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

Yesterday was a planning day for the family tree narrative, randomly listing the branches of the ancestral lines, reminding myself of the personal stories and the social history attached, that sort of thing.

Also trying to work out the best way of proceeding. If I take each branch and follow it up to 1950, the date I have arbritarily decided on, it could get confusing, for me if not for anyone else. I decided to write up small chunks of the branch timelines, taking two and carrying them onto where they become one.

Four grandparents lead to two parents lead to main child, if that makes sense.

The first chapter was easy enough, a brief introduction as to why, how, and who, followed by a second chapter discussing the perils of easy assumptions. The next chapter will launch into the very ancient of branches. These people are no more than names and dates. To be honest, and I decided that I must at least be open, no solicitor would pay over a lost inheritance based on the current evidence.

Much more work will be needed before these people become 'official' ancestors. But they were in the right place at the right time, had the right names and approximate ages, and I am as loathe to discard them without good justification, as I am uncertain about welcoming them officially to the family.

It may be that when all is done, this first chapter may become just an appendix at the end of the book. It is only a list of people, there is very little flesh on these bodies. This list takes me from 1670 up to the 1780's, where the first major confirmed ancestors are born. They are members of the 'thirty two', the great-great-great-grandparents, of which we have confirmed twenty one. These people were born between 1781 and 1806, so they and/or their children made it into the birth, marriage, and death records and the 1841 census data.

I now have fifteen chapter headings with some raw data and story ideas attached to each. Today I will be attempting to make seventeen virtually anonymous people interesting enough not to scare off any reader, whilst racing through to the bits that will be more fun for me. I do have the advantage that the only people who will ever see the work will be people with an interest in the family!

Good luck! My brother became addicted to tracing family, think he was up to (back to?) the 1700s when the trail went dead!

My uncle's doing ours via one of the popular sites and I have a guest log-in. It confuses me just looking at it!

Deb

[Amy P]

I would have great problems with researching my family tree as my family on my father's side came from South Africa and before that from Italy. My cousin is researching our family on my mother's side which is easier as they are from Northumberland.

I can see that would make research more difficult, but then again, it's a great excuse to visit. Italy in the early autumn and down to South Africa for a month or two, missing out most of a Northern winter!!

My uncle did a lot of genealogy for my mom's family with out any support from a website. He's got binders and boxes full of records and stuff. He is quite elderly now and we are going to end up with his stuff, possibly sooner rather than later.

So will my young relatives. Luckily they will get it on a disk or memory stick, which will please them. I might even amaze them by adding pictures, and document scans, and send the whole lot to their phones.