RootsChat.Com

I have just discovered my most unusual mis-transcription yet in the IGI submitted entries.

While looking for My Jean Brown I came across this:

Jane Smith BROWN
Submission Search: 2049282-0302105124824

Birth/Christening: 10 May 1846 Dumberline, Fish Fire, Scotland       
I must admit it took several minutes for the penny to drop!!  
Was it to do with fishing? NO  it was a place!

Russell

Could someone please oblige a poor Scot who lost a relative across the border???

William Roan  b 1835/36 in Kirkcudbrightshire married Elizabeth Lavinia Hobday in 1864. They lived in Birmingham where he was a commercial traveller.
Could anyone find him for me on the 1871 census as he is my only search south of the border. Everyone else stayed at home !

Russell

When my wife and I started gathering family history we realised that there was a lot of more recent information which could only come from living family members so we invited all her side of the family to a re-union and asked them to bring old photographs  and think back to shared family stories.
We arranged a private function suite for dinner and chat afterwards (being a Scot I had sounded people out first about sharing costs!!)
They arrived with bags of stuff and from the outset there were groups forming and sharing, then breaking up and moving round. Lots of hilarity. The poor staff didn't know what had hit them until they relaxed too.
From it I got lots of stories, a family bible  most didn't know about, some proper names instead of pet names and a surprising amount of chronology - what happened when stuff.
Didn't cost much. Was a lovely meal which relaxed everyone and they all enjoyed it. We all now have a CD of the pictures that were taken...... Now! how do I put that into Family Tree Maker?

Russell

Hi everybody

I have just re-read a book which gives masses of information about how our ancestors lived between about 1820 -1950s. Has lots of fascinating information about farming, blacksmithing, life generally in a mainly agricultural community. Although relating to East Anglia much of covers the whole rural picture. Nothing much about domestic life though!

Its probably long out of print but might still be available in secondhand shops:
"Where Beards Wag All" by George Ewart Evans published in 1970 by Faber & Faber Ltd ISBN 0 571 08411 7.

At the expense of missing one, or even two, nights on RootsChat if you come across it have a read.
There are several other books by the same author on related history.

Russell