ⁰⁰⁰

At the end of my Family Page I will write the references:

SOURCES OF INFORMATION FOR FAMILY #112

118               Scottish Births & Baptisms 1564-1950

264               Wills : John Brown (#224), held at Scottish Records Office

000               Unknown source of information

I have another folder where I record all my reference information in depth.  This can take many pages for each branch of the family, but does work to keep all my research together and easily accessible if required.

These entries can look like this:

SOURCE #81    England & Wales Marriage Registration Index 1837-2005

The information here was sourced from findmypast.com.au 

#030  Raymond & Georgiana White : WHITE Raymond Alexander – spouse: Georgiana Eliza COPELAND – marriage quarter: Apr-May-Jun – marriage year: 1862 – district: Marylebone – county: London

Of course, this is only an example of how I reference my research.  Look around and find a system that suits what you want to do – and I highly recommend that you do use some form of referencing for your information.

Stay happy J

Margaret

 

Part 1 of this series (Family History: Getting Started) can be found HERE

Family History : Recording Stories

What really interests me with genealogy is the actual lives of my ancestors.  I love to dig into census records and old diaries, to fossick through local newspapers of the time, and hunt for headstones and christening records.  Talking to people about their life stories was so interesting.

I used to do a lot of research using microfiches at the public library, but now most of it is done online. 

Initially, I record what I find in a notebook before transferring it to the computer.  Over the years I have developed two ways of doing this.

The first is a timeline, and this is often added beneath the personal details on the Family Page.  It can look like this:

o    1823 described in his father’s will as being “of Falkirk, tailor”

o    1851 census records John, head of house, living at East Street, Falkirk, age 76 years, widower, ‘retired tailor’ – living with him was George BROWN, nephew, age 38, labourer, and Emily FORSYTH, servant, age 56

o    1886 grandson James Walter McKEE wrote in his memoirs that his grandfather “had a long bushy white beard that he used to stroke slowly whenever he was thinking about something”

The other method I use is in the form of a biography.  This works well if there is a lot of information or the story itself is extremely interesting.  Sometimes I use both methods together, with the timeline making up the outline of what is in the biography.

Occasionally I also write out a separate story, such as the transcription of the diary one of my grandmothers kept on her year’s journey back to the Home Country of England.

As you can see, any method that works for you is the best method to use.  And, of course, it is much easier to do this on a computer than by hand writing it all like I used to do.

Take care J

Margaret.

PART ONE of this series can be found here

Family History : Family Pages

This is a continuation of a short series I am writing about how I am recording my family’s history.  Today I show how I record the personal details of my direct ancestors.

There are many different ways of recording information, with ancestry.com probably being one of the most commonly used.  I use my own system as I find that is what personally works for me.

Each family group is given a designated Family Sheet and I just fill in the sections on it.  I use an A4 page with narrow margins.

The footnote is used to create a reference to the Family Page I am producing (EDWARDS : #112 John and Mary Brown), with the first name representing the branch of family I am working with.  A page number could also be used to help keep the right notes together.

It is probably easier to show than explain the Family Sheet template I use.  I hope this is understandable!  (All the details given here are fictitious).

ID #112                                                                                                                 John and Mary BROWN

Relationship to me:  great great great great grandparents

HUSBAND                                           John Augustus BROWN

Also known as                                      Johnny

Birth date                                              Monday 20 February 1775

Birth place                                            The Manse, Alltown, Stirlingshire, Scotland

Christening                                            Sunday 27 August 1775 Alltown, Stirlingshire, Scotland

Father                                                    #224       John Bateman BROWN

Mother                                                   #224       Elizabeth BROWN nee McDONALD

Death date                                            around 1858

Death place                                          probably Falkirk, Scotland

Age at death                                         about 83 years

Cause of death                                   

Funeral

Interment                                             

Epitaph                                 

MARRIED

Betrothal                                               engaged for three years 2 months

Marriage date                                       Saturday 28 September 1805

Marriage place                                     St Catherine’s Church, Falkirk, Scotland

Groom                                                   aged 30 years

Bride                                                      aged about 25 years

Officiator

Witnesses

Other notes                                           married ‘after banns’

Married for                                           3 years 2 months

WIFE                                                    Mary Alberta SMITH

Also known as                                      Maisey

Birth date                                              possibly 1780

Birth place                                            possibly Larbert, Stirlingshire, Scotland

Christening                                           

Father                                                    #225       name not known

Mother                                                   #225       name not known

Death date                                            Monday 5 December 1808

Death place                                          Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland

Age at death                                         about 28 years

Cause of death                                    probably as a result of childbirth

Funeral

Interment                                              6 December 1808 Falkirk Cemetery, Falkirk, Scotland

Headstone inscription                         “In loving memory of Mary Alberta, loved wife of John BROWN, died 5 Dec 1808 in   her 29^th year.  Never forgotten.”

CHILDREN OF JOHN AND MARY

1.             Daughter               Jannet Alberta BROWN

                Born                       christened 2 December 1806 Hereby parish, Stirlingshire, Scotland

                Died                        4 October 1811

2.             Son                         #56         Peter John BROWN

                Born                       25 November 1808 Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland

                Died                        12 January 1884 Linlithgow, Scotland

                Married                  1833 Amelia Margaret FISH (1810-1893)

                Children                 1834 Peter John / 1836 Margaret Amelia / 1838 Mary Jean / 1840 Agnes /

                                                1842 Albertine (female) / 1844 #28 George Alexander / 1846 Henry Peter

INFORMATION ABOUT THIS COUPLE

o    John was a shoemaker by trade.

I also restrict how much information I gather, stopping it with the birth of the grandchildren of the couple concerned.

Always choose a system that works best for you, then enjoy it J

Margaret.

PART ONE of this series can be read here

Family History : Getting Started

Getting started recording your family history is really easy.  You begin with your own details – when and where you were born, what schools you attended, the career you have followed, the places you have lived etc. – and then record details about your parents and their siblings, then  back to their parents and so on.

I used to keep a special notebook for recording any information I knew or found out, before entering it onto my Family Sheets (which I will talk about next week).

Once you have recorded everything you know, then you will be ready to go searching for more information.  Ask relations (especially the older ones) – perhaps there are wills or birth certificates or land ownership documents or even a family Bible that you can look at. 

Always be sensitive and respectful when asking people for information as some don’t want to talk about it and others may be concerned about their privacy.

Visit cemeteries and see what is written on headstones.  Look online at census records, electoral rolls, indexes of births deaths and marriages, cemetery records, and so on.  A lot of internet sites now ask for payment but there are still some free ones around. 

Joining a community genealogy group can sometimes open up different avenues for searching.  I got a lot of my early information through searching microfiches at our local library.

Always remember that there will be mistakes.  Not all records are correct, not everyone’s memory is perfect.  Discovering what really happened in the past is a bit like a treasure hunt, and sometimes we can only make assumptions and not know for sure.

WARNING!  Once you begin tracing back your family history it can become very addictive – and a lot of fun J

Margaret.

PART ONE of this series can be read here

Family History : Getting Organized

I have been researching our family history, on and off, for nearly fifty years now.  Twenty years ago I printed off and put together books for each branch of the family and gave them to various extended family members. 

Now I want to gather together all the new information I have obtained and produce new books, for immediate family this time.

The thing that interests me most with genealogy is who my ancestors were, how they lived, where they settled, the kind of lives they led.  Lots of descendants and dates are not my thing at all, so I decided to restrict my information to the birth of a grandchild. 

Unfortunately, in the early years, I failed to keep a record of where I found my information and it has been quite a task to track it down again (it’s taken me a couple of years), and some I cannot find at all.  My new books will have references to most of the information in them.

One thing I did do right when I first started, and that was to give an identification number to each couple.  My husband and I were, naturally, given ID #1.  His parents became #2 and mine became #3.  His grandparents became #4 (my husband’s father’s parents) and #5 (my husband’s mother’s parents), and my grandparents became #6 (my father’s parents) and #7 (my mother’s parents).  Basically the numbers double as they proceed back through the generations.

I have also split the family into ‘branches’ with each one representing the ancestral history of one of the grandparents, making eight branches for our entire family.  This makes it easier to keep similar information together, makes it easier when it comes to publishing anything, and makes it easier when handing over information to some other person who will belong to one or other of the branches.

I should explain that personal computers were not around when I first began (everything was recorded by hand), and when they became available I couldn’t afford to purchase a suitable programme to use.  Consequently I have developed my own system of storing information, using Word on the computer, and it works well for me.

Next time, I will discuss more about how I do this.

Margaret J

(The wedding photos are all members of my husband's family and date to the last century)

Family History : Getting Started can be read here
Family History : Family Pages can be read here
Family History : Recording Stories can be read here
Family History : References can be read here
Family History : Publication can be read here

The Day Is Gone

My paternal grandparents when they married in 1921

It is amazing how fast a day can disappear when you are engrossed in a project.  Here it is, almost time to prepare dinner, and the day has simply gone.

It was raining this morning so I did what had to be done around the house and then thought I would spend just a little while on the computer. 

I have a lot of family history notes that I am trying to organize into book form.  I did stop for a bite to eat at lunchtime, but apart from that I haven’t left my computer all day. 

The day is still grey and not very inspiring, so it was probably not a bad way to spend my day – but it means nothing interesting to write about today J

I hope your day has been more interesting!

Margaret.