Is anyone else here looking into their family tree

[JanieB]

I was already doing this. On my Mums side it's easy as cousins have researched both my maternal and paternal histories and given us the results.

On my Dads side it has been like wading through treacle. Until just before Christmas when my brother passed a load of stuff that my stepmother had sent to him over to me. Yesterday I was given another box full from my uncle.

I didn't talk to my dad for over 40 years as I hated the way he left and dumped my mother. We made up after my partner died and I arranged to to and see him in Canada. He died before I got there.

Amongst the paperwork and photos are my grandpas army stories. But for me was the amount of stuff about me. I had no idea how proud my dad was of me. I thought it was all about my brother who was prioritised over me and my sister growing up. I'm still crying.

[Snoop Puss]

That's a sad story, Janie. Big hug from me.

[quanglewangle]

You never know what's going to turn up. Celebrate the good things you discovered and tell yourself that there could have been good reasons, which you will never know, why the less good things happened.

I knew before I started that our lot were a bit disreputable and what Peter Ustinov called 'downstarts'.

What I wasn't expecting was to discover that I was related to half the folks in West Penwith. A bit cut off down this way.

[Nicos]

The good thing is that you made up Janie .That would have given him an immense sense of relief.

I've been doing my family tree for years. I just struggle to find time these days.

[bramble]

My husband has been doing his and mine for years.
Its fascinating what you can discover.
It can also be sad to see how hard life was for those gone before us.

[quanglewangle]

Local paper archive a good resource

I must give a shout out for local newspapers. For example, The Cornishman used to carry really exhaustive lists of mourners at funetals, often with details of relationship to the deceased. For a hundred years you couldn't sneeze around here without it getting inthe Cornishman. It even reported that my mum got forth place in a sandcastle contest. Full text search online
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
And
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/...es/newspapers/

[veggiechicken]

I've been tracing my family - fascinating stuff. Nobody famous but they're all special to me.
Still puzzling about a gravestone that implies that the "resident" was murdered (perhaps by his brother)
Where's that unsolved cases team?

[quanglewangle]

..."resident" was murdered (perhaps by his brother)

Respect, VC! That's well disreputable.

The most I have found are a few shady salvage/insurance deals done on cliff tops in storms, with bewildered half-drowned ships' masters. Sort of white collar wrecking.

[Mr Bones]

We found my g-g grandmother married twice more while her first husband was still alive. (I suspect no.2 was also alive when she married no.3 but can't find his death).

On my wifes side her g-grandmother had a steady boyfriend who volunteered into the army in 1914 and didn't return. She became pregnant by another chap who also went to war so she married a third man. In 1919 the first chap came back, picked up with his now married ex and with the baby set up home on his allotment where they lived for the next 19 years (and had two more children).
On grand father-in-laws marriage certificate of 1937 the allotment is listed as his address.

[quanglewangle]

We found my g-g grandmother married twice more while her first husband was still alive. (I suspect no.2 was also alive when she married no.3 but can't find his death).

On my wifes side her g-grandmother had a steady boyfriend who volunteered into the army in 1914 and didn't return. She became pregnant by another chap who also went to war so she married a third man. In 1919 the first chap came back, picked up with his now married ex and with the baby set up home on his allotment where they lived for the next 19 years (and had two more children).
On grand father-in-laws marriage certificate of 1937 the allotment is listed as his address.

I think you are ahead of me in the disrepute stakes but way behind VC with her murder (alleged)

[JanieB]

I don’t know if this is disreputable but.... My maternal grandpa was the eldest of 13 children. His mum was only 16 when he was born and he was brought up by his maternal grandmother in the cottage next to his parents. He was registered with the grandmothers surname, so although his parents were married, he had a different surname to his brothers and sisters.

[Babru]

My mum's dad never knew who his father was, and was brought up by his uncle on the other side of Scotland (and his uncle wasn't a kind man, apparently). All his life he felt stigmatised by not having a father, and would never talk about his upbringing.

My mum was brought up in the thirties when there was little money around. Her youngest brother's teeth all fell out when he was a child, and their mother thought it as because she hadn't had enough to eat when she was carrying him.

All stories like this - being brought up in another family, 'marrying' more than one person, living on allotments, living 'over the brush' - bring home to me how hard life was for our forebears. There was little welfare, poorhouses, divorce was impossible, forced to have huge families, there was little chance of advancement, especially for women, but men too. They were a tough lot, and we can be proud of them.

People talk about the good old days, but I think it's pretty good now, for all its faults. Doctors, dentists, pensions, contraception, central heating, washing machines......

[burnie]

On my maternal side, the family was heavily involved in the founding of the Quakers and against the consumption of alcohol..ooops something there didn't follow down the tree...………..One of them had a steam locomotive named after him, which I saw as a nipper, proper proud I was.

[quanglewangle]

On my maternal side, the family was heavily involved in the founding of the Quakers and against the consumption of alcohol..ooops something there didn't follow down the tree...………..One of them had a steam locomotive named after him, which I saw as a nipper, proper proud I was.

But what was the loco called? Closet trainspotter here.

[burnie]

Wilson Worsdell..choo choo
https://www.a1steam.com/2010/02/03/6...lson-worsdell/