I'm ashamed to say that it's been over four years since I posted on this blog. A house move and then life in general just got in the way. I also ran out of news to post on here.
A recent comment on one of my past posts, Jane Watson Paterson, prompted me to revisit this blog today and looking through all the information on here has encouraged to get back to some family history research again. I can't promise that it'll be much but I'll share what I've discovered since 2012.
Talk soon.
Monday 9 May 2016
Sunday 18 March 2012
The maternal side of my tree
It's Mother's Day again. I'm a mum myself so I get a little spoilt today by my husband and my children, but this day also makes me think of the mothers who have gone before me, who are no longer with us, my maternal ancestors.
Friday 24 February 2012
A Perfect CV
I recently came across his old curriculum vitae, taking his career up to the 1960s. It had all kind of details on it and filled in several gaps I had in his movements during the second world war and the 1950s. I never really thought of a cv as a worthwhile document in my family history research but I was wrong. Here's what I discovered:
1936 - 1939: worked as a Message Boy and Apprentice Turner at Babcock and Wilcox (Valve Manufacturers), Dumbarton.
My dad had mentioned various jobs he'd done as a teenager - paper boy, giving out leaflets on the steamer on Loch Lomond - but I didn't know the details of this one until now. I've even tracked down photographs of the Babcock and Wilcox plant so I can see the kind of environment he worked in. This is also where he must have sustained the injury that led to his hospitalisation for a number of years.
1939 - 1943: period of illness due to hip injury.
I knew that he'd been hospitalised on an island off the west coast of Scotland for the majority of this period but his CV lists the hospital as 'St Andrew's Home, Millport, Isle of Cumbrae'. It appears to have been closed down now but I'm still trying to find any history of the hospital.
1943 - 1952: Capstan & Milling Machine Operator/Setter - various firms in Worcester, London and Manchester
I knew that he'd lived in these three areas but I had no idea what his work was. I wish I knew which companies he'd worked for though.
The rest of the cv covers his career in Scotland and shows him moving up from the manual work to clerical work and thereon to supervisory and managerial roles which I already knew about.
Did your twentieth century ancestors leave cv's behind? If so, have a delve. You may be surprised what you discover.
Friday 2 September 2011
Important Date: 28th August
The name entered on this date in the Golden Text Book is James Lockwood. I have three in my family tree,
- James Lockwood 1, born 1837 in Mirfield, son of John Lockwood and Harrett,
- James Lockwood 2, born 1878 in Mirfield, son of Amos Lockwood and Mary
- James Lee Lockwood, born 1879 in Halifax, son of John Edward Lockwood and Catherine Lee.
I don't have the exact birth date for any of these but I think the James in the GTB is probably James Lee Lockwood because I know that this James lived in Lepton and Headingly cum Burley as many of my mother's family did.
Sunday 28 August 2011
Memories or Facts and Figures?
The more I visit the blogs and websites of other genealogists, the more it seems that we are split into family history sites that look into the flesh and bones of whom their ancestors were, collecting stories and memories, and those who simply wish to create a list of names, events and dates. On occasion, one side will criticise the other.
As for me, I feel that the two sides of genealogy can exist easily together, fleshing out the dates with realisation of what our ancestors lived through.
Today I wrote a piece on my writing blog about memories of Sunday morning from my father's point of view. You can read it here.
As for me, I feel that the two sides of genealogy can exist easily together, fleshing out the dates with realisation of what our ancestors lived through.
Today I wrote a piece on my writing blog about memories of Sunday morning from my father's point of view. You can read it here.
Friday 26 August 2011
Important Date: 26th August and Other News
The Golden Text Book has been quiet for a couple of weeks but today we have two names entered, Amy Bracen and Marie Mixon. Neither of these surnames crop up in our family tree.
When I search on Ancestry.co.uk, I can find no Amy Bracen. There are several Mary Mixons in Yorkshire around the 1891 census entry. As boring as it sounds, I can only assume that these are friends of the family.
Other News
One of the benefits of building a family tree on a genealogy site such as Ancestry or Find My Past is the chance to meet other family history researchers. Comparing family trees and findings can be incredibly helpful in cross-checking information. A fellow researcher recently contacted me about the Boyds in my family tree and pointed out that I had wrongly identified the mother of one Boyd. I checked through my research and found that although I had the correct Jane May Boyd (1889 - 1948), I had wrongly identified her mother.
Who Do You Think You Are
I've been watching the new series of WDYTYA. I loved the first episode with June Brown. Having only known her as a character actor in Eastenders, it was fascinating to discover the real person and her family story. The J K Rowling episode was interesting but I couldn't really relate. Similarly, Seb Coe's story was fascinating but a world away from my own experience. Next week is another actor who has appeared in Eastenders, Larry Lamb.
Watching this and past series of WDYTYA has made me look at my family history research in a different light. It isn't just a list of dates and names. It isn't just a record to pass on to my children. My research is also a way to find out why I am who I am. My father's side were explorers, either by choice or need, moving around Scotland, to the US and taking my father from a small Scottish town to London. By contrast, my mother's side of the family seem to have always lived in the same area of Yorkshire as far back as I can trace. I'd like to know what gave one side of my tree it's travelling drive and the other such stability in one location.
When I search on Ancestry.co.uk, I can find no Amy Bracen. There are several Mary Mixons in Yorkshire around the 1891 census entry. As boring as it sounds, I can only assume that these are friends of the family.
Other News
One of the benefits of building a family tree on a genealogy site such as Ancestry or Find My Past is the chance to meet other family history researchers. Comparing family trees and findings can be incredibly helpful in cross-checking information. A fellow researcher recently contacted me about the Boyds in my family tree and pointed out that I had wrongly identified the mother of one Boyd. I checked through my research and found that although I had the correct Jane May Boyd (1889 - 1948), I had wrongly identified her mother.
Who Do You Think You Are
I've been watching the new series of WDYTYA. I loved the first episode with June Brown. Having only known her as a character actor in Eastenders, it was fascinating to discover the real person and her family story. The J K Rowling episode was interesting but I couldn't really relate. Similarly, Seb Coe's story was fascinating but a world away from my own experience. Next week is another actor who has appeared in Eastenders, Larry Lamb.
Watching this and past series of WDYTYA has made me look at my family history research in a different light. It isn't just a list of dates and names. It isn't just a record to pass on to my children. My research is also a way to find out why I am who I am. My father's side were explorers, either by choice or need, moving around Scotland, to the US and taking my father from a small Scottish town to London. By contrast, my mother's side of the family seem to have always lived in the same area of Yorkshire as far back as I can trace. I'd like to know what gave one side of my tree it's travelling drive and the other such stability in one location.
Monday 8 August 2011
Important Dates: 30th July - 7th August
July 30th
The name written in beautiful handwriting for this day is Minnie Ainley. What a wonderful, characterful name that is. We have many Ainleys in our family tree but I haven't found a Minnie so far. When I search on Ancestry.co.uk, I find an 1891 census for a Minnie Ainley, daughter of George and Mary Ainley, 4 years old, living in Headingley with Burley, Leeds. This is the same area that my Ainleys all lived in so I assume that Minnie was one of these.What substantiates this is that on the census, she has a sister called Florence. Florrie Ainley has previously cropped up in the Golden Text Book.
7th August
Written twice in different handwriting for this date is the name Richard Avison. Richard does not appear on my existing family tree. When I search on Ancestry, I can see several Richard Avisons for the 19th century in Yorkshire - Gomersal, York and Leeds. I assume he was a family friend.
The name written in beautiful handwriting for this day is Minnie Ainley. What a wonderful, characterful name that is. We have many Ainleys in our family tree but I haven't found a Minnie so far. When I search on Ancestry.co.uk, I find an 1891 census for a Minnie Ainley, daughter of George and Mary Ainley, 4 years old, living in Headingley with Burley, Leeds. This is the same area that my Ainleys all lived in so I assume that Minnie was one of these.What substantiates this is that on the census, she has a sister called Florence. Florrie Ainley has previously cropped up in the Golden Text Book.
7th August
Written twice in different handwriting for this date is the name Richard Avison. Richard does not appear on my existing family tree. When I search on Ancestry, I can see several Richard Avisons for the 19th century in Yorkshire - Gomersal, York and Leeds. I assume he was a family friend.
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