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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: Brickwall Demolisher on Saturday 02 March 19 16:12 GMT (UK)

Title: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: Brickwall Demolisher on Saturday 02 March 19 16:12 GMT (UK)
What did start your interest into wanting to discover about your family's history?
Was it that with the computer that you have paid ( ££££??) for, you would just try and see how far back you would get to?
Did your offspring get your interest into it whilst they had a school project on the subject, and yank you out of the regular being in a couch potato position?
What amount of information / records did you have to get you started and were other family members, willing to assist you??
What past happenings in you family would you have not liked to have been reminded of,?
Would the opening up of your families past cause it to be making other family members some concern?
Depending on how far back you have gone, would it be a concern to yourself and family, if you had come across a find that was not a pleasant finding?
Now that you have found the happening/s, how do you start to bring your research to an end, if other family members had not wanted you to continue?
Would you be prepared to let your families findings be brought into being a discussion forum openly?
We possibly all have some skeletons in the cupboards, and that we would like not to be reminded of?
Possibly, one major question to ask ourselves, do you now have doubts on why / what reason for starting you to expand your interest in your own family's history?
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: KGarrad on Saturday 02 March 19 16:37 GMT (UK)
I started before the advent of Personal Computers and the Interweb ;D

Both my grandfather's had died before I was born, so I knew next to nothing about my family.
Having an unusual surname, I wanted to know where we came from.

Cue lots of research at Bristol Central Reference Library, using microfilm and microfiche ;D

Along the way I have "met" (online) other members of my family, and have shared information with them.

I can't change history - "unsavoury" findings are part and parcel of my ancestors. They lived in different times.
E.G. my 4th G Grandfather won a Silver Cup for hare-coursing?!
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: Mike in Cumbria on Saturday 02 March 19 16:54 GMT (UK)
E.G. my 4th G Grandfather won a Silver Cup for hare-coursing?!

Blimey, he must have been a fast runner.
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: Pheno on Saturday 02 March 19 17:10 GMT (UK)
I started before the advent of Personal Computers and the Interweb

Ditto!

In my case my mum's mum used to stay with us for a fortnight each year and whilst here would always talk about people she knew back in the little village in Essex where she grew up (until sent to London in service age 14).  I started writing it all down to see if I could link up all the people she was mentioning and obviously those that were related to her were related to me so it went from there!

She was one of 4 sisters but only 3 lived here one had gone to Australia.  With a bit of delving I discovered that she had been sent there as her husband was having children both with her and with one of her sisters (not my granny) so she, husband and children were banished abroad with no further communication- a very unsavoury event.  However I persevered and found family descendants and rekindled the communication both with them and with descendants of the other offspring who had remained here with their single mother. 

All now keep in touch and have made intercontinental visits so a good outcome.

Pheno
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: Viktoria on Saturday 02 March 19 17:32 GMT (UK)
Both parents told lots of stories about their families,sad and funny.
I had lived as an evacuee with my paternal grandmother’s family.
I loved the place and felt really sorry that she went to Manchester as a maidservant and married and died aged only 50.
To leave such a lovely area for one of the worst areas of M/c really got to me.
If only Imhsd known what I later found out but was only three and a half when I went.
There would be people still alive who had known her and perhaps had photographs.
My Mum’s family were so interesting ,married at 19 they stayed together through thick and thin,she died aged 66 after twelve babies in 25 years.
1885 to 1910
Then the silly beggar adopted another  four!.

So many stories.I did not meet either of them sadly but felt I knew them in a way.All the tragedies ,babies and children’s deaths .
So poor but my mother’s mother especially must have been a wonderful woman.
When expecting yet another baby a neighbour commented, Grandma’s answer was :-“ all my children are born out of love and every one is welcome”
I do wish I had met them both .
Viktoria.
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: Wendy2305 on Saturday 02 March 19 18:11 GMT (UK)
My mum started our family tree when I was born to many years ago Through her parents and their siblings she was able to go back to 1840's and the birth of her  gt grandparents and able to visit the family graves of others
Of course there were plenty gaps and questions which I was roped into find answers to when I had my daughter and I have continued from there adding my dads and then my daughters families as well
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: Creasegirl on Saturday 02 March 19 19:49 GMT (UK)
When my uncle died who was my mums brother I inherited all the boxes of old family photos and certificates so that started me off.
 I was particularly interested in finding out more about the valet side of the family and their huguenot connections which have led me so far to lausanne but haven't been able to connect them to the valets who lived in Spitalfields.
 I really enjoy the historical side of family history about how people lived,  what their jobs were like and why they moved around.
I have also done a lot of work on my husbands side of the family as well.
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: IgorStrav on Saturday 02 March 19 20:38 GMT (UK)
My family were always telling stories about events in their lives, and so we were encouraged to be interested in history.

When the 1901 Census was released, and was available on the internet, I was interested to find out where my Gran (my father's mother) had lived (my mother's mother had lived with us so I knew more about her), and so I looked up the 1901 census.

And I discovered that she had been with her family in Greenwich - not an area of London I know at all - very close to where we'd been driving past almost weekly, taking the kids to music classes at Trinity College of Music.  It was very strange to think that we'd been walking around, all unknowing, in the area where she'd grown up.

And I discovered more recently that my greatx2 grandmother died and was buried in Islington, London,  This is another place on one of our routes through London, and though I've never lived there, or even close to there, I've always liked it.  Which makes me wonder whether I 'knew' she was there.

Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: Greensleeves on Saturday 02 March 19 22:04 GMT (UK)
My favourite uncle had spent years - pre-internet - travelling around Suffolk inspecting parish records in churches and using the information to create a family tree.  About 20 years ago he passed copies of his research to me so that I could carry on with it after he had gone, and  I'm carrying on his work as best I can.  Of course, I have it easy as I have the internet, whereas he spent years doing it the hard way.  Despite that, I still can't get our  Pearle family any further back than John Pearle, Yeoman, Rattlesden, born 1541, died Rattlesden 1638.    So 20 years later, whilst I've taken the tree outwards considerably, I've not taken it any further back (other than having looked at speculative Anc* trees which can't be validated).
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: Milliepede on Saturday 02 March 19 22:11 GMT (UK)
Finding out that great great grandfather came from Yorkshire.  Up North.  Everyone else is from Down South. 
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: shume on Saturday 02 March 19 23:15 GMT (UK)
My husband's father in law made a common mistake when compiling a family tree. He picked someone famous here in Australia, same surname and decided we were descended from him! My mother in law refused to ask her ex husband ( ? understandably) about his family so I wrote to him and got an outline of what he remembered. This was 30 yrs ago and I have not regretted that I took the initiative for which the rest of the family is grateful. Never mentioned it to her though!
shume.. australia
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: Finley 1 on Saturday 02 March 19 23:51 GMT (UK)
1956
I had an RTA  my wonderful Nan took care of me and helped me on the road to recovery..

We spent so  much time discussing family and she told me as much as she knew and asked me then to find out what I could..

I hope she can see what I have found.. I know she would be smiling .. and so pleased.   wonderful lady ...

mind you when I found the unmarried Moms.. which really meant NAME changes   had they have married..   then she would be ..... caffudled..  ok Nan


xin
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: pharmaT on Sunday 03 March 19 09:14 GMT (UK)
I grew up being called the interlouper, constantly told that I didn't belong, wasn't wanted and should go back where I came from.  I had always had an interest in history so set out to discover where I did come from. 

Unfortunately, I discovered that my ancestors didn't come from one particular place so I don't belong anywhere.  However, once I started I became addicted, discovering who my ancestors were and what their life was like.  I also became fascinated by how diverse the descendants of one couple could be so started working on bringing my lines forward as well.

I have found skeletons, that's part of the reason I have kept my tree private, I don't want to be shot as the messenger.
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: Brickwall Demolisher on Sunday 03 March 19 09:39 GMT (UK)
Hi everyone,
It's interesting to see all the reasons of what started your interest. Different but all achieving the answer's from our researching.
I have had always my Grandfather's birth certificate, along with his First World War Medals and some other pieces/things of memorabilia which have always been kept in the back of a drawer. His birth certificate is a typewriter written copy of the original ( 1880's ). By not having it front of me, I think it was dated from a year of the 1940 / 1950's.
I have always found computers just awkward to work with. I have/had found them and used them greatly for shopping and other basic things i.e letter writing. Anything technical, and other than that always seems to create a problem somehow.??
My Mother was one of six children born, one died at an early age. - My father was also one of six children born, again two had died not long after childbirth.
We youngsters, post war born, had been given stories of a Great Grandfather who went to America and lived their for over 35 years before returning back to England in 1930's.
We have a name for his father, but have always had a hard time in choosing, as their are two of the same christian name.
My Great / Great Grandmother later on in life marries into the family by marrying another ( by surname ) of the family. When she marries her two children are now in their mid-teens. I can only assume from this that she was very determined to give her two sons their rightful surname.
 One of the supposedly Father's has enrolled in a Army career and goes into the conflicts in INDIA. After a 20years, due to health, and also possibly from battle wounds he gets discharged in the early 1880's.
Whether he is the Father or not, by this time my Great Grandfather, and his brother my Great Grand-Uncle? have Married and have Families of their own.
The other same named was a Widower at the time both children were born. He never see's the two boys grow up into their teens. He dies before they have reached that age.
These reasons or finding's are of what have kept / got my continuous interest into my families past.
Along with finding bigamous marriages, child abuse?, adultery, suicidal acts, and with the altering the truth as to what it should be, if unlawful?, they suffered, their family as well.
This is only from my Mother's side of the family to date, I have yet to start seriously into getting into my Father's side. I have made some sort of effort, but all in good time eh?
This / these are my main reasons for continuing my research into Family History.
Happy Hunting, Best Regards to all of you,  JUST J.
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: Regorian on Sunday 03 March 19 10:39 GMT (UK)
In 1959, my father received a letter from a firm of solicitors in Swindon, where I now live, telling him that he was a beneficiary under the residual will of a sister of his mother's father. A lot of detail was shown and that gave me the bug. I started following it up on my own. Learnt a lot and received a lot of help from cousins in Australia more recently, two or three of which are Rootschatters. It took ten years before my father got a pay out. However, I decided I should follow my paternal line and it started at Somerset House for a few months until GRO moved to Bush House?. Ideal, as Portugal Street was round the corner where the Census returns were kept. This was all pre internet.

Pre 1837, I had to travel to Gloucestershire RO and then Cwmbran for 18th Century. Got back to c1700, but ran out of ideas. A cousin employed a professional genealogist last year to go further, but was constrained by the late starting PR's in 1695. However, a wealth of background for me.

I was very lucky, next to no pitfalls along the way. 

     
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: coombs on Sunday 03 March 19 12:50 GMT (UK)
I knew my grandmother was born in County Durham, and her dad was from Co Durham but was told her parents met in London. Turns out he was in the army there and met a Londoner and took her up to Co Durham with him. She was born in Islington. And many of her paternal grandmothers ancestors were Huguenots from the East End. I have been hooked on genealogy ever since.

Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: River Tyne Lass on Sunday 03 March 19 13:46 GMT (UK)
Going right back to childhood I credit my Dad as being the catalyst for my interest in my predecessors.

My Dad was born in 1913 and I was his youngest and late in life child.  He grew up in Annitsford in Northumberland.  As a child he used to tell me lots of stories about his own childhood.  I had a lovely impression of a cross between something like 'Little House on the Prairie' and the Amish.  I was a bit disappointed when one day Dad took me to Annitsford and the people and place looked nothing like my imaginings, - I did think he might have got lost.  In my child's imagination, I really had expected Annitssford to have remained in a timewarp somehow.

I remember being taken to St John's RC Church and us standing together reverentially gazing down at a patch of grass which my Dad said was my Granddad's grave.  I remember being a bit glad to head off at that time as I didn't like seeing my Dad looking so sad and bereft.

I think it was all my Dad's wonderful storytelling though when has led to this interest in my ancestors.  However, my research has shown me that life was nowhere near as rosy as depicted.

I wish I had asked him more questions when he was still with us.

I quite like going to Beamish museum these days, especially visiting the miners' cottages and seeing people in costume.  As far as I am concerned it is just like  there is an imaginary sign up saying 'Welcome to Annitsford!' ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: River Tyne Lass on Sunday 03 March 19 14:11 GMT (UK)
PharmaT, I have also found plenty of skeletons.

I think most of us will find at least some if we are prepared to dig deep enough with our spades.  ;D ;D ;)
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: pinefamily on Sunday 03 March 19 22:52 GMT (UK)
Just J, to answer your original post, if family members get upset with your findings, don't share anything else with them. No one can tell you what or what not to do ( unless you're breaking the law obviously). If you have the genealogy bug like the rest of us, then go for it as long as you want to.
Like a lot of others, I first started pre-internet and back when computers were scary things that you needed to put punchcards in to operate them.
The TV miniseries Roots got me asking questions and it wasn't long before I was hooked. I have had a couple of breaks over the years, and wished I'd asked more questions back then. I did get more information out of my grandmother than any of her children ever had.
I have recorded all of the descendants of both my and my wife's great grandparents, but my interest lies more in the past than the present.
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: pinefamily on Sunday 03 March 19 22:54 GMT (UK)
Re skeletons, I've always told people that I am not the judge but the recorder of my family history. Our ancestors did indeed live in different times and we cannot apply our own values to what we find.
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: River Tyne Lass on Monday 04 March 19 11:12 GMT (UK)
I totally agree with this pinefamily that our ancestors lived in different times we cannot judge.  Their lives would have be governed in the most part by societies rules, values and expectations of their time.  Also for many people, they did not have the support that we now can now expect in today's society.  Single mothers were treated quite badly, I think in the past.  They could not expect much support but they could expect to be meted out shame and punishment.  Think of the launderies and the misery that all that entailed.

I have found all sorts of skeletons in my family history researching.  I am mostly quite open about it all as it all relates to years ago and not stuff which happened in recent past.  I remember once telling someone that my Great x 2 Grandparents were charged with a murder and was met with the response "Oh, I am sure you will want to keep that quiet."  Not really, this event did take place in 1855 and besides I do not believe my ancestors were guilty as charged and they were acquitted.  However, I am the type of person who likes to know it all warts and all.  I am not interested in projecting any nice white washed version.  What is the point of having a false picture?  If I found out my ancestors had medals and had done wonderful things I would be proud, of course.  But whatever, the real picture was - that is the one I wish to know about.  I would feel it unfair too if I tried to present a chocolate box variety to others for the sake of propriety. 

That being said, I am quiet about one aspect of my tree which might seem a little hypocritical given what I have just said.  This is because this relates to my Great Grandmother who went on to marry and start another family after the birth of my illegitimate Grandmother.  This is because this side of the family have been very good to me in giving me the answers I sought a few years back.  I had put out an on-line appeal (not on RootsChat I did not know about this website then) and someone from this side of the family responded.  This meant so, so much to me.  I was overwhelmed with gratitude.  I really felt like I could identify with Alex Haley in Roots when he says "I have found you, Kunte Kinte - I have found you".  I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time .. felt as high as a kite .. it was one of the best days of my life.  I wished my Mother was still alive to share in finally getting to know what had become of her missing Grandmother.  This person had even sent me photos.  They were wonderfully kind and we eventually met up.  I keep their side of the family private out of respect as I think they are a lot more private than I am.  I think they would prefer this skeleton to remain in the cupboard at this point in time and I respect that.

I think it all boils down to how people perceive things.  I know I have carried out look ups for people privately who still seem to feel the grip of the stigma of yesteryear.  Things such as baptisms for illegitimate children, bigamous marriage etc.  I do understand this (and from my own experience) even though rationally it would mean nothing to most of us today. 

Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: Mart 'n' Al on Monday 04 March 19 12:22 GMT (UK)
When I was about 10, my grandmother died. I discovered from the plaque put up in her memory that her late husband who died long before I was born had the middle name Sedcole. The name fascinated me for over 55 years and finally 3 years ago I started wondering where this name came from. The big shock for me was finding out that my grandmother and her late husband where actually my late GREAT  grandmother and her husband who had brought up my father comma in lieu of his own mother, their daughter. Even my father thought that his real life mother was his sister. In my childhood and teens she was a lovely aunty, and we now realise that she loved us so much because we were her grandchildren rather than nieces and nephews. That was the biggest shock of my research but like everybody else there were many other skeletons.

Martin
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: Finley 1 on Monday 04 March 19 14:06 GMT (UK)
lovely skeleton xxxx 

xin

No bones about it :) :)
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: Mart 'n' Al on Monday 04 March 19 14:19 GMT (UK)
Since I started on this I have come to realise that many people grew up not knowing that their big sister was actually their mother, but it still came as a shock to me. She was such a lovely aunt. And yet subsequently we found out that she had 3 children by 3 different men during the 1930s.

Martin
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: River Tyne Lass on Monday 04 March 19 16:35 GMT (UK)
I agree that this is probably true for a lot of people that they grew up not knowing that a big sister was actually a Mother.

The person who responded to my appeal expressed that they were "astonished".  This side of the Family had always believed that my Grandmother was my Great Grandmother's youngest sister.  On one census my Grandmother was down as her own Grandparent's daughter and on a later one in 1911 as their Granddaughter.  The person who responded to me had noticed this but had thought it was an error.  Of course, I was able to prove everything with my Grandmother's birth certificate but to their credit they believed me even before I sent them the proof.  And the thing is from what I have heard about her my Great Grandmother was a lovely woman, so selfless, kind and loving.  She was only 17 when she gave birth to my Grandmother in 1895.  I think she must have been a vulnerable teenager looking for love.  Her own Father sadly seems to have been a bit of an aggressive drunk judging by newspaper account.  So not the best of backgrounds.  However, I don't judge him as I don't know what circumstances might have shaped him into being the type of man he became, sadly.
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: pinefamily on Monday 04 March 19 22:15 GMT (UK)
Thank you for sharing these wonderful stories and memories. To all of us on Rootschat we accept these things as part of our family histories without judgment.
On a lighter note, I was born a product of both my parents second marriage. My oldest sister is 19 years older than I am. When I was born, my parents took me into her work one day so she could show me off to her work mates. My sister told me that one old dear she worked with refused to believe that I was her brother and not her son. My sister retorted, "When did I have him? In my lunch break?"
I do love my sister dearly; I've always been closer to her than my mother. She's like your sister, mother, and favourite auntie all rolled into one.
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: coombs on Monday 04 March 19 22:27 GMT (UK)
In tracing my London line, some of my East End ancestors were Huguenot but one branch came from Norfolk. He moved to London in about 1780. And my parents moved to Norfolk before I was born so it feels like the family went from Norfolk to London via Co Durham and Essex and back to Norfolk.

Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: Marmalady on Tuesday 05 March 19 00:17 GMT (UK)
My interest was first sparked way back in the 60's whilst watching a TV programme (I think it was Phyllis Bentley's "Inheritance" saga but my Mum thinks it was The Forsythe Saga). The Radio Times printed a family tree to accompany the series.
I asked my Mum how far back she thought we could get with our family tree.
So that set us off.
As I was doing my A-levels at the time, I had to leave the research to Mum - but i retained my interest in her findings. Doing it all long-distance and without computers it often took quite a while between finding nuggets of information.
Then in the late 80's, my paternal grandfather died and the papers he left behind sparked my father's interest in tracing his tree. With computers and the internet he made quicker progress.
So that was both sides of my family covered so I started doing my husbands tree.

Then my father got dementia so I took over his research -- which had to start with "undoing" many mistakes and assumptions he had made.
On my mother's side, her sister & brother had also got the bug so between them they more or less found out everything to be found at the time. Now myself, my sister & my cousin are also poking away at odd corners to see what more we can find

So it is quite the family hobby!


Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: Andy_T on Tuesday 05 March 19 16:12 GMT (UK)
For me the interest in my family history is partly curiosity about my ancestors lives. But its more than just curiosity.
I grew up in a rural village in Derbyshire, rich in history having remaining buildings from an Augustin Abbey founded in the reign of King Stephen. Also historical cotton mill and a paper mill. So a love of my local village history extends to my family history as well.

Some ancestors had more interesting lives than others and the majority of mine were hard working, law abiding ordinary folks. There may be some colourful and more interesting distant relatives of my direct ancestors, so I look for these as well.

A cousin started researching my father's side of the family back in the days when all records were in reference libraries and hard copy books in parish churches. I was lucky that he passed some notes onto me and I try to go into our history a bit deeper and a bit farther back and present it in a way that my kids can refer to.

Someone earlier in this thread made the point that what was "normal" in our ancestors time would be frowned on today. Like the silver cup awarded for hare-coursing reminded me of a great uncle who ran cross-country for England. One of his prize possessions was the set of tobacco smoking pipes on his sideboard, awarded to him for coming first in a run!

It's a never ending job as new discoveries come along and add or change what we think we found.

Andy_T

     
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: smudget on Tuesday 05 March 19 23:46 GMT (UK)
For me..it was a visit to Ireland. Made friends with various folks. I got the usual " you must have Irish blood, you fit in so well". I said "no, no Irish connections"
Came home and decided to "Google".
I've now had many happy/frustrating years researching my Irish ancestors.
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: pinefamily on Wednesday 06 March 19 00:13 GMT (UK)
For me..it was a visit to Ireland. Made friends with various folks. I got the usual " you must have Irish blood, you fit in so well". I said "no, no Irish connections"
Came home and decided to "Google".
I've now had many happy/frustrating years researching my Irish ancestors.
I can relate to this.  For years I said that I couldn't properly celebrate St Patrick's Day because I didn't have any Irish blood. Not only have Scottish ancestors turned out to be Irish in the space of 2 generations, my recently discoveries on my maternal grandmother's line have uncovered a whole lot more Irish.
So, Guinness anyone?  ::)
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: smudget on Wednesday 06 March 19 01:13 GMT (UK)
Sadly no relation to the Guinness family. Sláinte anyway.
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: coombs on Wednesday 06 March 19 12:30 GMT (UK)
Many Irish migrants to Scotland were from Ulster, or at least the Northern half of the country, and many Scottish migrants to Ireland settled in Ulster. And over the generations their descendants dispersed across the rest of Ireland. Both countries seem to have swapped their residents over the centuries. I have no known Irish ancestry but I do have Scottish, and it is nice to have a few ancestors born outside England.
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: pinefamily on Wednesday 06 March 19 22:05 GMT (UK)
My Scottish blow-ins very annoyingly had simply Ireland on every record. One Irish line is from County Tyrone as far as I know, the others I have no idea.
I also have Swedish ancestors, and my wife Scottish, Irish, German and Huguenot ancestors. So plenty outside of England.
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: coombs on Wednesday 06 March 19 22:40 GMT (UK)
My Scottish blow-ins very annoyingly had simply Ireland on every record. One Irish line is from County Tyrone as far as I know, the others I have no idea.
I also have Swedish ancestors, and my wife Scottish, Irish, German and Huguenot ancestors. So plenty outside of England.

I have Scottish and Huguenot ancestors. And maybe some Welsh with a Roberts line in my tree in London but it is also common in England.
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: pinot on Thursday 07 March 19 00:02 GMT (UK)
After the death of my parents I felt hugely shocked and guilty that I had felt so little interest in what their lives had been like; going back one and two generations taught me a lot but I shall always regret not interrogating my grandparents while they were alive. BMDs and census records can only tell us so much.
Title: Re: What was it that aroused your interest into your predecessors??
Post by: Malcolm33 on Thursday 07 March 19 03:39 GMT (UK)
  My interest was first stirred when Uncle Jim showed me a letter he had just received.    It was many years before I had the time and means to begin digging.  When I did I found so much more than we knew from that first letter.

   In the early 1980's when I asked my mother some family questions, her answer really shocked me - "That would have been about the time that Uncle George killed his wife".   I soon had the full story from the Newspaper Library in Colindale, and it was all very sad.

   However one can only wonder in the end for finding the right records to go all the way back to that James Draffan, Chartulary Witness at Kelso would be nigh on impossible.   My gt.grandfather James Currie Draffan was born in 1846 in Lesmahagow, Lanarks, and one grandmother of William Wallace was Alicia Draffan from-- Lesmahagow.