Whiling away a winter's evening

[lobeydosser]

Unlike other vapers that make their mixes 10ml at a time and are therefore almost constantly making up new mixes, I make mine 200ml at a time and therefore have loads of free time in the evening to pursue my other favourite hobby, that of trying to trace my Family Tree.

I spend the winter pouring over Births, Marriages and Death records and search others Family Trees for possible links to our own family.

It is not just about the people that are related to us, but finding out why they were staying where they were and what jobs they were doing during their life. 

Then, during the summer months we try to visit as many places as we come across and search Museums and Registry Offices to learn more about the communities that existed when our ancestors were alive.

My wife's family originated in Donegal and were Blacksmiths to trade. We have been over there and the Smiddy is still standing although almost a ruin now. But the Forge and its Bellows are still in situ although it is 150 years since it was last used.

My own family hale from Co Derry and were farmers. Again we have been to the farm where my cousins are now the owners.

Although we are rumoured to be related to General Wade (yuk) and Ian Smith of Rhodesia fame, I personally have not found anyone of note, only farmers and farm labourers, or general tradesmen. oh and a lay Preacher of some note whose wife started a movement in Glasgow that ultimately became the Suffragettes.  

Between my wife and myself, our Tree now has 558 documented ancestral names and I am about to embark on a Web Search which I have no doubt will bring in many more.

Thankfully I have enough e-juice on the rack to last me another month!  

[Blownupdolly]

Wonderful stuff Lobey. I would love to do that myself, but, sadly, I was abandoned by my mother when I was 6weeks old and ended up being adopted by my paternal grandparents. It has only been since the death of all my paternal side of the family that I have had the urge to find out about my ancestry. Because none of them are alive it would be very hard work and to be honest, I wouldn't know where to start on my mothers side.
I hope you have lots more fun doing it.

[lobeydosser]

Hi Blownupdolly, I have found it surprisingly easy to trace some members of the family. As long as I knew where and approximately when they died, I could get a copy of the Death Certificate and that would give me enough information to trace a copy of their Birth Certificate. From there other information can be gleaned.

Our own family records are more difficult because of the Donegal/Co. Derry origins.
In 1900, all the Irish Records were sent to Dublin "for safe keeping" and during the troubles in about 1912, the Records Office in Dublin was burnt to the ground and very few records were saved.
However there are other records, especially pertaining to the growing of Flax which was big business back then in Ireland and through these we have traced a number of our ancestors.

[lobeydosser]

Although my Grandfather and Grandmother did not move to Scotland until the very early 1900's, his elder brother and sister were working here in Scotland and are in the 1881 Census.
The brother was living in Tent number 15 on Main Street, Old Kilpatrick, on the banks of the River Clyde.
Although still a village these days, in 1881 it was a "Tent Town", much along the lines of those you see in the Wild West films. Wooden frontage and Tents behind. Each tent slept 15 itinerant workers and there was separate tents for males and females.
These people were mostly from Ulster and came over in boats that plied between Scotland and Ireland on a weekly basis. They would work the farms that stretched along the Clyde Estuary or travelled on up to Glasgow to work in the Shipyards. Usually just for the Summer months and when they had earned enough, returned home for the winter.

[lobeydosser]

Mucking about online with the Family Tree, I stumbled upon another Family Tree of someone in the USA who turns out to be a second cousin to me and they have a lot more information about my Grandfather and his ancestors.
In doing so I have been able to add two generations to our tree and pushed our knowledge of that branch back from 1829 to 1754.

It amazes me that I have recorded family history from almost the time of the Jacobite Rebellion and Bonnie Prince Charlie and all that lot.

During next summer we will use our caravan to visit the places where these folks lived and hopefully find out more about the lives of the people back then.

[Karma]

lobeydosser

my Dad's family are from Donegal, Cresslough near Letterkenny. He went over the border for work when he was 15 then Liverpool. Ended up in Scotland during the war keeping a farm going. As he had an Irish Passport he didn't have to go to war.

He then settled in the Borders building houses during the post war building boom.

He was the firstborn in 1922. When he was a baby his father sailed to America. He regularly sent money back to pay for his wife to go out there. The baby was to travel later with other relatives once a home had been set up. When they'd saved enough she set sail only to find him gone when she got there. No trace was ever found. I think she had him declared dead a few years later

Dad got the opportunity to go when he was a young teenager but decided to stay in Ireland on the smallholding with his Grandma.

Interesting stuff

[Karma]

Oh and as for tracing records. My Dads birth certificate states a different DOB than he insists he has So any existing records aren't always accurate.

A lot of records were also kept by English speaking people who had no idea how to spell the Irish names, so very difficult searching for anything!

[Pepperty]

oh WHY oh WHY was I born a 'smith?' family history fascinates me....but I am totally 'done for'

Good Luck with your research, I have made up a lovely photobook for my Mum-In-Law with all her chewy old photos, took some efforts to edit and fix 'ye olde' family photos..which shed casually fixed with sellotape and creased the hell out of OMG

So its a damn good job I'm 'a bit of a wiz with photoshop' they took HOURS per photo, hope shes pleased, because it was damn hard work

[lobeydosser]

We've been in Creeslough!!!

My wife's ancestors are from Glinsk, a small village on the other side of the Mullroy Bridge and we camped at the Downings that are just up the road from Creeslough.

We have been there twice now and toured quite a bit of that area.

My wife still has cousins in Glinsk.

One of my father's brothers went to the USA and was killed while doing the Hobo bit, riding the Freight Trains across America.

[Pepperty]

I'm from Merseyside - aka Liverpool....all my relatives are Irish! WISH my mum knew where from....only thing I know is 'Dolan' is Armagh....probably/maybe as a surname?

[lobeydosser]

Yes Karma, We have had some fun times sorting out who was actually married to whom and when. When you get the same name being used, generation after generation and miss-recorded information on Census Returns etc. it can all get very complicated, especially on the Irish side.
Last night I came across a lassie who had died in 1847. The Mum & Dad must have then had a second daughter that year and called her the same name as the one that had died. My Family Tree program was "not amused" that I had recorded two daughter of the same name in the same year!

Hi Pepperty, Marriage, Birth and Death Certificates are the way to get started. All of these will have Spouse Names and using these, you should be able to make some headway.
My own surname is only traceable back 3 generations and even although we have been to the birthplace of my great grandfather, there is no trace of where he was actually born. All we know is that he was a Farm Labourer on a farm in the Lisdillon area which is about 8 miles SW of Londonderry.

There are ofcourse other types of records that you can use like Military records, Census's, Wills and if you know what the person did for a living, farmers and industrial records.

[Karma]

Dec 24, 2013 16:59:38 GMT lobeydosser said:

We've been in Creeslough!!!

My wife's ancestors are from Glinsk, a small village on the other side of the Mullroy Bridge and we camped at the Downings that are just up the road from Creeslough.

We have been there twice now and toured quite a bit of that area.

My wife still has cousins in Glinsk.

One of my father's brothers went to the USA and was killed while doing the Hobo bit, riding the Freight Trains across America.

I believe his local is still there

managed to get a mounted pic of the 'main' street in Creeslough circa 1940 on ebay and found a frame for it myself for Dad's 90th Birthday.  He has it hanging opposite his front door  and says when he comes in now he's entering Creeslough       His face was a picture when I gave it to him

He went back for the first time about 10 years ago, the landlady recognised his name, he'd been to school with her father or something, so wouldn't accept any money from him.

I keep meaning to go, but life gets in the way of good intentions 

Next time your down this neck of the woods I'll try to meet up with you and your better half for a blether

[lobeydosser]

Hi Pepperty, there is a Dolan on Inishmore Island in County Galway but Dolan is a good Irish name!

[Pepperty]

Dec 24, 2013 17:23:27 GMT lobeydosser said:

Hi Pepperty, there is a Dolan on Inishmore Island in County Galway but Dolan is a good Irish name!

Hmm yes I know - but WHICH bit of Ireland am I from?  ROFL3I'm settling for Antrim ( on border)  just 'cos I know that Gramps/Granny left 'cos of 'The Troubles?!?' ..not much help eh?
15 kids, 14 born in Ireland,1 born in UK..OH!! that'll be grandad....

[lobeydosser]

<<<He went back for the first time about 10 years ago, the landlady recognised his name, he'd been to school with her father or something, so wouldn't accept any money from him. >>>

Yes Karma, That is a very typical Irish reaction.

<<<Next time your down this neck of the woods I'll try to meet up with you and your better half for a blether >>>

Yes, I'd like that!