www.billnelson.com

How much do you know about your family tree?

Would it interest you to trace it back a la 'Who Do You Think You Are?'

I know lots I love researching the social history of my predecessors, as social and political history is an interest of mine. I wouldn't be interested in just building a family tree per se. I've used my family tree as a basis for some writing, and am currently working on a project about the 1914 to 1918 war.

One of the most interesting people I found in my family history is John Frederick Norman Hampson-Simpson, aka the novellist John Hampson, author of Saturday Night at the Greyhound.

That sounds very interesting!

Do you ever use Ancestory.com, or do you do it the traditional way?

Cool stuff, Fellini.

Do like 'Who Do You Think You Are'.

My brother who recently passed away, last month in fact, took it upon himself to research the roots and he found all kinds of fascinating people, places and things in the doing. There were so many more things I'd wanted to ask him about before he left us.

Very sorry to hear that, Alec.

Alec: Very sorry to hear of your brothers passing. Couldn't have been easy, regardless of the circumstance.

Thinking of you & your family.

.

I've been doing my family history for a couple of years and traced a tree back to around
1600 during which found a link to this person:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Wales_%28astronomer%29

Who walked from Wakefield to London around 1750 and ended up
sailing with Captain Cook on his 2nd voyage during which one of his duties
was to check the accuracy of John Harrisons H4 chronometer.
He turns out to be my great,great,great,great,great uncle
I've also learnt a lot more about local and national history in the process.

Both, I used the GRO online service before it all got moved onto Ancestry.com, but wherever possible I try to go back to the original documents. I tend to use Ancestry to get hints, then I go elsewhere to get corroborative evidence. It helps to know where to look, which only comes with experience.

No internet record could match the thrill of sitting in the reading room in Old Aberdeen Townhouse, looking at the actual piece of paper signed by my great-great grandfather agreeing to lease a farm from the Earl of Aberdeen.

I've visited records offices, libraries, old churches, cemeteries, newspaper archives, military museums, and met some very interesting people. I've been contacted by distant cousins from all over the world and learned a lot.



I do like 'Who Do You Think You Are', Alec. I guess your brother had the bug too, I think we all wish we'd asked or said more when we lose someone. You must miss him a lot, my thoughts are with you and your family.

That's amazing Homer, John Harrison's story is fascinating so to have a connection through your family must feel good. The 'learning history' part of it is good for me, too, it's about so much more than a family tree.

One of my relatives lived in the same London house as Joseph Bruce Ismay, but not at the same time

Yeah Fellini , Ive just read Longitude by Dava Sobel which is all
about Harrison and his struggles. Never realised he was also born
in Wakefield on the Nostell Priory Estate.Seems to have been a Yorkshire
Mafia in charge of these 18th century navigation shenanigans.
I wonder if theres a link from Bill to Horatio