present for my dad, im new to this!?

[jomalomo]

hi all. im new to this so dont really no what im doing?
im looking to find out any information about my family at all, thought it would make a nicer birthday present for my dad, other than his usual toblerone and socks!

the surname is MORRIS , and are from huish epicopi,in somerset.

i know of a william morris and a violet morris. and i always used to hear my granny speak of her "nan tom"  i think this was someone thomas?

this is all i have to go on??

any help would really be appreciated thankyou!!!x

[Arranroots]

Hi Jomalomo and welcome to rootschat!

what a lovely idea for a present!

Well, you have done the hardest part and that is posting your first message - it is all easy after that! 

You need to sit down with a relative and sort out as many names and dates as possible.  If you can get back to someone alive in 1901 you can start to use census returns to look up the family.

the name Morris is not unusual, so you will need more specific information.  do you know what your ancestor's occupations were?  sometimes they can be found in trade directories in the 20th century.

Have a read of the Beginners board if you haven't already done so.  post your specific Huish Episcopi query on the Somerset board and there are lots of folk who would love to help you!

Ask any questions you like and we will answer if we are able.

kind regards, Arranroots 

[jomalomo]

thanks ever so much, il crack on with that straight away!

[corbie]

Hi Jomalomo,
   Try and get your Dad's birth certificate, that would be a good start
          Corbie

[jomalomo]

i have found out that my dads dad was roy morris, and roys mother and father were violet and william morris, and they are buried in the church yard of st marys church in huish episcopi!! how exciting!

[Su]

Hi jomolomo
Welcome to Rootschat.  I hope you find out lots and lots about your family, and that you really enjoy the journey.

I started family research by doing exactly the same as you.  I wanted a special present for my darling Dad's 70 birthday, and I searched the shops for a special photo album with an old fashioned picture on the front.  Then I was lucky enough to find an Aunt who had an album full of old photo's of Dad's family which I copied and put in his album.  Then I went to the church where some of his family were buried and found out the date of their deaths.  I then made a very small family tree from my Grt Grandparents to the latest addition to the family at the time (it's growed and growed like Topsy since then), and put it at the front of the album with a short history of the village where we all came from.  I then went to the village and took some photo's of the cottage where Dad was born, and local sites and put them in.  I was also very lucky, I wrote to the new owner of the cottage and she kindly let me go in, and up into Grandad's garden, where I took more photos.

Dad was absolutely thrilled with his album and it prompted him to tell snippets from his past, which sent me on my journey where I ended up in 1629. 

Sadley Dad died in 1999.  If was alive today and could see where his little album has taken me, he would be over the moon, and would enjoy it every bit as I do.  In fact, I think he gives me a little nudge in the right direction, whenever I get stuck.

So I hope you enjoy your research, and like the rest of us on Rootschat, you will get hooked and delve even further into your family history, and meet lots of interesting characters on the way.

Kind Regards
Su

[jomalomo]

what a lovely story!

[jomalomo]

its amazing that you can go back that far!

its funny what u dont know, ive only been doing this for an hour and ive learnt that nan was adopted during the war, she was a true cockney girl then ending up out in the sticks and started her life in somerset.
ive decided to go and visit her, i just hope that by asking questions about her deceased releatives that it wont upset her, i spose theres lots i dont know so will have to tread carefully!

i cant wait to find out more!

[Wendi]

Hi, jomalomo and welcome!  Can see it's already got a grip of you - as it has all of us

When you go see your nan take a tape recorder, MP3 or some other such recording device, with you and record the conversation, with your nan's permission of course.  Then you can listen to it again later.

Have fun
Wendi