Thursday 6 August 2009

Jolly Old England

It all started with a comment from my brother, who lives in South Africa, regarding a war medal that my grandfather earned, during the Battle of Mons, August 1914.

I had started researching our family's history about four years ago - mainly during the Christmas breaks, when we were still at work, but not open for business, if that makes sense. Hot summer days, spent in the cool of the school room, getting lost in another (older) world, far away. England. My homeland, the place where I was born-ded.

The social and domestic history pulls me, entrances me, each time I venture into it's world. The number of birth and death certificates I've ordered from the National Archives, hopeful that they would be gold dust to my thirst for familial knowledge. So many times, they proved to be dead ends. Today, though, when I could have spent time in the unending quest for an orderly business administration centre, I discovered the 1911 Census. And that, mi ducks, was the end of that.
"Hi Ho, hi ho, it's off to the Archives, I go..." tra la la

5 comments:

Housewife Savant said...

I think I would LIKE to be interested in my heritage.
One of my aunts has a buttload of info dating waaaaaay back, and we were both historical and scandalously "famous" in our roots.
(Or it's all bullsh*t.)
I tell myself it'd be fun to investigate.
It'd be fun to knit too.
And I really would like to learn how to do calligraphy.
I ought to vacuum. I should iron.
Nah.
I'll blog.

Joyful said...

I too am very interested in my heritage. It is amazing how God really brought all the right information my way when it would have been impossible to find it all on my own. I actually have relatives in Aussieland too. I got to meet some of them. That was cool!

@eloh said...

When "British History" put some archives on line, I finally learned why a GX grandfather was beheaded at the Tower. I knew the date but not the why.

Seems he was a Catholic when it was out of season.

My dad's family goes back to the year 862. It has been fun running those "side lines". I hope one day I can get back to it.

Tess Kincaid said...

I love your blog! It's been a while since I've been here. Cool-cool look.

Anonymous said...

I agree, family history research is totally absorbing and the 1911 Census provided me with some very valuable information and more direct 'twigs' of the tree to research. Now I just need the Irish records office to hurry up and get their act together!

CATERPILLARS & KEEPING IT REAL

 Table talk amongst our children is and always has been, -  a rabbit warren . We start off in one hole and end up in another -  quick smart....