It’s been a long time since I posted a blog entry tagged with “genealogy” (over three years, in fact). I find it to be a hobby that I pursue in fits and starts – periods of all-encompassing obsession followed by long periods of total inactivity. But the old Family Tree has been fleshed out nicely since I last updated you, dear reader. It has also acquired a most surprising and welcome addition. ...
With the return of the dark wintry nights to this sceptered isle, I’ve been taking the opportunity to flesh out my Family Tree a little more. And it isn’t just the addition of young Benjamin – since I last uploaded a tree eleven months ago, I’ve increased the number of individuals in my database by 55, to a total of 1114 from 307 family groups. But more than that, the quality and number of facts for many individuals has increased. This year, I’m trying to methodically work through my ancestors in a bit more detail and fill in some of the tricky gaps that I left last year when everything was new to me and there were plenty of “easy pickings” to be had. ...
On this Remembrance Sunday, permit me to share with you a photo that my cousin Helen took this week of our Granduncle’s grave in France. Private William Henry Worfolk (1896 – 1916) of the York and Lancaster Regiment was my Grandfather’s elder brother (by four years), and was only just old enough to fight (and die) in the First World War. A couple of years later and it could just as easily have been my grandfather, and then I wouldn’t be here to tell you this tale. Ninety years on from that most bloody of wars, we still have much to be thankful for. ...
Late last night I reached a small but significant milestone in my family tree research: I now know the names of my sixteen great-great-grandparents! Or so I believe – I just need to wait for a couple of certificates to arrive from the GRO to prove my theories. So, who do I think I am? Well, at this stage it appears that my blood is: 50.0% English 37.5% Scottish 12.5% Irish Those sixteen ancestors were born between 1829 and 1860. ...
“INTPs are always so mentally active that they continually delve into new interests… The interests of an INTP would be enough to occupy him for several lifetimes if that were possible.” — A description of the INTP personality type, Paul James. I’ve been in need of a new hobby for a while now. The mental challenges offered from getting married, changing jobs and moving home have passed, and my free evenings and weekends were becoming prone to bouts of restlessness and sighs of “I’m bored”. This is not a good thing. ...