How many have relatives who actually care?

[Christopher]

Plenty of good work done there Carol. What about a book
It sounds as though you could tell quite a story having found so many relations.

[Comosus]

I'm a youngin' and I am very interested in my family's history. I think that's because my parent moved away from all their relations. So I grew up wit no real cousins (we would have the odd visits once every few years).

Same here.  My mum was an only child, although she kept in touch with cousins so I have some second cousins I see every now and then.  I have cousins on my dad's side but don't often see them.  Cousins lived elsewhere and the youngest cousin I have is 8 years older than me.  We moved away from where grandparents lived so I only saw them every few months.  5 of my great grandparents though were from families of about 10 children so I must have tons of 3rd cousins.

Andrew

[LA.Blue]

Patty

The thing about going without someone who doesn't share your interest is you will be able to linger as long as you like and not be thinking you have to go because they will be bored by now.  Enjoy !!

[Christopher]

Hiya guys, I hope Patty is OK. She has not posted since December.
We are all posting to her now. I wonder why no messages were sent for several months.

[pete edwards]

Hi Christopher

Im totally with you about going there, My old mum was from Dublin, and a couple of years before she passed away, one Sunday morning my elder brother came round to break the news that her (baby) brother had passed away, in Dublin. she was not in good health but after she recovered from the first shock, she demanded we go there now, She had a morbid fear of flying so when I told her the Quickest way to get there was to fly, she just said do it, we managed to book a flight the same night and was In dublin the next morning, ( I will always remember my mums arms grabbing the armrests as we took off ),  I have not been to dublin since I was in short pants, but they still remembered me, they welcomed us with open arms, after the funeral, I went out on my own for a fag, All these old ladies in black dresses kept coming up to me, OH.. how youve grown, or I used to change your nappies, or your Evas son are you,

Needless to say we now keep in close contact,

Best wishes.
Pete

[BevL]

I can relate to this.  I can see the glassy eyes as I try to tell my sons something I have found - or the sniggers about "Mum's hobby'.  But I don't care, I am enjoying myself and if they don't want to follow up on my findings, then it is their lack of interest - not mine.

[7igerby7he7ail]

I started my research 'too late' as many have, When all your grandparents generation have passed on and most of your parents generation also.

My father died when I was 2 and my mother remarried. I knew nothing of my roots. When my mum passed on, I decided I wanted to know who I am, so I started what was to become at times an obsession.

I now have my paternal line back to 1545 and I am still digging. I have found 18 cousins I never knew existed. Met an aunt who I never knew existed, and dozens of second and third etc cousins***.
Been to some interesing villages and towns in England, Scotland and Ireland.

All this [I think] keeps me from going insane in this ever crazier world.

My immediate family smile at me indulgently when I get excited about finding more distant cousins., adding to my extended family of 6000+.
I am glad I started this hobby 20 years ago this week.

***What is the most distant cousin anybody has traced?.

Tom G

[BevL]

Yes TomGaunt,  I am in the same category.  I had a Great-grandmother who scared the ...... out of me.  This is what comes of having been born when your parents were 45 and 42 - that a lot of their own parents, siblings etc. had died, so therefore you didn't get the stories passed down to you and missed out on a lot of the intrigue etc of those bygone days.  My sister, who is 15 years older than me tells me some things, but I think her view is prejudiced at times and really don't know what to believe so my research really comes from dates of BMD's and what has been written on the Western Australian side of things of their remembrances of their parents etc.

[Cathymjp]

My husband and sons think I have completely lost my marbles researching my origins.  They cannot understand why I should want to spend hours trawling through records for dead people.  I cannot understand why they want to see grown men kick a bag of wind around the field.  It is 'horses for courses' as they say.  When I started this research I was on my own, now lots of people we know have asked for my help and I think my family are beginning to realise I am not a 'strange person' after all.

 Cathy