« Reply #66 on: Wednesday 21 March 18 17:04 GMT (UK) »
What is also interesting is when you find that your parents moved to a part of the country where they have some ancestors from.
I went to school in Redcar and believed, until very recently that I had no historical connection to the town. My mother's family came from the Yorkshire Dales on one side and Staffordshire and Co. Durham on the other. Until a brick wall fell down and I found that my 3 x great-grandmother was born in Redcar! I now find that I have family links all the way down that bit of the coast to Robin Hood's Bay. I was a bit chuffed to discover this!
As far as how far back seems a long way, well, that particular line was stuck in 1856 for a very long time so the fact that I am now back to the late 1700s seems to be a massive achievement. But in other lines, I have gone back relatively easily to 1600 then, with a bit of a leap of faith but no concrete evidence, I believe I can claim a link to someone born in 1543. When you think about what was happening in the bigger world at this time, it seems like a very long time ago - and I just wish I could prove it!
I always liked Brighton and found that my 3xgreat grandfather lived there for 7 years from 1856 to 1863/1864. It was outer Brighton at the time (Near Preston Park) but was still Brighton. My aforementioned line who moved from Norfolk to London in about 1780 originated in Norwich, which is my home city. I was born in Gt Yarmouth. My Norwich lot had a line that originated in Barney and Gunthorpe near Holt and Fakenham.
Researching:
LONDON, Coombs, Roberts, Auber, Helsdon, Fradine, Morin, Goodacre
DORSET Coombs, Munday
NORFOLK Helsdon, Riches, Harbord, Budery
KENT Roberts, Goodacre
SUSSEX Walder, Boniface, Dinnage, Standen, Lee, Botten, Wickham, Jupp
SUFFOLK Titshall, Frost, Fairweather, Mayhew, Archer, Eade, Scarfe
DURHAM Stewart, Musgrave, Wilson, Forster
SCOTLAND Stewart in Selkirk
USA Musgrave, Saix
ESSEX Cornwell, Stock, Quilter, Lawrence, Whale, Clift
OXON Edgington, Smith, Inkpen, Snell, Batten, Brain