Page 9 - Just another English family (Sep 2019)

Acknowledgements
Compiling acknowledgments is hazardous, for one is in danger of omitting crucial people. The ones one perhaps takes for granted are the most in danger, so from the outset I wish to thank my wife, Jennifer, who has enabled me to fulfil the personal indulgence of completing the family history of the Soothills. Of course, a family history is never complete. There is, hopefully, the unwritten future of a family – which will eventually become history - so there is always more to tell. But the past is never completely unearthed. This is especially true in this account for there are parts which seem thin by any standard. Perhaps there is more that can be said, but others will need to say it. Perhaps this book will prompt family members to consider what they hold, both in their memories and in their possessions, which may throw more light on the ‘thin’ parts.
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Meanwhile, there are others to thank. First, I want to acknowledge the help of the late Eric Soothill of the Rochdale branch. When I got interested in the family tree after the death of my father, Frederick, in 1990, and I wrote around to those Soothills I could identify from the telephone directories of England and Wales, it was Eric who bounded out with an enthusiasm and commitment to the task of finding out about the Soothills. Eric focused in particular on the parish records of the eighteenth century, while I focused largely on the official records from 1837 when the recording of births, marriages and deaths became more centrally administered. Although Eric saw something of the developing tree and experienced the excitement of finding that there was more around than he expected, the initial thrust of our interest petered out before anything substantial was produced. Sadly, he had died before I resurrected this project in my retirement. I think Eric should have the dedication, for he represents what I think is the best of the Soothills, but all that comes later and you will have to wait until (or skip to) the final chapter before those ‘truths’ emerge.
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There are many others too numerous to list (or rather I am too afraid I will miss out some and so it is easier to avoid a list!) who have helped me in various ways over the years. However, there is another exception I wish to mention.
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