My Family Search

You may remember that I wrote a blog about researching my family history.  A sort of personal "Who Do You Think You Are?"

Over the last couple of weeks I made some progress in finding out some information, and had some great conversations with my dad about his father and aunt.  I also, finally, found the census proving the existence of my great-grandfather.  Not that I disputed his existence, but it was slightly un-nerving not being able to 'find' him.

Using websites, like Ancestry.co.uk or findmypast.com, makes it easier to search records, and I found immigration papers showing my great-aunt leaving for America, as well as the incoming passenger lists when she returned, not once, but twice, on a transatlantic liner (Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, if you're interested).

I then discovered she arrived in Liverpool, on returning from South Africa, where she had stayed with her mother for a period during the war.

Researching family history is akin to a good detective novel.  The more you delve and dig, the more you can uncover; and the more you can start to learn about how people lived.  Not fictional characters, but real people.  People who are related to you.

It's a great project, and one that can never, really, be completed.  Many of the characters have left us, but with what we have, and making a conscious effort to remember, this is a life-long project that will provide family history for generations to come.

The family story is ever-evolving, with new chapters being written each and every day.

You can read my previous article here - "Who Do You Think I Am?"