Page 36 - Lifestyle Oct Nov 2020

GENEALOGY
DEVELOPING A PASSION FOR GENEALOGY By Clare Wilson
Family history research has spiked since the lockdown and has seen people taking up the hobby as a way to fill their time.
I started my own research 16 years ago to help pass the cold dark winters having always been curious about finding out more about my roots.
My first task was to visit family members who were able to pass on information left by previous generations along with old photographs and documents. I must advise if you are thinking about taking up this hobby don’t leave this too late, otherwise your relatives may be gone along with the information they could have passed you!
Armed with this information I quickly realised how addictive the hobby can be as I searched my way through birth, marriage and death entries, wills and census returns and before
I knew it the winter had passed quicker than usual.
Better weather always brings a new opportunity to search for gravestones or visit the towns where ancestors lived. In some ways this means you get to visit places that perhaps you would never have otherwise visited. More recently
I have been researching my Smith, Paterson, Ross and Troup ancestors in the Banff and Forglen areas which gives the perfect excuse for weekends away!
I would definitely recommend joining a Family History Society as most have their own office loaded with records and books that as a member you can access for free. Most hold
regular meetings with speakers which is a good way to learn more about a variety of family history topics and it’s a good way to meet like- minded people.
As your knowledge progresses you start to dig further by searching in newspapers, directories, military records, maps and any other interesting records housed in local libraries or archives. This is what adds character to these family members.
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Elizabeth Smith Born 1840 in Banff.