What Inspired you to start....

[anniedwyer84]

We're all here on this site for common purpose...researching our family history. But I want to know, where did the inspiration to start researching for your families come from?

For me...I remember when I was young in my granny's house and just drawing out my family tree - only went to my grandparents names then. And a couple of years after that, I got in touch with this woman in America who was looking for family and I gave her some information, and she and I kept in touch until she died of cancer in 2002. My interest in genealogy and all things researchy deepened and still is a very big passion of mine.

x x

[groom]

Hi

When I was young my grandmother told me about her time as a servant and said that she'd gone into service as she didn't like her stepmother. She went on to tell me her mother had been drowned when the HMS Albion was launched on the Thames and the backwash destroyed a jetty throwing people into the river. I forgot about this until talking with my uncle a few years ago. I was determined to find out more and so started researching my tree. How I wish I'd started earlier when my grandmother was still alive 

Jan

[trish58]

For me, it is only in the last 10 years I have been interested due to never having enough time in the day. Then I realized that all the family who had the answers (or some of them) were all passing away, including my Dad, Grand parents, etc, now there is only Mum left and she is 90.

We always believed we were from Scotland, but my Rae side went to Scotland between 1820-1830 from Ireland, it has been very rewarding in what I have found in Scotland and yes hundreds of family members.

When Gr Gr Grandad arrived in Scotland his name was O'Raw, he dropped the O saying it sounded to Irish, and became Raw, then for some reason he changed it again to Rae, this was in the 1870's, I can see exactly where he change it. On the birth certificate of one of his Sons he was Raw, when I found the child had died aged 3, the name had become Rae.

One big problem with this is how do we know what our family crest is ? O'Raw, Raw, or Rae.

Trish

[Roger The Hat]

Oh, I wasn't inspired, I was told to do it, by Mrs. Hat!

I started earlier this year.

Nearly finished........................

 

[craizi daizi]

I started out years ago,  by helping my SIL with it,  then when she got to ill,  i kept going,  and going and going and going....... 

Daizi

[sdbadger]

I always felt I didn't know half of myself.  All I knew was my paternal grandmother was English.  Dad never spoke of his family, saying he left home at an early age and never looked back.  I now know that wasn't true.

I tried to start years ago but got nowhere.  Thanks to the Internet, I've been at it these last five years and have made much progress.  

I ADORE this website and all I've met here and happily continue the research!

[denyse_aus]

I read an article in a local newspaper about 30 years ago about a small group of local family historians who were meeting at each their homes & were seeking a building at low rent. I knew I had English, Irish & Prussian ancestors but knew nothing about them so I joined the group; a sponsor let us have a building on commercial property until they wanted to sell it & the group soon grew & became the Family History Association of North Queensland Inc. It now owns it's own property & has an amazing library & research material.

[GailS]

I used to feel that I had a "little" family. My Dad was an only child and I was Dads only child and I grew up as an only child (MUm was married previous and had 3 other kids, the youngest was 17 when I was born)

It was when my parents seperated (I was about 14) and Mum rescued a pile of photos, certs. etc...Dad was going to burn them.

It started me thinking about my family, and now I had photos etc.. to make them even more real.

So 22 years later I realsie I come from a "large" family, and the last couple of years I have become totally addicted to family history.

The internet has made searching so much easier, but I still wished I has asked so many more questions.....

Gail.

[elinga]

when visiting my sister in September we found an old suitcase with a birth certificate of my older brother whom none of my siblings new anything about!
he had died very young , but cant find a death certificate, but am still working on him.
with both my parents now deceased we couldnt ask either of them
then we found out my father had enlisted in the Fleet Air Arm and lied about his age!
then we found another document about my grandmothers plot where she had been buried.
it was at that point I said to myself I need to find out more.
so I came home (Iceland) and have been trying to find out as much as I can about us ever since!
it is fascinating and I have still got a long way to go.
I am going to Scotland at Christmas to investigate more!
regards and thanks to those from rootschat who have helped me so far in my quest!
watch this space!
Elaine