Is Family History starting to sour?

[MarieC]

This aspect of place is very interesting - thanks for raising it, Bosun's Call!

I feel most at home where I grew up, a little country district in Queensland.  I still live not far away, and every time I go there, I feel that it is my country!  I feel about it much as I imagine our indigenous people feel.  It is my country, my place.  I belong to it.

However - when I first went to Fort William, I had the instant feeling of coming home also!  I knew that was where my family and my clan came from - it is still the heart of Cameron country.  Sadly, it was before I began family history research.  Still, I went for a walk up on the moors above the township one day, and stumbled across - or was I guided to?? - a little cemetery all by itself, in the countryside overlooking Glen Nevis.  There were many John Camerons buried there.  When I got home and told Dad about it, he said that one of them was almost certainly our ancestor.  He was always very keen on Cameron family history, and when he was able to take a big trip, some time later, my dear Dad was able to visit this little cemetery and confirm that our ancestor is buried there.  He may not have known about it if I hadn't found - ermm, been guided to - it!   

Strangely, I've never had that feeling about my English and Irish roots, or my French ones, although I love French language and culture.  I wonder why we resonate with one ancestral place and not with others

MarieC

[Wiggy]

This has been a very interesting thread.  As a very new RC patron, I am very grateful for all the help I have had breaking down brick walls.

I loved Devon and Cornwall when I visited there, and continue to read many books about the area  - and that is where lots of my rellies came from as it turns out.

Funny thing is, our family history search all started from an obituary in a Galloway and Dumfries newspaper in Sept 1901 re C A Johnstone - someone said it was of a relative of ours.  We didn't know of any Johnstones at the time and still have no idea how C A Johnstone fits into the family - maybe a Great Great uncle - we've found out many other bits of the jigsaw, but this bit is still missing!   

Meantime I've had so much fun reading many different posts and learning about different sites to travel along myself - and been sent in the right direction several times - as well as getting valuable help from foreign parts.   I love finding out the interesting 'flesh' of the story - but am not going back too far because, for me, it is just name gathering before about 1800.   At least I have now found when most of the family arrived in Australia and how.    I can now claim true blue Aussie status - right from the first fleet in some cases - on both sides of the fence!    It all makes history so much more real.

Thanks for the help and the interesting site,

Wiggy

[Wiggy]

Actually I do have one complaint - it is too addictive - think of all the others things I should be doing!

I know I can't blame anyone for my weak will!

Wiggy

[DudleyWinchurch]

I love finding out the interesting 'flesh' of the story - but am not going back too far because, for me, it is just name gathering before about 1800.   At least I have now found when most of the family arrived in Australia and how.   
Wiggy

Interesting comment Wiggy.  But the secret is probably just not to go too far too fast.  As you to get to "know" your other relatives by "putting the flesh on the bones" then their parents, sisters, cousins and aunts etc, become interesting too.  That's why it's so addictive and never stops, even if we need a break occassionally.

[joboy]

Well this topic has taken a surprising and interesting twist thanks to bosun's call.
I can say that I have never found a place in UK where I really felt 'at home' ........ perhaps I wasn't there long enough to find out being born 1927 and coming to OZ in 1947 thanks to HM Royal Marines.
However,I would like to relate a tale about a first cousin's (he was born 1918) grandson and his need to find his home.
He was born in a former colony which has had a lot of changes in the last 20 years or so and because of the tension that existed there his family decided that they would move to UK and they thought it would be without difficulty because their grandfather (who was my 1st cousin) was also a Royal Marine (different division to my own) and they could get a passage on the basis of their grandfather's birth certificate ........... alas it could not be found.
Turns out their grandfather's mother who was my aunt (mum's sister) had their grandfather (my 1st cousin) to a soldier who was killed in the latter days of WW1  and the name she had used on the son's birth certificate for herself was that of the soldier who was killed and no father was entered.
She had not married the soldier.
To get to the 'nub' of this ........... my aunt did marry some 4 years or so after her first child was born and she married a man who was decidedly Scottish (and would you believe a Royal Marine) and her 1st born son's name was changed to that of his stepfather.
So the family from the troubled country 'assumed' that their paternal background was Scottish ..... NOT THE CASE as the soldier who was killed was from a long standing family in Devon which I discovered.
However,the grandson's need to find his home took him to Scotland ......... which he sincerely believed was his paternal homeland and he did indeed feel that was where he belonged.
I do believe that it is a question of 'mind over matter'.
Because my name is Norman French .......  I cant say that I have any feeling that my home is France as it is a long time since 1066.
Joe

[kerryb]

Interesting comment about mind over matter Joboy and that reminds me of the Jeremy Irons (I think) WDYTYA programme.  He was sure his family came from Ireland where he had made his home and felt he belonged.  The programme found this to be completely incorrect.  I think they actually came from Scotland?

Kerry

[little meg]

information deleted due to Margaret having a senior moment 

[joboy]

information deleted due to Margaret having a senior moment  Grin

[little meg]

ok so I have had a long day