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This is not an April Fools joke, but could be the start of a monthly theme.
?
Something or someone prompted you to start your family research.? What was it?
?
For me it was finding some ancestors on a passenger list, including a photo of the ship on which they sailed.? I was astounded that information could be found on the web.? The passenger list seemed to confirm what my great great Aunt Maria had told me:? she and other members of the family went back and forth across the Atlantic several times.? That piqued my curiosity.? The family I found were a generation before my aunt.? Did they also go back and forth?? Could I find other members of the family on passenger lists?? Thus began my very long dive down the rabbit hole of family research.
?
I am looking forward to reading what started you on this fascinating hobby.
?
Lynne
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? -- Lynne
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It was after?my mother passed that I got into genealogy. ?It made me feel close to her. ?
On Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 1:06 PM, Lynne via groups.io <lklein@...> wrote: This is not an April Fools joke, but could be the start of a monthly theme.
?
Something or someone prompted you to start your family research.? What was it?
?
For me it was finding some ancestors on a passenger list, including a photo of the ship on which they sailed.? I was astounded that information could be found on the web.? The passenger list seemed to confirm what my great great Aunt Maria had told me:? she and other members of the family went back and forth across the Atlantic several times.? That piqued my curiosity.? The family I found were a generation before my aunt.? Did they also go back and forth?? Could I find other members of the family on passenger lists?? Thus began my very long dive down the rabbit hole of family research.
?
I am looking forward to reading what started you on this fascinating hobby.
?
Lynne
?
? -- Lynne
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I had heard lots of family lore type stories growing up, and I wanted to find out if they were true. Also, I came across a lot of photographs and some documents written by family members.? Penny
It was after?my mother passed that I got into genealogy.? It made me feel close to her. ?
On Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 1:06 PM, Lynne via <lklein=[email protected]> wrote: This is not an April Fools joke, but could be the start of a monthly theme.
?
Something or someone prompted you to start your family research.? What was it?
?
For me it was finding some ancestors on a passenger list, including a photo of the ship on which they sailed.? I was astounded that information could be found on the web.? The passenger list seemed to confirm what my great great Aunt Maria had told me:? she and other members of the family went back and forth across the Atlantic several times.? That piqued my curiosity.? The family I found were a generation before my aunt.? Did they also go back and forth?? Could I find other members of the family on passenger lists?? Thus began my very long dive down the rabbit hole of family research.
?
I am looking forward to reading what started you on this fascinating hobby.
?
Lynne
?
? -- Lynne
|
On Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 2:07 PM, Linda Ward via groups.io <cuzwhy07@...> wrote:
It was after?my mother passed that I got into genealogy. ?It made me feel close to her. ? And, now 32 years later, I still check ancestry.com everyday for new matches.?
On Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 1:06 PM, Lynne via groups.io <lklein@...> wrote: This is not an April Fools joke, but could be the start of a monthly theme.
?
Something or someone prompted you to start your family research.? What was it?
?
For me it was finding some ancestors on a passenger list, including a photo of the ship on which they sailed.? I was astounded that information could be found on the web.? The passenger list seemed to confirm what my great great Aunt Maria had told me:? she and other members of the family went back and forth across the Atlantic several times.? That piqued my curiosity.? The family I found were a generation before my aunt.? Did they also go back and forth?? Could I find other members of the family on passenger lists?? Thus began my very long dive down the rabbit hole of family research.
?
I am looking forward to reading what started you on this fascinating hobby.
?
Lynne
?
? -- Lynne
|
My infant son.
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My mother had tried for years to get me interested in genealogy. It was all I could do to pretend to listen while politely stifling a yawn.
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The birth of my first child changed everything.? I asked what were the ethnicity percentages in the half of my son that came from me. My mother responded with not only percentage estimates but also the stories of the various groups. That was in 1976. It wasn't until 2011, a year after retiring, that I had time to pursue my interest. My mother's extensive files and photos were my starting place. She had died four years earlier. So grateful for this wonderful hobby and the family and friends it has helped me meet!
?
Linda Horton
On 04/01/2025 1:06 PM EDT Lynne via groups.io <lklein@...> wrote:
?
?
This is not an April Fools joke, but could be the start of a monthly theme.
?
Something or someone prompted you to start your family research.? What was it?
?
For me it was finding some ancestors on a passenger list, including a photo of the ship on which they sailed.? I was astounded that information could be found on the web.? The passenger list seemed to confirm what my great great Aunt Maria had told me:? she and other members of the family went back and forth across the Atlantic several times.? That piqued my curiosity.? The family I found were a generation before my aunt.? Did they also go back and forth?? Could I find other members of the family on passenger lists?? Thus began my very long dive down the rabbit hole of family research.
?
I am looking forward to reading what started you on this fascinating hobby.
?
Lynne
?
?
--
Lynne
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Linda, Hi:) ? ? ?I find that whoever I am researching becomes 'close'. It might be someone from a hundred years ago, but they become real :) Penny
On Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 2:07 PM, Linda Ward via <cuzwhy07=[email protected]> wrote:
It was after?my mother passed that I got into genealogy.? It made me feel close to her. ? And, now 32 years later, I still check everyday for new matches.?
On Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 1:06 PM, Lynne via <lklein=[email protected]> wrote: This is not an April Fools joke, but could be the start of a monthly theme.
?
Something or someone prompted you to start your family research.? What was it?
?
For me it was finding some ancestors on a passenger list, including a photo of the ship on which they sailed.? I was astounded that information could be found on the web.? The passenger list seemed to confirm what my great great Aunt Maria had told me:? she and other members of the family went back and forth across the Atlantic several times.? That piqued my curiosity.? The family I found were a generation before my aunt.? Did they also go back and forth?? Could I find other members of the family on passenger lists?? Thus began my very long dive down the rabbit hole of family research.
?
I am looking forward to reading what started you on this fascinating hobby.
?
Lynne
?
? -- Lynne
|
I'd always had a bit of an interest but never had the time or
energy. Then my mother-in-law found my grandmother on a
FamilySearch genealogy - and I wondered why. A quick search and my
4th great uncle Thomas Midgley was a Mormon convert, his wife
Ellen Hinchliffe according to the records died "crossing the
Platte River, Wyoming" and was "buried at the side of the Platte
River". Who can resist investigating a tale like that!
Andy.
On 01/04/2025 18:06, Lynne via
groups.io wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
This is not
an April Fools joke, but could be the start of a monthly
theme.
?
Something or
someone prompted you to start your family research.? What was
it?
?
For me it was
finding some ancestors on a passenger list, including a photo
of the ship on which they sailed.? I was astounded that
information could be found on the web.? The passenger list
seemed to confirm what my great great Aunt Maria had told me:?
she and other members of the family went back and forth across
the Atlantic several times.? That piqued my curiosity.? The
family I found were a generation before my aunt.? Did they
also go back and forth?? Could I find other members of the
family on passenger lists?? Thus began my very long dive down
the rabbit hole of family research.
?
I am looking
forward to reading what started you on this fascinating hobby.
?
Lynne
?
?
--
Lynne
|
A large Victorian family bible at my grandparents house, with sections at the front for recording births, marriages and deaths. I kind of grew up with it, so probably knew far more about my ancestors (on my maternal side) than would be normal at that age.
?
And of course we would ask questions about these long gone folks, and be told family stories / mysteries - like a sea captain who went down with his ship (ooh I do love a good mystery - turns out he hit a harbour wall leaving Marseille and refused to leave his ship for fear of salvage).
So I kind of had a head start, and joined wonderful family history societies in the mid 90¡¯s (Somerset, Glamorgan, Cornwall). Those were the days, Rootsweb mailing lists etc.
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In 1980, my husband and I were at a national archive doing his genealogy. I sat down at a microfiche reader with the 1910 Census for Chicago to look for my?relatives. I was just browsing through neighborhoods and found my mother's father as a boarder, living with his sister and brother-in-law.?It was thrilling!?? My mother gave me an old blueprint family tree that was probably done in the 1930s.? She filled it in with pencil as people married and had children.? When we got the internet,? Ancestry, etc., I found documentation, started emailing relatives and matches, and the whole world opened up.?? Now I organize Zoom meetings and make spreadsheets, and try to preserve our family histories for the next generation.
Linda Wolfe Kelley Portland, OR, USA
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Well, there is the common question of the ¡°Indian ancestor¡±. ?This went nowhere. ?The brick walls are three 3rd great grandparents, all connected by marriage who are mysteries.? My mother, and her aunt and mother would sit around the table discussing it.? ? Lori ?
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From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Lynne via groups.io
Sent: Tuesday, April 1, 2025 1:07 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [DNA-Newbie] What or who got you hooked on genealogy?? This is not an April Fools joke, but could be the start of a monthly theme. ? Something or someone prompted you to start your family research.? What was it? ? For me it was finding some ancestors on a passenger list, including a photo of the ship on which they sailed.? I was astounded that information could be found on the web.? The passenger list seemed to confirm what my great great Aunt Maria had told me:? she and other members of the family went back and forth across the Atlantic several times.? That piqued my curiosity.? The family I found were a generation before my aunt.? Did they also go back and forth?? Could I find other members of the family on passenger lists?? Thus began my very long dive down the rabbit hole of family research. ? I am looking forward to reading what started you on this fascinating hobby. ? Lynne ? ?
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Remember Genealogical Helper?? This magazine contained some stories and tips, but also a list of people searching along with surnames.? ? Lori ?
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From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Peter Brooks via groups.io
Sent: Tuesday, April 1, 2025 2:50 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [DNA-Newbie] What or who got you hooked on genealogy?? A large Victorian family bible at my grandparents house, with sections at the front for recording births, marriages and deaths. I kind of grew up with it, so probably knew far more about my ancestors (on my maternal side) than would be normal at that age. And of course we would ask questions about these long gone folks, and be told family stories / mysteries - like a sea captain who went down with his ship (ooh I do love a good mystery - turns out he hit a harbour wall leaving Marseille and refused to leave his ship for fear of salvage).
So I kind of had a head start, and joined wonderful family history societies in the mid 90¡¯s (Somerset, Glamorgan, Cornwall). Those were the days, Rootsweb mailing lists etc.
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What a lovely topic!
I started in 1989. My father had very little knowledge of his family. His parents separated before 1921 and he only saw his father occasionally. He had older siblings who married or left home when he was a child. I used to ask him about his father but it was obvious he didn't know much more than that he was a cooper (barrel maker) and was an alcoholic who lived at Carrington House. Sounds very posh, but it was a charity for homeless men in south London. My father, and other family members believed he was Irish.
He also said we had relatives in Canada but could not remember the surname.
By the late 80s my aunts and uncles were beginning to pass away so I began research. In the old fashioned way!
Visiting St Catherine's House and ordering certificates, visiting Chancery Lane and local libraries to consult censuses and parish records. Nothing was available online. I viewed sheets on microfiche and film readers.?
I quickly learned that my grandfather was not Irish but was born in Greenwich in 1868 to George Doughty born 1829 in London.
In 1993 I started a family history society.
In 1996 my father passed aged 88.
I have been researching ever since but it was only a few years ago that I discovered my Canadian Tomlin and Abel relations.
I run seven Facebook family history groups, have been an expert advisor to Who Do You Think You Are, co-operated on research as the guest of a professor at Oxford University and have written articles and a book.?
DNA I? am not so hot on, though, although I now know I have 0% Irish DNA on my father's side ?
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I wanted to know what happened to my family's mental health.
Seriously.? Not April Fools.
Yours,
Dora
On 4/1/25 12:06 PM, Lynne via groups.io
wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
This is not
an April Fools joke, but could be the start of a monthly
theme.
?
Something or
someone prompted you to start your family research.? What was
it?
?
For me it was
finding some ancestors on a passenger list, including a photo
of the ship on which they sailed.? I was astounded that
information could be found on the web.? The passenger list
seemed to confirm what my great great Aunt Maria had told me:?
she and other members of the family went back and forth across
the Atlantic several times.? That piqued my curiosity.? The
family I found were a generation before my aunt.? Did they
also go back and forth?? Could I find other members of the
family on passenger lists?? Thus began my very long dive down
the rabbit hole of family research.
?
I am looking
forward to reading what started you on this fascinating hobby.
?
Lynne
?
?
--
Lynne
|
So very true Penny, & I find that with some in particular, I feel a really strong connection.?
Carolyn
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Linda, Hi:)
? ? ?I find that whoever I am researching becomes 'close'. It might be someone from a hundred years ago, but they become real :)
Penny
On Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 2:07 PM, Linda Ward via <cuzwhy07=[email protected]> wrote:
It was after?my mother passed that I got into genealogy.? It made me feel close to her. ?
And, now 32 years later, I still check everyday for new matches.?
On Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 1:06 PM, Lynne via <lklein=[email protected]> wrote:
This is not an April Fools joke, but could be the start of a monthly theme.
?
Something or someone prompted you to start your family research.? What was it?
?
For me it was finding some ancestors on a passenger list, including a photo of the ship on which they sailed.? I was astounded that information could be found on the web.? The passenger list seemed to confirm what my great
great Aunt Maria had told me:? she and other members of the family went back and forth across the Atlantic several times.? That piqued my curiosity.? The family I found were a generation before my aunt.? Did they also go back and forth?? Could I find other
members of the family on passenger lists?? Thus began my very long dive down the rabbit hole of family research.
?
I am looking forward to reading what started you on this fascinating hobby.
?
Lynne
?
?
--
Lynne
|
My father in law had so many questions but before he died I didn't have the time to answer them. I started researching my husband's family before mine and they were /are much harder. My mum's family came from Clayton le Moors, the Broadleys and thanks to a cousin who tested his Y-DNA we are back to 1297 in Halifax, Yorkshire.
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Dear Carolyn, ? ? It gets personal, doesn't it? This is 'off the wall' and weird, but I once went, along with some workmates, to a 'medium', who, when it came to me, said that there were lots of people trying to get in touch with me. Crowding to be heard. I got looked at :) On Tue, 1 Apr 2025 at 21:30, Carolyn McCartney via <carolyn.mccartney= [email protected]> wrote:
So very true Penny, & I find that with some in particular, I feel a really strong connection.?
Carolyn
Linda, Hi:)
? ? ?I find that whoever I am researching becomes 'close'. It might be someone from a hundred years ago, but they become real :)
Penny
On Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 2:07 PM, Linda Ward via <cuzwhy07=[email protected]> wrote:
It was after?my mother passed that I got into genealogy.? It made me feel close to her. ?
And, now 32 years later, I still check everyday for new matches.?
On Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 1:06 PM, Lynne via <lklein=[email protected]> wrote:
This is not an April Fools joke, but could be the start of a monthly theme.
?
Something or someone prompted you to start your family research.? What was it?
?
For me it was finding some ancestors on a passenger list, including a photo of the ship on which they sailed.? I was astounded that information could be found on the web.? The passenger list seemed to confirm what my great
great Aunt Maria had told me:? she and other members of the family went back and forth across the Atlantic several times.? That piqued my curiosity.? The family I found were a generation before my aunt.? Did they also go back and forth?? Could I find other
members of the family on passenger lists?? Thus began my very long dive down the rabbit hole of family research.
?
I am looking forward to reading what started you on this fascinating hobby.
?
Lynne
?
?
--
Lynne
|
Regarding 'people trying to make contact', I think you should look at my post. I am admin of this group. It is very strange.
Just join to see it.
?
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/169gYXFHd2/
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Loving these stories.
Mother-in-law was watching my 'young children' playing in the garden and reminisced that as a little girl she was often carried on the shoulders of a large man and when she got home was always in trouble for being dirty. She wished she could remember who the man was.
We had no idea how but decided to try and find out for her. By coincidence the local FHS was having a conference day so we went along for some advice. Obvious now but not at the time we were told about census records etc. Chancery Lane and St Catherines. (who else remembers that long dim corridor with side rooms leading off ,one for each census). We discovered that mother-in laws uncle was a coal merchant who lived nearby. So a large strong man covered in coal dust. Query solved. However as we all know one discovery leads to anther and hey presto you are addicted.?
My 'young children' are now in their 50s.
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On 1 Apr 2025, at 18:06, Lynne via < lklein@...> wrote:
This is not an April Fools joke, but could be the start of a monthly theme. ? Something or someone prompted you to start your family research.? What was it? ? For me it was finding some ancestors on a passenger list, including a photo of the ship on which they sailed.? I was astounded that information could be found on the web.? The passenger list seemed to confirm what my great great Aunt Maria had told me:? she and other members of the family went back and forth across the Atlantic several times.? That piqued my curiosity.? The family I found were a generation before my aunt.? Did they also go back and forth?? Could I find other members of the family on passenger lists?? Thus began my very long dive down the rabbit hole of family research. ? I am looking forward to reading what started you on this fascinating hobby. ? Lynne ? ? -- Lynne
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My Scottish grand-mother told us that her father was an only child and he had 22 brothers and sisters. Even as youngsters we found that pretty preposterous. Well, she said, his mother had 11 children and then her husband died, and her father had 11 children and then his wife died, so they married each other and my great-grandfather was their only and last child. So, naturally, I wanted to know all about these 22 half-siblings. I was only 14 when I started out on the quest and it took me about 20 years to track all 22 of them down. By then I was heavily addicted and now, well into the last quarter of my century, genealogy continues to inhabit much of my waking moments.
Brian - Vancouver, B.C.
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Linda R Horton
Ken Doughty