Genealogy Chat

Although my lot were ordinary ag.labs or fwk etc. I find every one I trace really interesting. I can imagine their lives, the poverty and the hardships they must have endured, especially the deaths of their children and I almost weep for them, I feel so lucky to be living in todays climate even when things dont always go the way I would like (the loss of my husband for one) so no, my lot are not boring but absoluteley fascinating.

Hi Twinkle, I agree with others on this thread that often it is the research into ordinary folk that really gets to you. I was lucky in that one of my ancestors wrote a book which is still available. Another was an MP so I was also able to find out quite a bit about him. However, my real treasures are the ones that I have had to really search for and who lived extraordinary lives but were never famous or infamous! A word of warning though, it is more than possible that you can find people you really wish you hadn't! I was OK with the idea of jailbirds, illegitimate children or other 'characters' but I'm still struggling to come to terms with my slave trade ancestor. Maybe naively but it had never occured to me that I would discover that! My only consolation is that is his well travelled and mixed race descendants are a better contribution to society than he was. Sometimes a more ordinary exisitence is definitely preferable. Louise

There has always been a lot of unpleasantness and child cruelty coming from illogical jealousy in my mother's family.The girls were always nasty as were the older girl cousins.Also we have always known that my mother's oldest brother belonged to my grandfather and my grandmother's sister.What nobody knew until I accessed 1837 was that grandfather was thirty-three at the time and Grandmother's sister was fifteen.Grandmother then had nine children but I have a feeling she was not enough for him. Also a distant relation is in prison in the 1891 census while there is no mention of his wife and his daughter is living with his parents.That's one to pursue I think.

Mine are mostly boring. However there are two main branches that I can't get any further back on, my grandfather's (I know his parents' names, and the name of his maternal grandmother, he was from Ireland) and my nana (on the other side of the family, I know her parents' names but nothing else, they were from Germany). My grandad's parents were both illegitimate. Neither of them were registered at birth. We only know where his mother came from and have found her baptism record when we went over there in 2000. No idea if she and her siblings had the same father, or where her mother came from. As for my grandad's father, there a family story that goes with him that his surname Palmer isn't really his surname, that his mother was Robinson and died of a broken heart. He went to live with Catholic relatives (he was an Orangeman in later years) and ran away to Fermanagh at the age of 11. But I've not found any record to prove this story. My grandad was a bit of a lad though! He had an illegitmate son at the age of 17/18. The son was brought up as his brother. Everyone knows, but no one mentions it. Who knows what is beyond these people? Especially my German great grandparents. I would love to know, but have very little to go on. The rest of my ancestors are all boring. Ag Labs, Brushmakers, Basket Makers, Mariners, Army Private, Royal Navy, Labourers!! Fun!

I stand corrected. I have one slightly interesting ancestor. He underwent an experimental operation to improve his speech after throat cancer treatment in the 1920s, only nobody remembers what the operation was called or where it was performed. Wouldn't it be typical if all my Irish lot were pirates, adulterers and lunatics, with all the records hidden forever?

I have a combination of both. Several families who married young, had lots of children, worked in the mills or as Ag Labs and died in their 60's and 70's without a whiff of a scandal and having never left the village they were born and raised in. Then I have my 'did they didn't they' incest mystery, several illegitimate children thrown in to the mix, the Trinity Pilot and finding out that my ggrandfather and his son both served in WW1, the son never came home. But like Sheleen, I'm very attached to them all, scandalous or sedate, and I've loved every minute of tracing them back over the years, cursing them for recycling the same 8 names for the children in every generation and for not leaving a Will to give me a greater insight into their way of life. Wouldn't swap any of them! Lou

I recently found out that my ggggrandfather was murdered - he was beaten to death by his step daughter and sister in law with a wooden tea caddy!

George - can I be of assistance ......

My mum, sister and I went n holiday to Suffolfk a few years back to trace the rellies there. I bought a book about 'Middleton Moor' (where a few generations had lived), witten by a local lady - and found out that my GGG grandfather was known as 'Dirty'!!!! Also found the brother of a GG grandfather, who went on to be a metropolitan policeman in prison on the 1891 census! I think it's a case of 'looking around'. Many local history societies have the 'juicy' bits. Nell, You know why your relllies were travelling around for so long don't you- Moses wouldn't ask directions!!!! maggie

My best friend's family is MUCH more interesting than mine. We can't, unfortunately, choose our ancestors. (I'm amazed than Nell acknowledges those scrumping forebears with all the policemen she has in the family!) Either you investigate masses of relatives and sooner or later you discover someone interesting, or you explore their lives in depth and they become interesting. Bear in mind that 'May you live in interesting times' is a Chinese curse.

My Mum's side were as honest as the days long but as for my Dad's side. My Dad always said his Mum was scared of the authorities knocking on the door. Apparently, my Grandfather claimed the equivalent of today's child benefit for a child he didn't have. Since doing my tree, I think I've found the child. My Grandmother had a baby in 1922 who died in infancy. I think this is the one Grandfather claimed for. My Grandfather has been described to me as a 'fly-by-night'.I don't think he did anything major but I guess he probably did a bit of 'cash in hand' work and selling a bit of 'knock off'. He also used to disappear for weeks on end leaving my Grandmother to look after the kids, so goodness knows what he was up to then. Just remembered, my Mothers father wasn't as innocent as could be. He was a bookie's runner when gambling was illegal.

Jon Amazing - I think we are related! Some of Evelyn's children travelled quite a long way from home and I am having a bit of difficulty tracking them down. Do you have the Eden census or the Bethelem Tax Returns, by any chance? nell

Hi Twinkle, What I'd give to have deaths of natural causes!! All my direct male line going back 6 gens have died of cancer, except 1, and I haven't found that one yet. Doctors just say its not hereditary! I think maybe it is. All the best, Rob

Hi Twinkle Mine are bit boring, cos most of mine on my dads side were all Coal Miners, and had large families even my grandad had a large family, some did live to a good age but I found a lot of wives had died either in childbirth or through disease and some of the kids died as well, so plenty of deaths, as you can imagine working down the coal mines in them days wasnt exactly wonderful. On my mums side a lot of the daughters went into Domestic Service so there spread here and there and everywhere. Sorry no murders or anything Yvonne x

Hi, Twinkle, I have a boring family too, glad it's not just me :-) AL

You need to join up with Ann-Marie on the General Topics board - she was also moaning about lacking interesting relatives. nell

Well, I have two families so far of 12+ children, so I suppose they didn't really have much time for getting up to naughties. Another man was a teacher and churchwarden; unlikely that he was anything other than respectable. There aren't any surviving records from the school.

I want to know how people find out really interesting things about relatives. Most of my lot seemed to have lived to a ripe old age and all the death certs I have state 'natural causes'. None appear to have had illegitimate children or a secret spouse. None are missing from a census to indicate time in prison or an asylum (and the kids pop out pretty regularly, too). A few were in the Navy but they have very common names and I don't know which ship, so I can't get any records. The two who fought in WW1 had their records destroyed in the Blitz. If they did do anything exciting, I don't see how I will ever know where to look for it!