Genealogy Chat

I don't mind the kids looking skywards when I mention finding someone new(or old). They just tell everyone I talk to dead people. What they don't know yet is that sometimes the dead people answer. And yes, they obviously have forgotten the Saturday afternoons standing in 40 degree heat watching netball, listening to other netball mums. Managing the cricket team, running the stalls at the school fetes, etc, etc, etc. So now I have the grandkids when I need the cupboards cleaned. That will stop soon, because I let them take all the junk,I mean treasures, home.

I get conflicting reactions from my lot - although the younger son is most consistently uninterested. The older son has done a bit of research for me when it was local to where he lives. I think he got a little bit intrigued - but seems to have pretty much shrugged off the ''infection'' since! My husband gets intrigued, too, sometimes - especially if I'm doing his part of the tree. When we were doing some house-clearing from my late M-i-L's house, the whole family was bringing me bits and pieces when they thought they might be useful. That's how I ended up with a fantastic break-through in my husband's tree in a bit where I wasn't even bothering to look. But I do recognise that ''glazed-eye'' response! My only way past it is if what I've found has a more general interest (social history or something) - and I'm not at all sure that my younger son reckons that is adequate compensation for having to listen to me rabbiting. Christine

Oooh, thankyou Gillian, you have just put another arrow in my quiver - I had completely forgotten all those Nativity Plays, brownie camps, sports days and days spent with blue lips wrapped in a bathtowel on the beach - in the rain. I am a great believer in emotional blackmail, so thanks! I too have met the 'What do you want?' brigade and also the 'What's it got to do with you?' lot - I have made absolutely no progress beyond my grandparents on my mother's side, because her brother refuses to tell me anything at all, and as its Scottish research, I'm stumped. OC

Never mind the people whose eyes glaze over...... what about the ones who actively disapprove of ''delving into the past''???? I always imagine they have something to hide!!! lol I seem to come across a lot who think what I do for a hobby is intrusive, at best and an utter disgrace, at worst! Well tough! Merry

Never mind the family - my workmates are now thinking I have something wrong with me. Yesterday we were chatting about what we will be doing at the weekend, and I said excitedly that I am off to my local archive to track down reportings of a suicide in which the gentleman cut his throat from ear to ear! The look on their faces was a picture! Better still I am not sure this man is a relative - I am hoping to prove that tomorrow. Now marked down as some kind of psychopath who spends her free time chasing dead people. Helen :-)))

Hi Angela, I suppose we are anoraks!!!!! BUT, I could not care less what people think I am wearing!!!!! We are going onto broadband soon because of the time I spend on my research. Well at least I am not out drinking....meeting strange men....getting up to mischief lol lol lol Now I have the bare bones of my trees I am concentrating on adding 'colour'. I am researching the places they lived, the jobs they did, the housing etc. This is adding to my understanding of my long dead relations. Yes, I do have friends that duck when they see me comeing, and yes, I can lip read their, 'Oh lord who has she found now'????? Time is lost when i am at my computer, 'Just half an hour I say to the other half, and two hours latter I am still at it. Happy hunting Kathlyn

lol denise i usually wait til their all in bed so i can concentrate better, luckily hubby does nights as well as days so when hes on nights and kids are in bed its heaven lol

When the dinner is burning (I mean cooking!) 'cos I've just started making a bit more progress, my son piles on the guilt by saying 'wouldn't it be better if you gave your present family a bit more of your attention?' How do you answer that one!

Oohhhhh, Tiger-Lily, you are a one. A few weeks, LOL. Its been 30 years now and still chasing that elusive marriage. Ellen X

In February this year, my son asked me if I could get 'some stuff ' together about our family so that his little daughter could read it when was grown up and get a sense of her roots. Sounded like a really good idea to me, but I did warn him that it may take a few weeks! LOL No-one has seen me since! TGx

Tut Ellen I mean what is thier problem can they not see that in our world the hoovering cooking washing etc etc etc gets done by secret robots and that only we can see em and see that the house is sparkling lol (im not that bad really YET lol ) but id damn well like to be oh to sit undisturbed lol) Angie x

One of the reasons I gave up work was to sit in solitary splendour scrolling through lists of long dead people. What really annoys me is the 'trying to be interested' nods and the glazed look of the eyeballs when I find one of their relatives. Heathens !! Ellen X

My Hubby and teenage kids nuts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They simply do not share my enthusiasm for family tree's (tut) They are sick of hearing me go on and on and getting all excited when I find some new info out lol. Does anyone else have the same prob? Shall we start a club to send these naughty mesters to? so we can just sit here till our hearts content. I love talking to myself lol and sharing my excitement with myself (tho think people are starting to think im weird smilling all the time lol) Oh well Luv Angie xxxxx im so on top of the world x