Genealogy Chat

written your family history? if so,how did you go about it? any tips? i have been thinking about doing it but i don't know where to start! i want to make it interesting! Chris.

I would love to but not confident enough. My advice to you would be....Start with yourself. Tell what little info you started with. (bet it wasnt much?) I started out with my Mum telling me, she thought that her Mums maiden name was something like the 'brown bread people...HOVIS....turned out that the name was OVERS! Got loads of em now going back to 1749 when it was HOVERS! They started out in Oxfordshire and somehow through accents, they lost the aitch! They ended up in the midlands (now theres another story about accents!!!....) Poole/Pool/Powel!(Poowel!) aggghhh! Explain how important the little snippets of gossip are that other family members tell you when questioned.....eg: How your gran told you about her Aunty Lizzy that used to give her a half penny to buy sweeties. Tell of how you found out that Aunty Lizzys real name was really...Edith May Elizabeth! and that she had TWO husbands! cos one died during the war. Also the heart ache of the many children she raised and the ones she lost so young. (you have the death certs)...:-((( Tell of thier struggles...tell how the old and infirm ended thier lives in the workhouses(no pensions) or how they lived out thier old age living with (usually) the eldest child and his/her family. (hope I dont end up with my daughter! or an old peoples home! hope i keep me marbles too lol) Dont get too carried away with dates. If I was reading it,that would bore me. Hey! I'm getting into this!...maybe I should join you... here goes.... Once upon a time.... Me...Love Genealogy...(Family avoid asking about family tree) Mum...a nurse... Her Mum....Baked brown bread in Walsall....lol HER mum...wife of 3 blokes that made locks n keys...(two of em were brothers) Loadsa kids with all three... Her mum before her....ag labs wife with loadsa kids in Oxfordshire with funny accents... Mum before her...ag labs wife with even MORE kids.... THE END. Easy peasy! :-))) Just go for it Chris but enjoy it yourself,then maybe others will enjoy reading it too. Put meat on those bones! Please send me a copy? Gerri x

Not done it myself, but thoroughly enjoyed reading 'A Countryman's Tale' by S.J. Tyrrell It is the story of the village of Eydon in Northamptonshire, which is mentioned in the Domesday book. The village history is traced and interwoven with the family history of the author who is able to trace his ancestors through the church and school records, and many other archives. It was copyright in 1973 so may well be out of print now, but can usually be found in old book shops and charity shops. My copy is an old Readers Union copy. The fact that his family history is set in its background of the village, its people and their lives makes it much more readable than if it were just the family members, although each of their lives is interesting individually. Its well worth reading, just to see how it is done. The people come alive through the descriptions of their jobs, their tools, their neighbours, the traditions and customs of the family and the village. Good luck Eileen

Hi Chris Ive just started writing my family history book, I started with a dedication to my parents for all their time and knoweldge, then moved on to the History of the Harrison's in Durham, how they lived etc. I was told that you need a beginning, a middle and an end (if there is an end). Im going to do my mums side separately in another chapter further down in the book. Dont give up, keep going, dont forget if your typing it on the computer and not happy you can always delete things. Good luck Yvonne

I replied on the thread by Mad Mavis. I use FTM and post the book i created to my homepage, the main reason i use the FTM route is because they are easy to edit PDF books, either printed or uploaded /e-mailed makes them easy to share with others. Lots of names and dates looks boring and is tiresome to read so i use a 'people and places' theme. Most of my lines migrated to Lincolnshire so i have created chapters for each county they lived in, where possible adding images of the places for the correct time (and the modern day view if possible, thank god for google and the pictures of England Website) One chapter is specifically for Lincoln, i have several lines which converge in the Cathedral and High Street areas and there are a few stories to tell about them. By adding images i have made a 'mini guide' to the area and where my rellies lived and worked. Throw in a bit of general history about the area to hold the interest and it has come out quite well. I keep adding to it, definately a work in progress and many e-mails keep asking when the next chapter is coming. If you pm your e-mail addy i can send you a very early version of 'George Hay Coastguard'. It is only a few pages long but is an early example which might give you a few ideas of how (or how not) to proceed. Glen