Have you visited the Family Home ?

[MaryA]

I think I would have at least had to ask whether he had found any old photographs or documentation, next time be brave and go for it 

[Rebecca Steele]

I have just spent a lovely long weekend in Worcestershire with my mum.

We spent two days at the History Centre looking for those long lost reletives, and then spent the rest of the weekend looking for the places she grew up in.

One of the houses held some bad memories for my mum, as her parents had split up there. She was determined to try and lay the ghosts to rest and decided she wanted to go and see it.

We knocked on the door (which was still the same door!) and spoke to the present owner and he kindly invited us inside to have a look around! Surprisingly very little had changed since they left there in the 1950s! The fireplaces in the bedrooms were the same and even the built in wardrobe in her parents bedroom was the same!

The man was very interested in my mums memories of the house, as he had lived there since 1978 and knew very little of its history.

It was very emotional for my mum, but she feels a lot happier about the place now as she knows it is now a happy home.

We also went to visit the village where my greatgreatgrandparents lived and we think we found their house, and spoke to the owner, which was lovely.

The strange thing was, when seeing this house, I felt strangely at home and literally had to drag myself away from the house. We still arn't 100% sure that it is the right house, but it just felt so 'right'.

The only downside to our trip, was that we found the house where my granddad grew up in had been renovated in the 1960s and only the back part of the house remained. 

I guess that will happen overtime though.

We received a friendly welcome from the owners of all the houses we went to and I would recommend to anyone who is unsure about knocking on the door to give it a go, you never know what you may find out! and 99% of the time, the owners are interested to hear what you have to say!

[jakky]

I just visited my home town, I usually go a couple of times a year, this time I was determined to take the photos of my old house and schools,

what a shock in 6 months the house has been changed from a shop to a semi, and my infant and secondary schools have gone, I cannot believe how many times I have meant to do it, serves me right I suppose.

So don,t delay, get there as fast as you can,

Jakky

[corinne]

Paul E:  GPS for gravestones is a wonderful idea, and also for old family houses, especially if they are in danger of being pulled down and replaced with modern versions.  I can just imagine adding another field to my computer genealogy database for GPS data - might make it much easier for the people in two generations time looking at my records to go back and find the same places I am discovering now.  I've been trying to find a good excuse to get a GPS thingie, so I guess this is it!

[JAP]

Hi Corinne,  My genealogy program (TMG - The Master Genealogist) has always had a 'LatLong' field as standard

I too have been meaning to get a GPS thingie - but more for birdwatching in featureless flat mallee country (beautiful though it is) on a cloudy day when the position of the sun is no help at all.

I went to look at the country primary school my late father attended in Rutherglen in NE Victoria - it's now the local Museum.  And the tiny one-teacher primary school my children's late Grandfather attended in Franklinford Victoria is a community centre - still with the honour boards on the wall, one bearing young Percy's name; it's a genealogically important place as years later, when he was still on the family farm, he met his future wife when she came to the school as its teacher.

JAP

[Paul E]

I've been trying to find a good excuse to get a GPS thingie, so I guess this is it!

Hi Corinne

I was discussing with fellow-Rootschatter Keith Bateman yesterday how we innocently started out researching our family history and fairly rapidly have had to develop skills in

- databasing
- website design
- photo restoration
- video editing

Might as well add GPS technology to the list!

cheers

Paul

[CarolBurns]

Most of my side lived in Anglesey or caernarfon so their homes were visited. The strangest being my Great Grandad, Edward Owen. Last November I visited Holyhead and found the house where he had lived and where he had been married from. The house is virtually on the side of Holyhead Mountain

I stood outside the house and looked across Anglesey - the view was stunning even in November. Then it struck me what date it was - 6th November 2005

Exactly 100 years to the day my Great Grandad would have stood in the same spot as he left to marry my Great Grandmother Mary Jones. He was married on 6th November 1905

We haven't been able to visit family homes of Pete's side but have a few photos of the houses from others. Hopefully we should be able to get some of our own when we get a chance to visit

Carol

[Erato]

Our original family home in the US no longer exists.  It was beside this lake [actually a small glacial kettlehole] which is named after my gg  grandfather.  It is now part of a state park.

[Mobo]

I've been trying to find a good excuse to get a GPS thingie, so I guess this is it!

Hi Corinne

I was discussing with fellow-Rootschatter Keith Bateman yesterday how we innocently started out researching our family history and fairly rapidly have had to develop skills in

- databasing
- website design
- photo restoration
- video editing

Might as well add GPS technology to the list!

cheers

Paul

 

Excuse my ignorance Oh Wise One !  but what is a GPS ??