Saturday 20 March 2010

A Strange Title?

Welcome to my blog! This is where I'm keeping a record of my adventures into the past, discovering stories about my Family History!

Right from the word 'Go' I want to say a big thankyou to all the people who have helped me get this far - everyone who has delved into their own archives and added to my knowledge, those who have pointed me to sources of information and also those who have commiserated with me as I've hit the inevitable 'brick walls'!

Genealogy is not an exact science - the historical documents such as Census Returns, Parish Records and Birth, Marriage & Death Certificates are accurate only insomuch that they record what the scribe 'heard' and what the informant 'said'! In some cases those informants may have imparted the facts to the best of their knowledge - others may have had a reason to be 'economical' with the truth! More on that later!

To research my Family Tree I've had to combine two skills - the ability to do 'mental' jigsaw puzzles, coupled with a hefty bit of detective work! There are family 'myths' that have been, so far, unproved - and a few which most certainly have!!

This is a work which, to some extent will never be completed! The roots of the tree are firmly embedded in the past - only the lack of recorded information halts the proceedings! The branches of the tree continue to spread out further into the future - new generations of twigs flourish and grow! So, this is just the start - and hopefully when I'm long gone others will continue to add to it!

And the title?

Well, amongst the Border Reivers, and the family members who traversed the Globe, there were the little 'also rans' - the normal, everyday folk who lived, worked and died passing fairly unremarkable lives, but each with a tale to tell. So far, there seem to be no 'millionaires' - but also, there don't appear to be any 'axe-murders' either!

But, time may tell..............!