How did you start down this road? .....

[FionaZ]

When my Mum died I found a Birthday Book amongst her belongings that had been around for a very long time. The earliest 'year dated' birthday was 'James Mackie Nov 22 1941' . Also included were 'Grandmother Clark'
Grandfather Clark' and 'Grandmother Jones' and 'Grandfather Jones'. These were my gggrandparents. I knew they were all originally from Glasgow/Hamilton area so when I saw a course run by DWW I enrolled and the rest is history. James Mackie turned out to be the husband of my ggrandmother's sister, Elizabeth Jones.
I knew nothing about Dad's family except his parent's names. I went to the cemetery where their ashes are and Dad had had both their birth and death dates inscribed on the memorial. They were from England. I have managed to get back a couple more generations but as you know the English ancestors are a bit more difficult to pinpoint.
One day I may come across a living relative but until then there is TS!

Fiona

[FionaZ]

That should have read "James Mackie 22 Nov 1841" not 1941.
Fiona

[StewL]

Hello all

As a boy I used to listen to stories my father told me about his family, although there did not seem to be a closeness in his side as on my mothers side. But family history was not on my mind just being nosey

My foray into the dark realms of family history really only began a few years ago, when studying social work at university (Aye! a mature aged student). Part of one unit is was doing at the time, required us to do a "genogram" as this is a useful tool in my profession. It was from this humble beginning that I received some information from my dad's youngest sister, who filled in some gaps on those mysterious names I had heard as a child. And as they say, is now history.

I too found SP and wasted a lot of credits through not reading the instructions (Well I am male ) But through the assistance of some kind souls on the old SP forum, I got put on the right track, I was originally on a ghost train to nowhere, I had wrong lines I was able to get on the right lines. Up until now, I have a good deal on my both lines, and think I have reached the end of the records, although I hope not. Through this addiction, I have discovered a distant cousin living here in the west, but we are both stuck at the same point, with not much prospect of breaking down the brick wall.

Lately I have been doing sideways searching, and find that filling out the families is quite satisfying, although not too many scandals as yet.

My regret is that I didnt start this game while my parents were still alive, but then based on names they used I probably would have been as lost at the beginning as I once was

[Russell]

Hi everybody

I don't know how others feel but this thread has added dimensions to my appreciation of what we are doing.
A simple question starting in Hamilton has been weaving its way across the world generating fascinating stories and revealing lots about the people telling them as well as about the way we live and relate to our nearest and dearest.
Each story has been about unravelling tangled threads and making sense of relationships which we were aware of, even as children, Personal curiosity comes into it too, of course.
I have been engrossed totally and found something in every contribution which related to my own experience but it has also made me feel closer to a bunch of folks who, lets face it, are total strangers in the geographical sense but very close in surprisingly many other ways.
Keep it going folks; I need my daily dose.
If we were sitting round a peat fire in a bothy deep in some highland glen we would be having a ceilidh.
Thanks friends

Russell

[sheilajim]

Hi Everybody!

I have always been interested in history and solving mysteries. The reason that I have been interested in history is to find out, why we are, what we are today.

It had been in the back of my mind for the last 5 or so years, to find out about my family's history, but what with work, other interests, and all, I never seemed to have the time.
When I retired last year, I found Scotlands People online. All I had was my mother's birth certificate, and the memory of some of the names that she had mentioned that were related to our family. I had little trouble finding my grandparents marriage certificate, and I was hooked. I now look for something every day. It satisfies two of my passions. History and solving mysteries.

Regards

Sheila

Researching: McDonald, Morin, Kay/Key, Dunn, Watson, McLaren, Boyd, Kennedy, Veany/McVeany, McKee, Campbell, McKinnon, Jamieson,

[Thrall]

Hi all, so now it´s time to come out of the cupboard and reveal all - why I do "this".

Three years ago, my mother died and I inherited a magnificent painting of the barque Elginshire, painted by the foremost marine painter of the time, W.H. York. It was said to have come from my father´s family (he died twenty years ago), but how exactly?

Since then it has been an exasperating, but most rewarding, often time consuming, and fairly expensive way of making life seem much more worthwhile, and yes, I did find out why the oil now hangs on my wall.

All the other results have been incredible, with greatgrandparents found in Argentina, all the books about the last sailing ships being proved wrong, and other antecedants sometimes not coming quite up to scratch, at least by their contemporary standards.

Great fun, I wouldn´t have missed this adventure for anything!

I´ve also helped a few others with their pasts, though as is to be expected, all the news was not as expected, nor even welcome, but that´s life.

TS has helped immensely with all the experience and experts ready to hand; what a way to keep one´s brain ticking over.

Good hunting,

Thrall

[Bertha]

I had always been interested in history and often wondered about my families. My kids had to do a Family Tree at school and I was annoyed I could go back no further than their gr grandparents and one gr gr gran. Then my husband's cousin sent us their tree, Margaret and another distant cousin had put in a lot of work. She put me on the right track. Also my son bought a computer and I was hooked!
Before I went into NRH, I found most of my mum's rellies on the LDS site using Scottish naming pattern, middle names and a gut feeling when I came across them that told me this was my lot. I confirmed it all later on visits to NRH. I had been fortunate that they had all lived in wee East Lothian villages where the records were well kept.
I'd been looking for a hobby for years and I think with the advent of Internet access this is a great one and has been enhanced by all the people I have met on TS.
Bertha

[davran]

Like Fiona, my starting point was a birthday book belonging originally to my grandmother, continued by her and her husband and now residing with my mother. Most of the people have now been 'found', though there are a few, who may or may not be related, who have slipped through the net. My father's side (the Scottish side) has been more elusive, but with the help of ScotlandsPeople I have managed to trace them back to the late 18th century. Unfortunately, not back to their reputed origins in Dumfries(shire) - where did that rumour come from? My paternal grandmother also asserted that her family were of Huguenot stock, but who knows? It doesn't matter anyway, I've had such fun along the way and learned a lot about the life my ancestors led - sad stories and a Reverend gggrandfather with a mistress and illegitimate offspring. I've found cousins and other relatives for both myself and my husband and learnt to realise that there is a lot of 'family' out there in the wide world.......... Now, about K Staff Smith - do you think it's Kenneth or could it be Katherine, or maybe Kathleen.........?

[fmackay]

When we were kids we used to love rumaging through a black wooden box of photos,medals etc which had belonged to my granny and then to my dad. Then about twenty years ago after my daughter was born I decided to start my family tree. I didn't get very far, my dad was a bit reluctant to speak about certain things(my granny being illegitiamite)so it was put on the back burner so to speak.
A year ago I signed up to the Genes Reunited site, contacted one of my maternal aunts and then discovered a whole family I knew nothing about. I now have regular contact with second cousins, and more distant ones all over the world and it's brilliant.
Only wish is that my parents were alive to see what I've found as I'm sure they would've been fair chuffed by some of my discoveries.

[dstew]

My grandfather and two of his siblings set sail to australia in the 1920,s from Your fine country to mine. Many years had passed and there were a few stories bandied around.The main story that got me into family history is of my great uncle who one day just left and cut ties to the family.A few stories was that he joined the war and was a pharmisist,but cannot prove this,but indoing the research i have gone back to a marriage in 1800,also found that one of my ggg grandfather was married once before and found a family relative from his first marrage which we are in contact on a regular basis.But i did find a marriage of my g uncle and found the death of his wife and was told m uncle apparently left once a gain so i am still nun the wiser on my main reason in family history so the search still continues
Darren