Your place in history

[Zen Rabbit]

Sounds facinating Colin. I love all that investigation stuff and hope that you will keep us posted on your discoveries. When you come to write up the family history its good to have more to say about an ancestor than they lived, they married, they died, though all too often that is the most we get.
Bamagirl, my wife bought me a tricorn hat for Xmas which I occasionally wear in the pub to much comment. It is interesting the think that in the days of my 18th century ancestors it wouldn't have raised an eyebrow except perhaps at the ostentation of the gilt edging

[malcolm99]

I’m going to see my 88 year old Dad tomorrow and it only struck me last week when I read something on the forum that he was born when Victoria had only been dead for 22 years. I’d never thought of it that way before. And then again, if I’d have known that my GG Aunt was still alive age 95 in 1965 when I was rather enjoying life as a child of the 60s, then I could have chatted to her and found out things which would have saved me years of searching and loads of money and had a direct connection to my Thomas brickwall who was baptised in Clerkenwell in 1807.

But hey-ho, who’d really not want the thrill of the chase and the accumulating awareness of the real past and of how people used to live.

[Jan1954]

My great grandfather was one John Smith, an agricultural labourer and a person of whom my grandmother did not seem that enamoured.

Imagine my delight when I discovered that he was one of the ring-leaders of the North Essex Agricultural Labourers' Strike of 1914 (probably why grandmother didn't speak of him....) and I laid my hands on a copy of his prison record. Not only that, his story, and that of his companions, is told in The Empty Fields.
Notoriety for a lowly Agricultural Labourer.

[susan-y]

And how could I ever have been bored by history lessons at school?

Auburn

Auburn...I have often wondered the same thing!. Maybe if history had been directed to us personally it would have meant more,. Alas, most of us went to school in the pre-computer age

Sue

[Zen Rabbit]

I am very fortunate in that my GGrandfather David Smith was apprenticed to William Kirkham the potter in 1885 I have his indenture and my parents still have two of the terra cotta vases he made. I even have photos of him as a young man in the 1880s and in his retirement years playing bowls on the bowling green which still exists across the road from my grand parents house. To be able to have such personal detail is priceless.

[benny1982]

Oh dont get me started on Smiths. I have a James Smith who died in 1849 and he said he was not born in county on the census. He lived in oxford City and was a tin plate worker.

My 5xgreat grandfather fought in America from 1775 to 1782 when he was in the 63rd Foot.

[Nore]

Hi Zen Rabbit. I am searching Stoke on Trent. My great grandmom and family are from that area, also Burslem. My grandfather was born in Hanley. I've "been in " that area so often searching, feel like I should know you! LOL.. Take care.

[Nore]

Hi Jan, I am looking for a Henry Jones so you are not alone.LOL. I dont know where the emoticonns are or I'd use one. This is funny (haha) when you think of it~ I thought our last name was McVicker all my life. My mom said there was a divorce.Then my cousin and I thought it was Chell, now we are working on Jones!! hope I find out soon as I'm almost 80yrs..I found I had a great gramma living on the East side of our town years ago.My father bless his heart never told me! Maybe I could have learned more of my grandmom and could have had a picture.

[Zen Rabbit]

Hi Zen Rabbit. I am searching Stoke on Trent. My great grandmom and family are from that area, also Burslem. My grandfather was born in Hanley. I've "been in " that area so often searching, feel like I should know you! LOL.. Take care.

Ooo let me know if you need anything researching. Being based here I am quite handy for a lot of the archives, I also have quite a bit of historical background stuff. You never know we might even be related

[DorothySandra]

I've been really pleased at the way my family illustrate some historical trends: one branch (in the midlands) moving around to find work in the iron industry, or carpet weaving, another branch being farmers until the 2nd half of the 19th century when they branched out as shoemakers, a clockmaker, an electrical engineer, leaving their village for the bigger towns. Other branches had many generations in the same trade (miners, carpenters and bricklayers)

Unfortunately, they all had common names, and followed trends in non-conformity so some branches are bit difficult to keep track of - but you can't have everything!