Minimo Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 A number of SFers mention genealogy in the thread on leisure activities. So, are you tracing your family tree and how far back have you got? Has it become an obsession or do you still have time for a normal life? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent Orange Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Oh god... when I first started it I was rather obsessed, but the reason for that was I couldnt find any of my relatives on any of the census returns due to being given the incorrect information. I searched for a year with little or no success. Anyhow, by chance, I discovered an old post card from my great grandad to my great great grandmother and it gave me a new lead. It opened up so much researching and I spent another 6 months frantically discovering ancestors etc. Anyhow, I have got back as far as 1820 at the moment. I had a life during the height of my researching, I would only spend about 3 hours per week doing it. Although, this voyage of discovery did lead me to have a holiday in Australia. I discovered a whole set of distant cousins living out there and we got in touch and I flew out there and met most of the family. It was great!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urien Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Family History research can easily become an obsession. Fortunately, with the aid of genealogy books and an enormous amount of luck, I have got as far back as the reign of Henry I (1100-1135) and as much information as I'm ever likely to get - so the obsession has passed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summer1955 Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Family History research can easily become an obsession. Fortunately, with the aid of genealogy books and an enormous amount of luck, I have got as far back as the reign of Henry I (1100-1135) and as much information as I'm ever likely to get - so the obsession has passed. i dont know how you have done that as sirnames where not introduced while in the 1400s as being law and at to be registered in the church and it was only the rich that had sirnames before that common folk didnt they were mostly name by the name they took and where they lived.well thats what i have read and that it is hard to determine who your ancestors where unless they had money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summer1955 Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 i have got back to the 1600s for some of my ancestors but i have not yet varified that i am 100% on the right track for most of them. i have varified most that where born from the 1800s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minimo Posted January 24, 2009 Author Share Posted January 24, 2009 i dont know how you have done that as sirnames where not introduced while in the 1400s as being law and at to be registered in the church and it was only the rich that had sirnames before that common folk didnt they were mostly name by the name they took and where they lived.well thats what i have read and that it is hard to determine who your ancestors where unless they had money. Surnames were used much earlier than 1400s I too have gone back to the 1100s The key is land, if your ancestors were landowners, even in a small way, then they will be found in all sorts of legal documents, vast numbers of which have been preserved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent Orange Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 I might become a little stuck if I try and go back further than 1770 as the church in the village where I traced my ancestors back to was badly damaged during a fire and most of the records were lost. Not sure if there is any way around this, but it might be where my search ends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minimo Posted January 24, 2009 Author Share Posted January 24, 2009 If the parish registers are lost there should still be the bishops transcripts, which is the same information but passed to the bishop instead of being kept in the church. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent Orange Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 If the parish registers are lost there should still be the bishops transcripts, which is the same information but passed to the bishop instead of being kept in the church. Oh goody. I take it I will need to contact the somewhere central within that area? The parish is in Oxfordshire so they will be kept in Oxford, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minimo Posted January 24, 2009 Author Share Posted January 24, 2009 You would need to check which diocese your village is in. The best idea is to try the local Family History Society, they will know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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