When I originally started my blog back in the dark ages, otherwise known as 2005, I wrote about all kinds of things from London life to researching my family history. It’s been one of my hobbies since I was at school and it’s grown substantially over the years, so much so that I started a family history blog for my research. I love how much easier it has become to research your family history. I used to spend my lunch hours at the old Family Records Centre or my weekends at the National Archives in Richmond. With large-scale digitisation projects…
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My love of family history has recently been replaced by a love of all things vintage. You name it, I’ve been buying it. I have Cath Kidston-ed our flat with tablecloths, tea towels, napkins, baskets and the like. I spent last weekend trawling antique shops on the Isle of Wight and found a beautiful 1950s child’s chair. Perfect for the garden we don’t quite have yet. I also have a few pieces of vintage furniture which need a lick of paint. However, the launch of the 1841 Census has whet my appetite again, time to tackle those brick walls!
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are bliss 🙂 I took today off to do boring stuff, such as write an essay (‘analyse the impact of lesbian history on women’s history’ before you ask). Stuff that requires thought and concentration. However that can wait until tomorrow. Instead I did fun stuff – met the better half for lunch, went to see Americans in Paris at the National Gallery and bought a dress at my favourite shop, Cath Kidston. I’ve been too busy to do much on my family tree lately. I’ve realised that I’m subscribed to 9 family history mailing lists so at least I still…
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There are a lot of things I hate in this world: my chav downstairs neighbours who don’t care if they play their crap music at 7 in the morning or midnight; my grumpy, stomping, neighbour upstairs who seems to get louder whenever he hears me turn a light switch on; the kids who went back to school this week and make my journey to work even longer; my job; and my boyfriend when he goes out and I discover a big, hairy spider in the bedroom. More importantly, the things I love are my mum, sister, nieces, boyfriend; Orla Kiely…
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Whilst we were out for a drink I persuaded my husband to try and find the address of a relative who once living in London: 13 Alfred Place, London, the place where George Duncan was on Census night 1871, is the back of Paperchase on Tottenham Court Road…
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No-one told me family history could be so exhausting. I am currently corresponding with McGill College in Montreal, Canada about Duncan George; the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, also about George Duncan; the Isle of Wight Record Office about Caswell’s on the Isle of Wight; Guildford Crematorium about the grave of Selina Cleopatra Ann Caswell; and the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television about an unidentifed carte de visite (it has Armidale written on the reverse which doesn’t seem to exisit). And I’m waiting for Friday so I can go and pick up a marriage certificate from the…
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Over my long weekend I managed to visit the Probate Registry and search for Wills. This was my first visit and it was the most unfriendly place I’ve ever been to. I was totally unprepared for how easy it was to search (take a look at their website and you’ll see why) and so only looked up a few relatives. The room was dark and empty, apart from rows and rows of bound volumes. However I found a few relevant entries and even ordered a copy for £5. I wish I hadn’t bothered as I didn’t find out anything new!
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:: Home :: You may think I’ve been quiet but I’ve actually been really busy corresponding with record offices to see how much information I could get for free! I found out where Selina Caswell is buried and that Alfred Young’s name appears on the First World War memorial in Bridgend, Wales. Attention to detail is everything 🙂 I’ve also just finished reading Home by Julie Myerson, which was brilliant.
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I have had such a lovely weekend, I almost managed to get away without leaving the flat today. I spent most of the day scanning: photographs, certificates and bits of ephemera. My lovely boyfriend photographed all my medals, buttons and other bits and pieces. I also put a few more people into my family tree, the total now is 242 ! He has been working on getting flikr to talk directly to my website so every time the gedcom file is uploaded it won’t mess up the file path for the images. Hopefully I will see all his efforts working…