Progress on the pastFollow

Been undertaking further research on my Family History.

I'd already gone back 8 Generations (on my father's side) to the 1680s

On my Mother's side I now have verified links back to the 1540s.

So far, I've found.

A couple (brother of my G-G-G-G-G-G-Grandftather) who died in a workhouse in 1817 aged 71 and his wife who died there 2 years later.

A woman who was caught stealing 23 shillings ($2) in 1742. She was sentenced to transportation to the Colonies, but as she was pregnant, the sentence was commuted until she gave birth. 2 days after she gave birth (in the dungeons of Lancaster Castle) to my G-G-G-G-G-Grandftather, she was put on a ship to Maryland, but she never arrived.

A G-G-Aunt who "Fell" under a train at a railway station in the 1930s. There are clues that her relationship with a married man and possible maternal condition might have made it a 'jump' rather than a 'fall'.

Best of all is the will of Grandpa John back in 1588:
In the name of god Amen; I michael Gyddyn of clapham in the county of Bedd [ford] husbandman being sick in boyde but of sound minde & memory thankes be to almightye God do ordeine & make this my last will & testament in manner & following form follow. . .


I also found a jpeg of my Great Grandfather's citation for bravery in 1915 and his discharge papers from 1918, and a newspaper cutting of a great-uncle's demise at the battle of Tobruk in 1942 (He was guarding an ******* that was hit by a Howitzer shell - they sent back his remains in a cigarette tin).

Makes you think. . .

Messy...

I'm the youngest of five, my mother is the youngest of eleven and father is the youngest of seven...

I don't want to contemplate trying to do a family tree TOO MANY KIDS!!

Wow, cool, Nobby.

I use a UK site that hosts the Census & BMD records for England - there's a fee, but it's not much at all.

For recording the results I use Genopro (free download & extremely useful)

My father found great info on genealogy message boards. Using census services he got the specific names and dates of our ancestors and posted them. Eventually some random relative of ours in the Midwest contacted him and provided us with a marvelous chunk of the family tree. She even sent us my G-G-Grandfathers photos and journal from when he was involved in the Philippines insurrection during the Spanish-American War.

Indeed once you get back several generations you really see how things fan out so much that it's hard to imagine that everyone isn't related in some way.

Church records are usually the way to go as well, as long as you're people weren't indentured Irish or Native American. Those are the most challenging for me.

The oldest name I found for myself is an Auntie from Scotland in the 1410s. Also some really local church records (in Germany at least I know) have some great details... such as my great+ grandfather from Dußlingen who died falling out of a crab-apple tree in 1590.

In a moment of weakness I looked up my surname, it was a pleasent surprise to find it was breton in origin and means battleworthy.

I been working on my family tree for some time now. got to point where free web sites were not bring up new leads, so went and got a free 14 day trial at ancestry.com. Now I just have to mine it all I can for a few days and then remember to cancel my membership.

So far on top of the mainly I new about that came over on the Mayflower, I found out my (22)g grandfather was John Seed of London.

Currently I'm trying to find out more about a William Smith that was born in England and name of the woman who bared his daughter my g-g-great grandmother in 1839.

Just found my father's gencon file so I'm able to copy information without having to use his computer.

Sort of, kinda froggy but as with all British names it's as simple as that.