h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Around 2001 I did research for my ancestors. Almost within two weeks I became half suicidal, because research in historic papers is really a hell of a job.
But I found prof. Dutch help; he's an atomic scientist who does research with great skill and passion. It wasn't expencive. No, I do not give any names. Just telling how I did it.

In the very beginning I made a choice; follow all that's "excentric" ánd happened in the same city.
Well, I did have the luck that many ancestors lived in the same city.
All others he could keep undiscovered.

Suddenly I had a huge list of names, etc. The furher in history, the more one can connect at the internet.
But first I wanted copies of áll the documents that would prove what he said. And I got it all.

On that basis I could fully concentrate myself to what is most exciting for me; personal history, professions, which streets did they live and work. By what kind of illnesses they died. What does "court marshall for Napoleons armee" mean?

A woman, burried alive, in 1597, around Brussels, who was a housekeeper in the household of my discovered ancestors?

Extremely fascinating, but I would néver, éver had come near 1900, if I had to search by myself in archives. Not speaking about changing names and just church archives before Napoleon..

Even when I did know all the details, I could not get it on line, while I knew it wás there.

Well, here's my story at h2g2;

F134334?thread=354409

And here's a picture of the woman, burried alive (Mennonites in USA are related to this pascifistic protestantism);

http://www.bethelks.edu/services/mla/images/martyrsmirror/mm%20bk2%20p793.jpg


And finally, some info that may help you

If you use Google (English), than you could do this, to find ancestor information that might be relevant for you.

You type Genealogy * familyname * and click at "search".

You can also mention first- and second name between * * and even make a combination with a town where they might have lived. That town you should be mentioned outside * * .


And don't forget, that names were also written as they were spooken before 1810 (in continental Europe), so they change remarkably in earlier days.
And in even earlier days they are just mentioned as "son of" in relation to their father's first name.


Subject: genealogy
Posted Dec 12, 2003 by Alfredo
This is a reply to this Posting Posting 4



And there's a smart way of finding a specific name in very large documents at the internet.

When you have a document at your screen, click at the button Ctrl and the button f , and then you'll see suddenly a menu "searching" and when you write the name you're looking for, it can find it in a second - if it's there at all - by colouring that specific name dark blue.

Saves a lot of time when searching in genealogy sites that people make about their own families!

Of course you can use this method in all other sites too.

Read the First Reply to this Posting


You've got to push Ctrl and f at the same time.

Quote;"You've got to push Ctrl and f at the same time."

That's not true.First Ctrl and then f.

Digital information is far from reliable.

And I must admit; paper isn't always proof, but that's the human interest in life.
How, why?

By example; Hanneken v.d. Hoven who was burried alive, is described in the book of martyrs (many thanks for an e-mail from an English historian)as a "helping hand" in the family. Most probbaly she was a child of a former marriage or a fruit of anyones sexual adventures.
Kept inside for years and suddenly is a "helping hand".

When people say; "that's our child", even in the days of napoleon,that was believed and written down, the same as now.Who can tell?

That's humor to me; our ancestors were sometimes liers, just as we all are.
The real truth can never 100% be proven ! They now laugh in their graves

I wave at them now and I'm grateful for what they have done.