No, it’s not another gardening column, I thought we’d take a look at tracing the Family Tree, a hobby which is becoming hugely popular in the UK.

As we grow older the past usually becomes more interesting than the future; because we’ve lived more of it, have more memories, and as the years dim the memories we wonder about those who went before us.

As we lose parents and grandparents we also lose a wealth of family history which was kept alive by their reminiscences. We may have promised to sit down and record conversations with them for posterity and interest but how many of us have actually done that? Not many I’ll bet, and the memories they had soon fade unless we decide to do something positive about them.

Tracing family trees has become enormously popular in recent years. With the growth of the Internet there are now many more resources for genealogy and today’s technology can shorten what was once a lengthy and laborious process.

While writing this piece I’ve become hooked and am enjoying searching for my roots on a great web site. The trouble is when your name is Smith and your mother was a Smith before she married, life is not easy! I will persevere though, it’s fascinating seeing the old registers, censuses and records from all those years ago.

The TV programme ‘Who do you think you are?’ has made many people begin to hunt down their ancestors, but where do you start with limited resources?

A good spot is often the local newspaper office, if you still have one that is. These days much information is stored on computer or microfilm. This makes searching easier but unfortunately many newspapers have not kept a full archive going back to their beginning. Goodness knows why not because the computer age should make things easier to store.

However, let’s assume you are lucky and a full record has been kept. You will probably be able to find the dates of death, and consequently birth, of your immediate relatives from a family source. Armed with that you should trace at least an obituary, if not an editorial piece, from the newspaper. Obituaries, especially those from fifty or more years ago, are wonderful things. They were always half a mile long and so contained the names of immediate family, distant cousins and family friends which gives you a notebook full of contacts for starters. Don’t discount the friends especially for even today older people have a great penchant for discussing family pedigrees, and the chances are that a friend may have followed your family’s more closely than a relative. It’s called nosiness, but it’s an endearing British trait which has become invaluable in building family trees!

You can also glean a good deal more from newspapers than parish records, which, the further you go back, can become more difficult to read. A long serving vicar can be very helpful if you do not have Internet know how or access available to you. He will happily let you see the church records, and you will be amazed what names will then spring out at you if you take a stroll around the graveyard, not literally of course!

These are only starting points of course. If you have use of the Internet it then becomes a very useful tool, but many genealogy tools and kits are available, and there will be more due to its increasing popularity.

It is amazing how quickly a tree builds and it will not be long before you have branched outwards to discover family members who no one remembers. This is done by quite simply examining birth certificate records and marriage certificates which give the lead to each individual’s origin.

Don’t be discouraged if one branch of your tree hits a brick wall. Some Internet resources have the facility to post requests far and wide, and with patience you may well find a missing link coming from the most unexpected source.

It isn’t just a names and numbers game either. You may well find an insight into a fascinating trade or business which your ancestors owned or were involved with. Some people have found new family, new friends and much more along the way.

There are genealogy events and fairs which you can attend to learn about other people’s methods and successes in tracking down family trees. Make no mistake genealogy can grip you and turn from a hobby into an obsession, but a very rewarding one at that.

I just discovered that my great, great grandfather really was a blacksmith, but why did I have to have one of the most common surnames in the world? Happy hunting!

Graham Smith for Third Age.

Related Links:
GenesReunited.co.uk
Ancestry.co.uk