Genealogy Chat

You have researched your tree and attached the birth, marriage, death, probate, census records. You've attached any newspaper cuttings etc... but do you add anything else?

Do you research the living conditions, the politics of the times they lived, their occupations, the technology of the day or do you just leave it at the records. If you like the history surrounding the lives of the people in your tree?

The truthful answer is that it is my 'good intention' to do so lol, but it hasn't happened yet!

What I want to do is not just have a tree of names and dates, but to have a written account of as many of the people as I can, even if it is just short descriptions in some cases of where they lived and worked, and how their lives interlinked, families staying in the same area for generations, following the same line of work. Why they may have moved away and whether that worked out for them.

I like to add historical facts, to research what was happening in their lifetimes. I have miners in my tree so researched the miners strike of 1926 as this would of effected my Grandfather. Also the conditions in the mines.

I have researched technologies the agricultural labourers used. I'm still adding to it. It's addictive and I think adding events in my ancestors timeline helps to put flesh on their bones.

I have a friend who made her tree into a cookbook. She had favourite recipes of her family and put a branch of the tree on the opposite page to the recipe. It was great when it was finished.

I try to add anything I can find, I've copied chunks of text about occupations and the area they lived.

One thing I do (when I have time) is read novels set in the area and time period (if I can find them), gives a feel for their lives. Same goes for watching any TV programmes that might be relevant (Catherine Cookson dramas are very close to how a lot of my family would have lived).

Mine were boring..they didn't do anything

Before they came to London most were ag labs in Hertfordshire, Essex and Cambridge. My paternal line came from Devon but that was before the census's started, so not sure what they were before but they were Turncocks for a few generations, which doesn't sound very interesting either

If anyone has managed to get their tree back to the 16th century then the BBC programme A Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England is a must.

It's well worth watching even if you haven't gone back that far.

Researching 1 line of mine I discovered he died in Paris during the time of the the events depicted in Les Miserables. I was just reminded of this as my daughter was watching it tonight and came downstairs blubbing.

That sounds an interesting program KenSe. I must check it out. even though my tree is stuck in the 1600's

Jax to me it doesn't matter if they lead really interesting lives or boring ones I just want an understanding of how they lived so to do this I look at what their occupation was. In your family whose occupation was turncock. This is what they did:-

turncock ['t??n?k?k]
n
(Historical Terms) (formerly) an official employed to turn on the water for the mains supply
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

Thesaurus Legend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun 1. turncock - one employed to control water supply by turning water mains on and off
employee - a worker who is hired to perform a job
2. turncock - faucet consisting of a rotating device for regulating flow of a liquid
stopcock, cock
faucet, spigot - a regulator for controlling the flow of a liquid from a reservoir
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

So by today's standards not very important but back then a responsible job even though it wouldn't have didn't pay much.

LadyKira. You are lucky to have the flavour of France at the time of your ancestors demise depicted in Les Mis.

I have some glass workers in my tree and am considering taking a glass blowing course just to walk a few steps in my ancestors footsteps

I know what a Turncock did Toots....it was just boring :-D

I have found a few proper trades or interesting jobs in my mums side, the Hackney cab driver (horse) I have visions of what his life was like in London...in all that smog and Jack the Ripper lurking in the side streets :-D then there is another who sold newspapers...maybe outside Liverpool st station, perhaps to the Gt grandfather in his horse drawn cab

I have Ag Labs on my Mums side, Weavers and Mariners were Dads lot. Building my tree has led me to purchase books on 18th and 19th century Agriculture and strangely enough Railways which were so important in their effect on Social Intercourse (okay, watch it you dirty minded lot)

Strangest occupation so far is "Cupola Keeper" which involved watching shipping traffic and keeping an eye on the local navigation lights. :-)