Area 51

area51newmexico · Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2011 12:57 pm Post subject: Family History

I've recently started researching my family tree - and it's absolutely fansicnating!

Just wondering if anyone else has done their family tree? How far back did you get? Do you have any tips?

Rach · Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 2:01 pm Post subject:

My gran researched hers a lot, she even wrote a book about it. I know less about my mum's side of the family or my dad's dad's family than I do about granny's side. She traced them back a few hundred years. She did it in the days before the internet, so she had to go to record offices all over the country and manually search through their records. It is so much easier nowadays - you can email the local record office and ask them if they have any records pertaining to your family. You have to bear in mind that spellings of surnames and place-names weren't fixed until relatively recently, so you may have to search under different spellings eg don't just look for Smith, but try Smyth, Smithe etc

Lamiaceae · Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 5:21 pm Post subject:

My nan ( maternal ) has traced her's back a fair way, and a lot of her family come from around Durham area.

I know little of my dad's side.

area51newmexico · Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 12:46 pm Post subject:

Thanks for your updates guys:)

So far, I have managed to go back 7 generations on my mothers side and 6 generations on my fathers side. I think my next step is to actually buy the certificates (for a lot of money each!) to prove the links.

Minty - your mission is to research your fathers side!