How long have you been researching your family tree?

[Gatacre]

Our elder son emigrated to Canada in 1976 and immedately sent a message, "Send me my roots.".  Easier said than done.

I did know quite a lot of FH from my maternal grandmother  born 1875

I am not sure that the search will ever end but one does get rather stuck with some in the mid 1700s.

I took me until the year 2000 to find that six of my family bibles had been depositedwith a Presbyteria Church West of Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Norah

[Aulus]

I am not sure that the search will ever end but one does get rather stuck with some in the mid 1700s.

With some of mine I get rather stuck with the generations recorded on the 1841 census!  Illiterates, with common names, moving around the county/country all the time.  Had they no consideration of the grey hairs they cause me?   

[Gatacre]

Blame the Industrial Revolution and the 1841 census for exact places of birth not being recorded.

I had some luck in finding that I had an Herefored Militia man married in Rochdale in 1809 and that led me back to 1704. in Herefordshire altho church registers did not have any extra info.

I am stuck in N. Wales c 1790 and also in Rochdale for the same date

Norah

[taffyapple]

Hi,
I've been researching for about 9 months. The reason I started was that I went to visit my Nan's brother and he mentioned something to me about a bloke called "Will the milk" - the local milkman years ago. Apparently he was an uncle but noone could tell me quite how he was related.

In finding out about him I got the bug and have been researching frantically ever since. Not v far back yet but am pleased with my progress so far.

Clair.
xx

[ambers]

I started about five years ago, my sister had always be interested in doing it but  died before she could start re-searching, so I thought I would do it on her behalf.
The bug bit, and I became addicted, got one side back to 1841, two back to mid 1700's, the other one is stuck at 1871.

Ambers

[wildtech]

On and off for probably about 20 years.  With any degree of real commitment, about three years.  I was lucky enough to inherit a lot of information and a tree from my great uncle.  Unfortunately there was not a lot of source information.  Since then I have found other  relatives who are also researching different branches and we have exchanged information. 

Just don't ask my wife her answer would possibly contain * and $ and would be translated as too long.   

[jensquest]

Ive been researching for about 18 months now, I had an initial couple of months when I spent every spare moment on ancestry, then my interest waned as I hit brick wall after brick wall. I discovered the BBC family history history site last year and then was introduced to this one. Since then a few of my brick walls have been demolished thanks to the help of the wonderful members of both sites. Im now in contact with 5 distant cousins from both sides of my family, who a short time ago I had not even heard of.

[Gossip64]

Hi Jensquest and all,

I got into  family history researching when I picked up where one of my other sisters left off. She had acutally paid for an old chap that she knew to research for her. His copies of census were old photocopies and it's when you see all the oldfashioned writing that it fascinates.

A few years ago I asked if I could continue with it, and we found another sister who was born, fostered and adopted, she was looking for her birth mother & any family, that was in late 2004. Happy to say we're in touch and obviously interested in finding out what we can about our roots as such. We didn't have much to do with either our mother's or father's relatives, maybe because they knew about our adopted sister, we just don't know as apart from a couple of aunts most have all died.

Its taken a little while to get going, I think though I'm getting into it more. Especially finding out what a relation did for a living and where they lived. At the moment I'm quite excited because there seems to be a connection to the county of Norfolk, when all along we thought they were Londoners through and through.

I know Jen that you use the BBC message board and they're very helpful and friendly. I've also had some good help on HERE for the recent finding of some of my Tooley family in Norfolk, which looks very interesting though I need to get more certificates to check the details.

It beats sitting in front of the telly! Though sometimes I do spend to long on screen at times.
Anyway good searching to you all, it is addictive.

Gossip64 

[alftabor]

I have always been interested in History and when I retired I decided that the more personal history of my life would be a thing to do.
So it is with some amazement that I realize some nine years has passed whilst i have been trawling away digging up relatives and ancestors.
Although I have found this research to be more intense it has been fascinating to
see how my ancestors have spread throughout the world for a couple of centuries.
Happy Hunting
Alf