Getting sidetracked by something you've seen

[andrewalston]

Newspapers are always good for a few hours' worth of being sidetracked, but think of it more as researching the events going on in the world where our ancestors lived.

I've come up with some nuggets on the same page as an article mentioning a relative. One such described to effects of the Lancashire Cotton Famine on Wigan. Another reported on floods in the farmland around Croston in 1869 - pretty devastating, but not as bad as Boxing Day 2015.

On a trip to Ireland, I spent a very limited time at the archive which stood the best chance of some records of some of my ancestors, who lived in Castleknock. Very little about them in the surviving stuff, but some excellent details about the children of local lad Arthur Wellesley - the Duke of Wellington.

[coombs]

Looking through the original admission registers for Radcliffe Infirmary for 1901 and 1902 for my great, great grans admission and seeing an entry for a man who was admitted due to a carcinoma of the leg and noting down the man's details so I can look him up on the 1901 census.

[clairec666]

Someone mentioned newspaper reports which reminded me..... Whenever I'm looking for an obituary, I get distracted my the marvellous adverts of the time!

[coombs]

I was trawling through an 1804 newspaper for a possible obituary for an ancestor in Norwich and the newspaper gave a modern feel to a time 200 years ago as the papers were in good condition and there was an advert for something that "freshens breath".

[Gone.]

Mention has been made of newspaper articles and adverts as good sidetrackers. In similiar vein, my downfall is Trade Directories - especially all those pages of fascinating adverts!

[a-l]

I'm terrible for it ,I put it down to natural nosiness Why am I always distracted by adverts for corsets ?  .

[jaybelnz]

I got sidetracked to this thread when I logged into unread post!   

It's very easy to get sidetracked on Rootschat itself!!   Pretty good activity when it's 2.11am and one can't go to sleep because perhaps someone has posted something that might refer to one of my families!  But I haven't even got any requests going at the moment!   

Didn't even get finished scrolling through the Unread Post headings, I got sidetracked and saw this one!

Better go and make a cuppa, and head back to bed!

[brentof4]

One of my biggest sidetracks has been census records from my home town. If I am looking up one particular entry, I end up going up the street and down the other finding my friends great grandparents or some such information not related to my search.
Brent

[brentof4]

Another great sidetrack is while looking up information in old newspapers. I am suddenly amazed by how inexpensive round steak was in 1927 or how badly the home football team was beaten on Saturday. I should probably go back and just read the old news when I have nothing important to do.