Author Archives: Guest Blogger

It made my (Viking) blood boil

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by Bob McAllister So, I had agreed to take a Christmas break from my single-minded focus on family history. (Don’t you think that single-minded is a much nicer word than obsessive.) Apparently, most “normal” people devote time in mid-summer to watching television and browsing magazine articles, so that what was what I would do. Unfortunately, our friends at Ancestry DNA see seasonal holidays as an ideal time to advertise their wares on TV, so I could not fail to notice … Continue reading

Achieving celebrity status – even if it is in a cemetery!

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By Cathie Sherwood. Most of us go through life hoping that, after our death, we will be remembered in some way, even if only by our children and grandchildren. Some of us may achieve celebrity status or notoriety and buildings, memorials, parks or streets may be named in our honour to acknowledge those achievements, in our lifetime or perhaps shortly after our death. For others, the recognition may take even longer and the form it takes may not be quite … Continue reading

Census substitute or historical snapshot?

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by Bob McAllister I thought that I had become quite adept at using the 1939 Register since it became available in November 2015 [1]. After all, it was just like a census released early with the bonus of full dates of birth offset by the absence of place of birth – valuable, but hardly exciting. However, in the last few days I have come to view this resource in quite a different light. It began at the GSQ Annual Seminar … Continue reading

A tale of six Irish sisters (the very condensed version)

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Cathie Sherwood. Between 1855 and 1872, six daughters were born to an impoverished Irish family. Five of these sisters left Ireland and made their way across the world with three emigrating to Australia (one returned home to Ireland after 13 years away), two to the United States of America while the sixth sister remained in Ireland. These young women were born in County Carlow (Irish: Ceatharlach, meaning place of cattle) which lies in the south-east of Ireland and is 84km … Continue reading

Tracing your ancestors: Family History Show

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By Cathie Sherwood. Taking the opportunity to attend a family history show when overseas is always a worthwhile activity. Not only do you get to view the latest and greatest in genealogy (you hope) but for me, it provides an opportunity to see what most people are interested in given the demographics of the attendees. This particular show is organised by the Discover Your Ancestors magazine and was held on the 21 September at Sandown Park racecourse at Esher, about … Continue reading