It is not about
having a convict in your past or a couple of filthy rich relatives anymore. If
doing the family history used to be a gentile pastime it is now closer to a
competitive sport. Put a few researchers together and it becomes a competition
and one up-manship with players claiming boasting rights of Royalty, presidents
and a host of interesting characters and stories.
If this was a game
of Ancestor Pursuit what pieces of the pie would people be vying for?
What are the 10
“must have characters” on a family tree? With improved and almost speed
researching available through Internet technology it is now possible to expand search sites to enliven the
quest.
I guarantee you’ll
find more than Grandma’s illegitimate son.
It is probable the researcher can find bankrupts, bigamists, black sheep,
criminals and loads of old men marrying younger women.
The pursuit of
family research shows it is possible to have it all and have fun looking when
ancestors turn up owning interesting pieces of history, having fought battles
rather than wars and are possibly tourist attractions in their own right.
Who will be the
ultimate winner?
The most interesting character in my tree is a
ghost - Sir Little John with the Great Beard.
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| Sir John Byron -Sir Little John with the Great Beard |
You can Google
this titled great grandfather of the poet Byron whose alabaster effigy is also
a tourist attraction at the Newstead Abbey in Nottingham.
Did anyone mention
Knights and the High Sheriff of Nottingham? I can boast a history back to Knights in 1066
and friendships with Kings and Queens.
Add in a couple of
explorers and early Australian Pioneers and the pursuit gets even better.
My favourites are
the filthy rich relatives who lost the lot and a couple of bankrupts. I wonder -does a bigamist beat a Waterloo War hero ?
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| Robert Strelley Esq changed his will several times in the days before he died |
When I first
started researching the branches and twigs and saplings of my tree I was chuffed to get back to humble beginnings who
were hard-working ribbon weaving great-great-grandparents in the 1840s. I wrote
up their stories. Along the way I’ve found stories to tell more – yes a bigamist, explorers, pioneers and convicts.
This year I’ve
focused on telling the stories of some
unsung heros of WW1. Some lost their lives, some won medals and some just plain
old did their duty.
Is it really a
competition or is telling their stories what it is all about?
My top TEN
Ancestry Trivial Pursuit pieces
Ghost
Sir/ Knight
Bankrupt/ debtor
Filthy rich
relatives
Early war heros
Australian pioneer
or convict
WWI or II hero
Criminal lunatic
Bigamist
Trail blazer or Explorer
