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General => The Common Room => The Lighter Side => Topic started by: SS from The Rhondda on Friday 26 November 04 22:46 GMT (UK)

Title: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: SS from The Rhondda on Friday 26 November 04 22:46 GMT (UK): Just a little Demographic study of a RootsChatter.
I was wondering what the spread of our ages are...

Many would assume that the majority of people studying Family History are female and over 50. Let's see what the statistics will show.
Title: Re: How old are we ?
Post by: Jean McGurn on Saturday 27 November 04 19:11 GMT (UK): Whoops ???, I have just changed sex ;D, I hit the wrong button.
Should have been the women 61-70

Jean
Title: Re: How old are we ?
Post by: SS from The Rhondda on Saturday 27 November 04 21:21 GMT (UK): Quote from: Jean McGurn on Saturday 27 November 04 19:11 GMT (UK)
Whoops ???, I have just changed sex ;D, I hit the wrong button.
Should have been the women 61-70
Jean

Sorry Jean, I don't know how to reverse the operation!
Title: Re: How old are we ?
Post by: Geoff of Devon on Sunday 28 November 04 13:43 GMT (UK): Well, as a non-female under 50 I am very interested that so far the stats show that they are indeed the most common!
Title: Re: How old are we ?
Post by: Sylviaann on Sunday 28 November 04 13:49 GMT (UK): There is a similar thread to this on
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=12528.0

Sylviaann
Title: Re: How old are we ?
Post by: ryan on Sunday 28 November 04 14:16 GMT (UK): ;D I'm the only person under 20 at the mo.
Title: Re: How old are we ?
Post by: SS from The Rhondda on Sunday 28 November 04 14:46 GMT (UK): Quote from: Sylviaann on Sunday 28 November 04 13:49 GMT (UK)
There is a similar thread to this on
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=12528.0

Sylviaann

Ooops! Sorry. :-[
I did do a search before I posted the poll, but no results came back. ???

This poll does have more options, though. It shows the number of males & females in each age group.

Quote from: ryan on Sunday 28 November 04 14:16 GMT (UK)
;D I'm the only person under 20 at the mo.

Congratulations, Ryan!
Many older people wish they had started on their family history research when they were your age. Get all the information you can from your living relatives while they are still able to give it to you.
Title: Re: How old are we ?
Post by: ryan on Sunday 28 November 04 15:35 GMT (UK): My thoughts exactly SS ;) You're never too old nor too young to give family history a go.
Title: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: Keith Sherwood on Wednesday 22 December 04 11:46 GMT (UK): Hi, Everyone,
Whenever I have gone to visit somewhere like the Family History Centre in Islington, I have been struck by the fact that most people seem to be 60+ years old. What has surprised and pleased me about this website is how young in comparison a great many of the people are - thanks to details that are readily viewable.
Would it be too embarrassing or too much of an intrusion to conduct some kind of survey to determine average age of contributors to this site, or has it already been done. I'm 47 - sorry, I was BORN in '47 and am therefore 57 years old (suppose I'd better be honest about my age...) having been beguiled by Family History for the last 5 years or so..
Very best wishes,
Keith
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: arabella on Wednesday 22 December 04 11:51 GMT (UK): Hi Keith - just a wee bit younger than you - born 1950...and yes, been doing it about 5 years.My father died then and it struck me that if I didn't start looking pretty soon there'd be no one left to answer any questions.....as it is, remaining family knew very little so its all coming together like a new jigsaw.
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: Keith Sherwood on Wednesday 22 December 04 11:59 GMT (UK): Hi, Arabella,
Admitting one's age can be a funny old thing. I've just read a passage from Robert Graves' book "Goodbye to all That", in which he describes how half the soldiers in his regiment at The Front fibbed about their ages - 15-year-olds pretending to be 18, and fifty-somethings pretending to still be in their forties.
But I suppose wartime and genealogy are two entirely different matters. And yes, my mother and father's generation are beginning to drop by the wayside now, so like you I realise that time is of the essence if we're not to lose certain vital family facts before it's too late...
Keith
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: jax on Wednesday 22 December 04 12:19 GMT (UK): Hi - merry xmas :D

I am sure that there was a poll taken on this a while back. I am sure one of the moderators could confirm and find results for you...

Ps - I am 40, and been interested for several years on and off.. and am now totally addicted :D

jax
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: SS from The Rhondda on Wednesday 22 December 04 12:31 GMT (UK): Try this one:

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=22125.msg81728#msg81728
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: GRACELAND on Wednesday 22 December 04 13:04 GMT (UK): Ps - I am 40, and been interested for several years on and off.. and am now totally addicted :D

jax

Yea 1964 wot a great year , I was born !!!!!!!! ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: Keith Sherwood on Wednesday 22 December 04 13:29 GMT (UK): Hi Rhondda,
I've just clicked on the link you suggested - which was in fact a poll started late last month, and notice that 60-odd people have so far responded. I also note that twice as many women as men have responded, and there was I thinking that women were rather more coy about their ages than men!
Or maybe there are twice as many women as men interested in our wonderful hobby/pastime/passion.
It really would be good if lots more people could poll their ages so we could get a clear idea of age.
The younger the average age, the healthier things are looking for the future, I reckon...
Keith
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: kerryb on Wednesday 22 December 04 14:12 GMT (UK): Hi everyone

I have just added my age to the Poll. I am under 40 - but only for another year, 1 month and 17 days! Have been finding my family history since early this year. My brother bought my Grandparents house after Grandad's death and in the attic we found an old family bible with inside some names, dates of birth and death and it got me interested in finding out who these people were. So here I am 9 months later, totally addicted with a family tree of about 900 and growing all the time. :)

kerryb
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: booger on Wednesday 22 December 04 14:21 GMT (UK): 36 yrs and rising >:(

It's a 30s and 40s thing. We're all middle aged and getting measured up for our coffins. We have to leave a record now to show that we actually existed.
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: Keith Sherwood on Wednesday 22 December 04 14:33 GMT (UK): I wonder what would fit the description of "middle-aged" these days. In Shakespeare's time a lot of people would have been quite glad to have got as far as 36 years old!
For years and years I used to look in the mirror in the morning and still think of myself as 18 years old. Now, at 57, I'm much more realistic about the aging process (lines, thinning hair, etc. etc.) and my own mortality...
Keith
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: Berlin-Bob on Wednesday 22 December 04 14:38 GMT (UK): Young, Middle-aged, Old, ... ??

Judging by various reasons given in other threads, it is more likely a function of

"when my XXXXXX died, I started ...... "

Where XXXXXXX is the relative who died and made you start thinking about family, and where did we come from, etc.

I am 58, and I started about a year ago, when I went throught the various papers and photos from and about my Grandfather, which my Grandmother left me, when she died.
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: minime on Wednesday 22 December 04 14:55 GMT (UK): Again I am the youngin' in the group...but like Arabella, I came to realize that there's not many left to answer the questions pertaining to my Birchall side. ( Preciselly 1 person, and she's not sure of much at all.) Pretty funny too that one of the name's of the Birchall's on my side was Arabella. LOL!!!

Anyway, I've been doing this for almost a year and love every minute of it. Good hunting to all.

Minime
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: ryan on Wednesday 22 December 04 15:02 GMT (UK): Luckily for me because of my age (I'm the only perosn under 20 at the mo), both of my Grandmothers remain alive and I've had allot of help from them both, as well as there remaining siblings and various other elderly relations. I started doing my Family History nearly two years ago with the goal of learning, for my Grandma, who her Grandparents were as she never knew them. Now, I have started to do it a little more for myself as I never knew either of my Grandfathers; I simply had to learn more about them!!

:)
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: Geoff of Devon on Wednesday 22 December 04 15:34 GMT (UK): Similarly to Ryan I never knew either of my grandfathers and my mother's mother died when I was one. Luckily she had a twin who made up for a fair bit! :)
I was 35 two weeks ago, so still fairly young by the averages!
I should like to mention that I am now officially a veteran for sporting purposes though. It always used to be 40 for men, but changed this year to be the same as for women (equal rights!). ;)
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: bel_jon68 on Wednesday 22 December 04 22:22 GMT (UK): I got into family history quite by accident earlier this year. Having suspected for 20 years or so that one of my parents was adopted, a remark by someone unrelated to me that partially confirmed my suspicions led me to wonder how I'd go about finding out whether this was true...

I was a bit baffled at first by all the information available on the internet, but then I made my best find ever - ROOTSCHAT!!! ;D ;D ;D

Now I am totally hooked - right now I'm supposed to be finishing a report for work that the client wants tomorrow...just need to find the birth of my gggggrandfather first... ;)

I think the younger you are when you get into family history, the better. My adoptive grandmother (can I call her that?) lived to the ripe old age of 92 but died several years ago, before I got into all this. I don't have any elderly living relatives I can glean info from apart from one who I sadly rarely see...come to think of it, I haven't many immediate relatives at all (no aunts, uncles, cousins), only lots of ancestors!!! That's one of the reasons I'd like to trace my biological grandparents - I could have a whole host of living relatives out there, just waiting to be fallen out with over Christmas!!!!!

I'm under 40 but officially a sporting veteran too...

Bel
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: c w on Wednesday 22 December 04 22:58 GMT (UK): Apparently I am 42, but I was unaware of the fact!

But I have recently seen a few friends from school - to find quite a few of the 'boys' to be bald or severely grey, and a lot of the 'girls' to be quite, (to be frank) -"WRINKLY".

So I am no longer worried about how old I am - but I am still worried about how much weight Ihave put on!

But, I suppose having two children after I was37 and also an inexplainable love of chocolate may have something to do with it? ! ?
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: irialouisa on Wednesday 22 December 04 23:59 GMT (UK): Am 40 and Married with 3 Children...I started Doing My Family Tree About 10 Years Ago.. I was Longing to know who my Mums Mother Was Because my Mum Never ever Talked about Her... Finaly 2 Years ago i got a photograph of her from family that i never knew i had in the U.S.A

Regards

Iria
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: graygen on Thursday 23 December 04 05:13 GMT (UK): :)

Hi there

Became very aware of my age reading these postings -I am 47!!!but still feel 17. I am waiting to feel"grown up" - when does it happen.

I did the first part of my tree when I was in my twenties and used to spend hours chatting with my "wee"granny in Scotland I treasure a letter she sent with BMDs in answer to my questions...

With the demands of work and family and the time need to travel and search through records I confess I did little for several years.Enthusiasm was rekindledwith the advent of two golden weddings in the family and the vague notion that a "family tree" would be a nice present...now I am hooked,becoming obsessive!!

Love browsing through rootschat and finding others that share the same excitement of finding an elusive scrap of information!

All I want for Christmas is info on the parents of George MORRISON b New Cummnock 20 Jul 1813 - hope Santa obliges.

:)

Margaret
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: dinkey on Thursday 23 December 04 08:28 GMT (UK): I am 47. Getting ever near to that half century.

I started this hobby a 5 years ago trying to find out about my father's birth mother Sophia Ross. I have still not found her and to get over the frustration I started doing my mother's line.

I read somewhere that research in genealogy is good for the grey matter.(I am not sure about that, all it has done for me is give me more grey hairs). Does that stop us though, not a bit. like the rest of you I am hooked.

Merry Christmas to you all.

dinkey
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: Ceci on Thursday 23 December 04 13:54 GMT (UK): I'm 48 and started looking at my family history when my father died 6 years ago and I came across documents and old photographs that I didn't know existed before. They raised lots of questions and provided clues to get me started and I've been hooked ever since. I think it would have happened whatever age I had been at the time.
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: kevan on Thursday 23 December 04 23:35 GMT (UK): Hi,
I am 45 approx. I went to my twin sister-in-law's 40th Birthday a couple of years ago, and saw an amazing family tree by my mother-in-law which had been carefully hand drawn and went back forever, much on the female line.
So, I spent the first six months trying to find my grand father in the census for 1891, even though I had his birth certificate (born 1889). Then miraculously, I discovered the Ancestry 1891 on-line index and bought loads of resources, and a couple of years down the line, I have three web sites on the subject, covering just about everything you would want to know about Essex & Suffolk.
Some call this hobby mad, I call it censusology, or is it cenlusology; perhaps we all want to be private detectives, as I do not care whose family I am researching. I just enjoy finding useful snippets of info that are often obvious, but need a few extra bits of the puzzle to get there.
Best
Kevan
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: buttercup on Friday 24 December 04 00:56 GMT (UK): I feel so young when i read your notices!! But then im helping my father find info on his family ;)

So im 24 and got hooked when my father showed me a labor certificate belonging to my ggrandmother and then the photos my father "rescued" from my grandfather who passed away just under 2 yrs ago.

The silly thing about the photos was they had names but no last names or dates so we were forever asking "who's this?" Shame on those who never write dates on photos!

Anyway to all a very merry christmas, and happy hunting!

BC
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: landvaettir on Monday 03 January 05 01:09 GMT (UK): 23
;D
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: Arranroots on Monday 03 January 05 12:39 GMT (UK): :D Hurray, I'm the most popular!! (First time for everything)

Have been interested in names generally for years, but all this internet business makes it so much simpler to access info on relatives who didn't stay still in one place. The Severn Bridge was built for my lot!!

Do have to try hard to balance my interest in dead people with the requirements of the living, however, especially ones that seem to need feeding more than once a day. Lol.

Arranroots
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: Miriam on Monday 03 January 05 12:43 GMT (UK): I'm 20, so definitely one of the younger ones! I've been researching about a year because I wanted to find out who all these people were - http://www.villagephotos.com/viewpubimage.asp?id_=8741229
I'd wanted to know for as long as I can remember, I never really thought I'd go ahead and do it though. Quite a few people seem to have got into family history through wanting to know more about old family photographs...
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: Amy K on Thursday 06 January 05 22:44 GMT (UK): 23 and 10 months... and NO! I'm not here to use the toilet!!!

(see...http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=16631.msg58956#msg58956)
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: RachelK on Thursday 06 January 05 23:20 GMT (UK): I'm 23 too Amy.

I only started in October but it's something that I've ALWAYS wanted to do. My mum says I was even interested as a child. I really wanted to start now, because my nan (last remaining grandparent) has been very ill. Once they're gone it's too late to ask!

My friends tend to get a glazed slightly bored look when I talk about genealogy, but to me it's very interesting, and I think knowing about your ancestors and where you came from isn't something that should be taken for granted, as it often is.
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: Ladkyis on Friday 07 January 05 00:07 GMT (UK): I am 58 - I think - I started researching when I was recuperating from surgery and needed something to exercise my mind. My father was doing his family, my mother had loads of stuff on hers so my husband said "do my family, I don't have many relatives." that was in 1994, he now has around 1000 names on his family tree and only this week on another thread he found six generations from his mother's maternal line and went back to 1737 - now all he has to do is confirm the sources but for a man with "...not many relatives" he isn't doing too bad. I have now inherited the research done by my father and I too am trying to confirm sources.
Ann
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: Hackstaple on Friday 07 January 05 00:24 GMT (UK): The average age of Family History Researchers is 43years 5months 11days old.
You heard it here first ;D

Never believe statistics. 8)
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: nutkin on Friday 07 January 05 01:21 GMT (UK): 31 and proud of it. I wish I had started earlier as now it is such hard work to get all my older relatives to talk.

I remember when I was small running away when they started talking about stories from the "Old Country". In the US that is when they talk abut times before immigration and all the wonderful traditions that are continued. Now everyone runs aways from me when I start asking about the Old Country.
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: jax on Friday 07 January 05 12:01 GMT (UK): Quote from: RachelK on Thursday 06 January 05 23:20 GMT (UK)

My friends tend to get a glazed slightly bored look when I talk about genealogy,

I check out rootschat everylunch time at work, and only yesterday one of my colleagues remarked "don't you ever get bored with that?"

simple reply was No Never :o

jax (40 - last birthday)
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: ryan on Friday 07 January 05 17:50 GMT (UK): :o Who's the other male under age 20 besides me??

;D
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: Paul E on Wednesday 12 January 05 22:35 GMT (UK): Quote from: Hackstaple on Friday 07 January 05 00:24 GMT (UK)
The average age of Family History Researchers is 43years 5months 11days old.

That makes me just two months short of the average -
although:

in 1971 I was 10
in 1981 I was 13
in 1991 I was 22
and in 2001 I was 29
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: Vicky on Saturday 05 March 05 11:36 GMT (UK): There seems to be more females under 50 than anything else or is it that the males have not been voting?
By the way I am a female under 60, 50 and 40 ;D
But only just outside the 30 bracket. :)
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: carol8353 on Sunday 06 March 05 23:56 GMT (UK): 52 on Tuesday- which I have just realised is almost tomorrow ;D
I spend so much time on here helping people and have them help me I just don't know where the time goes.

I've been doing my family tree for about 8 years now.

All the best,

Carol :-*
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: Geoff on Monday 07 March 05 01:51 GMT (UK): I am 60 nearing 61. :)

I started looking for the ancestors about 10 years ago.
It has really improved the mind, I can remember what happened, where it happened, and who it happened to during their lives. ;D

But I can't damn well remember what happened yesterday in my own life :-\

Cheers
Geoff
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: Paul E on Tuesday 08 March 05 11:36 GMT (UK): Happy Birthday Carol! [/color] [/size]

May all your certificates arrive speedily and all your census returns be readable!

best wishes

Paul
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: lizdb on Tuesday 08 March 05 11:50 GMT (UK): Female 41-50 (sadly nearer the 50 than the 41)

Been doing Family History for ........well, ever!!! Thats what it seems like!
Dabbled as a teenager, just asking a few relly's.
Did some research on own and husband's line when first married in the 1980's.
Devoted next few years to producing and caring for the next line on the famiy tree.
Then spent about 15 years on my tree, now returning to husbands - and via Rootschat have come across someone who has done lots of the work already!!! Wondeful!!!
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: carol8353 on Wednesday 09 March 05 08:27 GMT (UK): Thanks for the felicitations Paul.

May all my censuses be readable..........boy you don't know how I wish that SOooooo much for myself ::)

Mind you after a 'few' drinks celebrating YET another birthday last night I'm not sure I'd be able to read them if they were in inch high letters this morning.. LOL

Cheers ;)

Carol
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: jinks on Wednesday 09 March 05 22:36 GMT (UK): I realise you are polling people that are interested
in tracing Family History Now, but would it also be
interesting to find out when they started, I was ten

Jinks
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: genjunction on Tuesday 15 March 05 23:43 GMT (UK): I started with this infectious hobby when I was 31, but that was still too late to catch my aunt, grandma.

My aunt would not have been pleased had I started earlier as she always said that grandma married twice as she had one name and my dad another.

Aahhh she didn't, my aunt was born out of wedlock, grandma married when my aunt was 4 years old and went on to have 3 more children in wedlock.

So as you can imagine, my aunt either knew of this and wanted it kept shtum or really believed that her mum did marry twice. I'll never know which !!

Carol
www.wakefieldfhs.org.uk
Wakefield Family History Sharing
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: Keith Sherwood on Wednesday 16 March 05 18:01 GMT (UK): I dabbled briefly when I was about 18 years old, but I suppose there were too many other more exciting distractions then...
Returned to family history when I was about 32, but again not for long...
However, when I retired from the treadmill of work at the age of 53, I really did get into all this big time - a total obsession for the last 4 years, I must admit...
Keith
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: Tariana on Wednesday 16 March 05 21:16 GMT (UK): I'm 21. I'll be 22 in August.
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: Bryan. on Wednesday 16 March 05 22:02 GMT (UK): Born 1938....so that makes me .....er..... um.....never was much good at maths, thought about my ancestors about 25 yrs ago never followed it through, now wish I had.......nobody to ask questions.

:'( ???
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: Willow 4873 on Wednesday 16 March 05 22:19 GMT (UK): I thought about doing it for years and my dad had always expressed an interest so I brought him a book to start filling in in 1987 for his birthday. He only filled a bit in.

When he died in 1998 I picked my mums brains a bit and went up the archive office a couple of times but never really set to it

When she died last year I really started in ernest. Now I'm 41 i'm doing it so my nephew (whos 18 months old) knows all about his family

Willow x
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: XPhile2868 on Friday 01 April 05 17:56 BST (UK): I started when i was 17 - around my 17th birthday in February 2003 - and i'm now 19. :)
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: Keith Sherwood on Friday 01 April 05 19:12 BST (UK): That must make you the youngest guy on this site, according to the survey so far...
Keith
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: ryan on Friday 01 April 05 20:58 BST (UK): Nope, I'm three years younger than XPhile.

Ryan.

:)
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: Burrow Digger on Saturday 02 April 05 02:49 BST (UK): I'm in the 31-40 age. I was sort of interested during my teen years before I left home, after I found out that my mother was adopted. For some reason during my teen years, I was also given a few old family trees and letters from a great uncle who did most of the early research on my fathers family.

But I didnt become addicted until the internet arrived. I guess you can say I have been really addicted since 2000 when I finally went online and discovered rootsweb & ancestry dot com.

BD
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: flame on Wednesday 06 April 05 16:07 BST (UK): I'm 40. I got interested years ago when I found out that my grandfather was born a Burn then became a Whitworth and ended up a Craven. I didn't get far though with the puzzle. Now I have more time, only work a few hours a week and my son takes a lot less looking after. I'm looking forward to hopefully finding out about more about my family and some of the things that they did.
Flame
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: helenw on Thursday 07 April 05 21:49 BST (UK): My mum and I do the family searching together it all started when i was 16 after a school project about the second world war got my grandparents and there brothers and sisters telling stories about what they used to do (my project was about the Home front).

We've been doing it on and off ever since then. I'm now 24 and we are really getting into it again as i've finished studying and have the time to search properly. I really wanted to help my mum too as its my family too, but i really like tapping my grandparents memories for their stories of childhood. I'm in the process of trying to get my grandmother to write all her stories down so that i'm able to keep a real memory with all the formal certificates.
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: sandie on Friday 08 April 05 22:30 BST (UK): I was born the year the King died - and I don't mean Elvis, sadly - which puts me on the wrong side of 50.
It was my eldest son that got me hooked on family history. He decided to have ago just after my father died 7 years ago, it was then I realised how little I knew. My son asked me to help him because he couldn't find anything, I don't think he's been back to it since, me on the other hand, can't stop.

Sandie
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: DebbieDee on Saturday 09 April 05 01:41 BST (UK): I am 38 and have been interested in family history for as long as I can remember. During my teens and 20s I collected as much info as I could and asked lots of questions. My gran tried to dissuade me and then seemed to change her mind, telling me lots of interesting stuff which I'm still trying my best to authenticate. However I think she may have tried to encourage me away from all the really juicy family history or maybe she really didn't know...

Debbie
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: goggy on Saturday 09 April 05 03:37 BST (UK): Dear oh dear oh dear!!!
I'm a 1.7%er,no wonder that ante diluvian feeling keeps coming over me!
Been at it only a year+4 months,new "confuser",thirst for knowledge,and a G,Ma I only met twice in my life and about whom is a shroud of secrecy I would like to disperse.In this respect I feel a debt,or obligation needs to be answered.
She spent her life in a mental hospital.from 1930 approx,til the mid 50,s.Never lovingly talked about in my presence,only vague tales of husbands "misbehaviour",+7 children,none of whom ever visited her,as far as I know.
Excuse my ranting on,loads more,but that's enuff to explain my interest.
Goggy
Thanks to ALL for the help and good humour!
Title: Re: Average Age of Family History Enthusiasts
Post by: smouse on Tuesday 12 April 05 12:01 BST (UK): Started pretty young - 15 - but now just approaching double that. The oddest thing about coming back to it is that with the Internet I have rechecked my whole tree in a few months when originally it took several years. I'd spend a whole day looking for one family in Chesterfield and now it takes seconds to search on Ancestry!!!

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