Category Archives: Uncategorised

It Is a Great Time to be Irish!

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For many years if you mentioned you had Irish research the other person said how sorry they were for you as “everything had burned”. While it is true that many records of great use to family historians were destroyed in the Four Courts Fire, it is not true that everything was destroyed. Over the last number of years more records have been digitised and placed online including the 1901 and 1911 censuses. (Sadly only fragments of previous censuses have not … Continue reading

Family History Gems Hidden in Plain Sight

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  Family History Gems Hidden in Plain Sight   Hello again – it seems that my first effort at blogging a couple of months ago was alright, as I have gotten another invite to write the entry for the 5th Monday of the month.  So here goes ….   Many murder mysteries often have vital clues “hidden in plain sight” for the protagonists, and the reader/viewer, to miss noticing right up to the critical moment.  Things like a letter hidden … Continue reading

King Philip’s War

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What began as an effort to contextualise the life of my ancestor George Parker (1612-1656), who emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635, has consumed me for weeks as I continued reading the History of Plymouth Plantation 1606-1646 (WilliamBradford, governor of the colony 1626-1656; William T. Davis, ed, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1908, openlibrary.com). Although the initial foothold on the North American continent ended in disaster (Jamestown, 1608), Bradford’s Plymouth Colony has come to be regarded as the seminal event in American … Continue reading

There is Always Somewhere New to Look

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 I am still a relative newcomer to genealogy and family history. I have been tracing my family history in earnest for only 3 years and I have been surprised and often very excited at how much I have discovered in this seemingly short time.   When I first started my research I thought it would merely be a matter of obtaining all the Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates that were available. From these I would discover the names of my … Continue reading

From family history research to a family history

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What colour is your elephant? A family history is like an elephant – huge and impossible to digest in one piece. One way of reducing the writing task to a manageable level is to consider it a compilation of smaller parts or chapters rather than as a whole. Also you don’t have to do everything in one sitting – pick one part at a time. It helps to set aside a regular time for writing – no phone calls, social … Continue reading