what made you search for your roots?

[Lloydy]

In 1996 my Great Aunty gave me this very old box and told me to "do what you want with it".  It got put in my attic until my husband and I bought our computer about 4 years ago then I decided to have a look!!!

Inside the box were old family certificates, communion books, photos etc. that my Great Aunty had been collecting for several years - it was absolutely fascinating to see. 

That was my starting point - my Dad's maternal family tree.  Since then I have started on my parent's both Trees and am just enjoying every minute.  I have had lots of help of this site (of course!!!), made a couple of contacts on GR, and discovered lots more just by chatting to some of my rellies.  Oh yes, and I've made contact with distant cousins in New Zealand.  With the wonders of email we are in contact regularly.

It's very very addictive 

[minime]

My step-mother. She started doing my father's family history and then hers..and the ball just landed in my court. Never thought I'd catch the genealogy bug, but it's bitten me hard.
Now my mother-in-law wants me to start working on hers when I can get the chance. LOL!!! 

[Sylviaann]

My sister in New Zealand, sent me a tree of one branch of the family done by someone else.  My horoscope said I would hear news from abroad.  My horoscope also said I would have news about the past.

My husband had just died and I saw there was a night class on tracing your family history.  I went for one term and was hooked.  That was 15 years ago.

I went every week for 5 years to the local LDS before grinding to a halt   I invested in the internet and found more branches and distant relatives BUT I am still stuck on my fathers side in 1821 in South London.  James Middleton where were you born?

Sylviaann

[dinkey]

My dad was fostered as a baby and never knew his real parents. My brother said he would like to find what he could about his grandmother. Dad had his birth certificate giving her name but that is really as much as he knew. Sadly, he died a few weeks after giving my brother his birth certificate. He gave it to me and asked if I could help. That was five years ago, my brother gave up on the search and left it entirely to me.

Unfortunately,I am no further forward in finding my real grandmother. My Uncle who lives in America sent me details of my mothers family tree, probably to take my mind offf not finding my dads family. Of course ever since then I have been hooked and together with my Uncle I have traced my maternal grandparents back to 1560.

It seems very ironic when I can't get further back than 1923 with my dads side.

dinkey

[JillJ]

My cousin did my father's side and showed the printout to me at about the same time I got a computer.   The two just seemed to go together - learning about one would teach me about the other, so I asked for some software for Christmas.   Three years down the road and I can't leave either alone!

But it is not just the pleasure of achievement; you get to meet and chat to so many people from all over the world, and they are ALL so very helpful - it counts for a lot!

Jill

[billgam]

My Son and last remaining heir to the non-existant family fortune recently joined the Merchant Navy which to me means that he has now gone from being my future to being my history so I thought it was time to find out what exactly my history was.
Little did I realise how much time, expence, travel and sheer frustration there would be involved and little did I realise how many wonderful people there are out there gagging to help me.
My research is like a drug, having taken it up I now need regular fixes.

Bill

[howard]

hi

i started 15 years ago tracing the family tree,as i was 28 when my father died and we never spoke much about his side of the family,infact we never seen his side that much as children,most of my childhood was spent around my mothers side of the family.........

when ever his family was asked about it was a bit of a blank wall hush hush,so to speak................

all  I really knew was they had a big house in wales, and i had an uncle of which i seen 4-5 times as a child....

so i think i grew up feeling a sence of not feeling whole..
  as i had no ideas about my fathers side of the family...

 not long after he passed away i started on the road to finding my roots on his side and its been a few shockers i can tell you..

i was lucky to have been able to traced the family Bible of which is now in safe hands were it should be....

 now im on the seach for some family photos that i know were kepted with the family Bible,i do have copys of them but thats not the same..

tracing the family tree becomes addictive i am now tracing all sides of my family ........H

[sandiep]

Complete and utter madness and after researching the family I now know it runs in the family   sandie

[Shanko]

After the death of my nanna and 9 months later mum passed away age 55 from breast cancer my 2 brothers and myself were in a void as we were such a close family. So I decided another way of keeping them alive is to do the family tree. It may sound and seem weird but being so very tight knit family then lose 2 within 9 months really hit us kids so this way we have our memories in more ways than one