Who do you think you are

[gillian w]

Isnt that programme interesting

We can often only go back as far as our grandparents from what our parents remember.We should place more importance on our own presence in the world and write our lives down for the future generations.

I had to do my autobiography and family tree when i was 15 for school so found out quite a bit from my grand parents who of course remembered their grandparents.

My dads family all originated from Cornwall my mums all Londoners.

My grandad was part of the team that made Douglas Baders legs as he was an artificial limb maker and on my mums side we had someone who founded the wilkinson sword company.

Have you uncovered anything interesting.

 

[Chameleon]

Interesting Gillian.

I actually uncovered a fact that my great grandparents were married dec.23 1905 and my grandmother's older brother was born jan 08 1906....go figure

Least to say they had no honeymoon after the wedding:lol:

 

[gillian w]

My grandparents had similar thing and never ever celebrated their wedding anniversarys they were married for about 60 years and we never celebrated one in case anyone did the maths :lol:.Bit of a change nowadays.

 

[Chameleon]

Is it not St.Catherine's house you go to to find archives on family history?

This is what i did on researching on my Father's side....they all came from the USA,at the turn of the last century...i have relations in Michigan,Pennsylvania,that i no longer know....i used to write to them,but then the aunt i wrote too died,and we lost contact....now the research is all done on the web....how technology changes!

 

[gillian w]

My biggest shock was finding out my brother was only my half brother and not my dads when i was about 18.My mum had married before at 19,her then husband left her to go to south africa and she did not want to go,he went anyway.
My dad had then adopted my brother when he was about 4 nobody actually thought this was of any importance and i guess it isnt really ive never thought of him any differently than my full sister and my dad never treated any of us differently he was the same dad to us all.It was my brother that wrote and read out the lovely words that were said at my dads funeral.. they were father and son.

 

[Lynne Baker]

An ancestor of mine was Sir Philip Sidney and there is a portrait of him in the National Portrait Gallery! He was Queen Elizabeth 1's favourite poet and his sister married the Earl of Pembroke, whose family seat is Wilton House. Years ago I went to the local library and asked if there was any information about this "minor English poet". The very nice lady said, when I rather sheepishly gave her his name, that's like saying Shakespeare's a minor English writer!
When I was little we used to get loads of Rowntree chocolates in white paper bags and I never questioned why this was. It was rather a shock to discover that my great grandfather founded Rowntrees!

 

[hippy-chick]

nothing of interest in my family, I'm sure we were poor all of our ancesteral life.

think we have Irish and London ties but that is it.

My grandfather (that I never met) was a train driver.
My grandmother (that I never met) had 11 children.

 

[UKRed]

I don't know if there is anything interesting in my family. How do I find out?

I know my mum's family is in dorset and my dad is a northerner. My dad's brother lives in Texas and I have a cousin who was caught in the Katrina hurricane (she made it out alive!).

 

[persianista]

When my Dad died, Itraced his family tree with a view to solving the mystery of my great Grandad. He turned out to be Lord John Spencer Cavendish, brother of the then Duke of Devonshire. Had a thing about knocking up the servants!!