Blog

What is this blog about?

Welcome to my home, my family history and genealogy blog. Here, you’ll discover practical guidance for researching your family tree and connecting with both living relatives and historical ancestors.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or revisiting an existing family tree, this blog will help you:

  • Navigate the exciting journey of genealogical discovery
  • Build comprehensive family connections
  • Verify existing research and uncover new branches

Family history research is surprisingly straightforward once you begin. It often starts with a simple spark of curiosity—that lightbulb moment when you realise you want to understand your  family heritage and discover where you came from.

My own genealogical journey began with this same curiosity, and through sharing my experiences and research methods, I hope to inspire and guide you on your own path of discovery.

Every family has stories waiting to be uncovered. Your ancestors’ lives, struggles, and triumphs are part of your heritage, and this blog will show you how to piece together those fascinating family narratives.

Beyond simply collecting names and dates, I’ll guide you through the art of storytelling—bringing your ancestors to life by adding historical context to their stories. This approach transforms dry genealogical data into vivid family histories that truly honour your heritage.

Ready to begin? Let’s embark on this rewarding journey of family discovery together.

  • Family History Societies.

    The following are my thoughts and observations on these Societies. I must admit that I am a member of many, both here in Australia and in the UK. There are some very good Societies and some not so… I am unsure of the approach to take regarding Societies. I thought about the Pros and Cons Read more

  • 50th

    This is the 50th writing to be published in a very eventful year. Since the end of January 2023, I have been on an emotional roller coaster – full of memories, happiness, sadness and everything in between. Recap. The first half of the year to the end of June was more about generic family history Read more

  • State Pension: UK

    Question? How did family history assist me with applying for the state pension in the UK? Why? Having lived and worked in the UK for more than 10 years, the local authorities advised I had to apply! I am fairly sure I know the reasoning behind this but I’d only be guessing and that’s really Read more

  • Great Grandparents: What I Found.

    There you have it. Insights into my seven great grandparents. I am sure if you have read them you would have realized that the words are my interpretations of them. Detail of context was gathered from research plus my personal knowledge of the world and local events. Within my collections, I have original letters written Read more

  • Great Grand Parent: Seven.

    Mystery. To start the story – it’s a bit of a mystery. There have been a number of possible answers but nothing has been proven. One of my cousins, Elizabeth Hook, was on the hunt for answers. She would regularly provide details of her findings to my mother. My mother was interested in knowing about Read more

  • Great Grand Parents: Six.

    You were previously introduced to my English great-grandfather as mentioned in “The Arrivals – 1883” on board the “Hampshire”. Ludlow, Shropshire. My name is Henry Bluck and I was born in Ludlow Shropshire on 13 September 1864. My parents were Henry and Mary Bluck (nee Breakwell). Father was a journeyman shoemaker. I was the fifth Read more