Apart from learning who my ancestors were, it's certainly taught me a lot about the trades my ancestors were involved in, and it's been absolutely fascinating. The research into one trade was sparked by a last moment comment by my mother, as I'd been asking her, on the phone, about her paternal grandparents. Her final comment, after our goodbye, about her grandmother was, "Oh, and she made lace." I had this idyllic picture in my mind of the lady sitting in a comfortable chair, doing bobbin lace on her lap, or a small table. Not even close to reality, as I found out that lace-making was an industrial process, carried out on huge metal-framed looms, with all that goes with such processes. I'd always loved Tudor and Stuart history, but suddenly the more recent social history of the 'ordinary' person came to life! I love it!
