General Chat

So decided to do something to make me a celebrity again. :-) I'm in my local paper today.

Delving deep into the distant past WHO do you think you are? It's not just the BBC series that has sparked people's interest in tracing their family tree, but a growing obsession that is sweeping the country. Traditionally, genealogy has been associated with a popular pastime of the older generation, but a 16-year-old Wirral teenager believes 'things are now changing.' Daniel Longman, from Birkenhead, became interested in his family tree at the age of 13, when he put together a basic family tree for his immediate family. "To some, it is an 'old person's sport' but I, and many others disagree with this," explained Daniel. "I started researching my family tree three years ago. Back then, I'd never heard of the word genealogy but knew I wanted to have a family tree. I've always had an urge to discover my roots and find out where I belong. "I'm sure this is the case for many young people; they want an identity for themselves." Daniel has certainly unearthed a fascinating past. His great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather - John Longman - was a wig maker, a common profession in the 18th century. John was brought before the Court in Thornbury on October 20, 1761, and told to "remove his dung hill from before his door and out of public streets within 14 days under penalty of five shillings". "Imagine that today!" laughed Daniel. "Family folklore whets the appetite of many potential genealogists and sets the imagination alight. "Other young researchers are left family trees by relatives who have passed away and want to discover more. Some are told incredible tales of distant cousins which just cry out to be investigated." Following Remembrance Sunday, Daniel also spoke about his great, great grandfather - also John Longman - who was born in 1872. "Before the outbreak of World War One, John was a merchant seaman bringing Guinness from Ireland to Bristol," said Daniel. "With national pride at stake, he joined the Royal Navy Reserve as a Leading Trimmer and dealt with cargo among the ships. "He lied about his age as men over 40 weren't allowed to join. "Sadly, on May 1 1916, John was killed while serving on the Kylemore at Dunkirk, leaving behind a widow and six children." Before the introduction of family history websites such as Cyndi's List, Genes Reunited, Roots web and many others, research was much more difficult. Daniel continued: "Back then, younger generations didn't want the hassle of dragging themselves off the football pitch to the local record office. Now you can go on the Internet from the comfort of your own home and discover relatives you never knew existed. "The record office has become obsolete though, quite the opposite - they're used more than ever before by people of all ages checking indexes, browsing old books and searching for clues for that long lost relative. Visit any record office and you'll be surprised at the diverse age range you find there." When Daniel's grand-parents were teenagers, they couldn't afford to take up the hobby, which, as any family historian knows, can become quite expensive. "Nowadays, kids receive an average of £7.82 a week in spending money from their family," said Daniel. "That's a considerable amount more than what my grandparents or even parents received when they were my age. "In 1959, a male manual worker received an average of £13.15 per week. With this, a man had to support himself and his family whilst maintaining a decent standard of living. "For those earning less than that, life was much tougher and their children would be lucky to receive money for some extra sweets, let alone £7.82! "Today, youngsters who've been bitten by the genealogical bug but aren't old enough to earn a wage, this money is a great help in pursuing the hobby. "Previously, it's been the older generation who res-earched their family trees. They had the time to spend dredging through libraries and graveyards. Often spurred on by some family event such as a birth or a funeral, they realised that they were indeed mortal and began to look for immortality. "Now, with the help of technological advances the interesting and rewarding world of family history has been made more accessible to all ages." He has recently written an article that has been published in the national magazine, 'Your Family Tree'. As Daniel has proved, genealogy is definitely no longer, 'an old person's sport'.

Nice article Daniel, well done..........

Well done Dan!>>> (Bows down) My names been in the SUN twice ! I had 2 letters published, result ? Thirty quid in my pocket Elaine x :o))

That is really good DANIEL- Rose

well done sweetie xx

Nice one Daniel. Kxx

dan you are becoming a celeb.long may you reignxxxxxxx(:

I'm in the local rag every week, doesn't quite have the same prestige as the sun tho Elaine lol

Well Done Daniel! Lindy;-)

Go daniel.... you will always be our No 1 celeb!! :O)

Well done Daniel, you deserve a gold star! :)

Well done Dan.

Theres always positive stuff in there. It's just that the negative stuff tends to stick in your mind, as with everything. Who should I make it out to? :-)

Did I read in the credits to my friends on GR ? ! :-) Joy

How could I forget? It said `especially Joy` at the end didn't it? :-)

I was really only joking :-) but now I'll have to buy the paper :-) Joy

PS Since moving house, I've noticed there's a vacancy on the town council here, Dan ! ... and I am tempted !!! :-) Joy

What is it? Mayoress? I think you should go for that.

Where are you then? Over the bridge? New Brighton maybe?