Putting Flesh on the Bones!
Getting to know your ancestors.
When you have been buiding your family tree for some time, you will have lots of names on your list. Up until now, that’s just what they are, ‘Names on a list!’.
So now is the time to start getting to know your ancestors. By this I mean learning more about them.
* What did they do for a living?
* What did they wear?
* Where did they go for holidays/vacation?
* Did they join the forces?
* Did they emigrate? etc.
All these questions, when answered, will enhance your research and make it more worthwhile. As a bonus, answering these questions will throw up clues to help you build your family tree even further!
You will not be able to research every name on your tree but if you start with your parents and then move on to your grandparents, you will have the beginnings of a very interesting history of your ancestors.
To whet your appetite for getting to know your ancestors, I found that one of my ancestors, after emigrating from England, led a wagon train from America to Alberta in Canada and helped to set up a colony around Calgary! How’s that for extra interest.
As you can see, by putting in a little more effort, you can really spice up your family tree research.
By Jim Ackroyd. Member of Doncaster and District Family History Society: http://doncasterfhs.co.uk/