Getting back into it!

I don't think I've done any really family history research since last year. It's been on my mind a lot, but many things have kept me away from research. Things like:

• The birth of my son!
• The stupid illness (ME)
• Having my wife and son at home for the first 12 months
• Getting ready to move house
• Moving house!
• Other interests, such as photography (which has taken up a lot of my free time)

However, my son has started nursery and my wife has gone back to work. We finally moved home  11 days ago and things in general are starting to settle down.

I have so much scanning to do, it's unbelievable. This is because I found a big collection of photographs and newspaper clippings at my mum's house, which I've had for about a year now and not even looked at since I first found it. Also, my father-in-law gave my wife a suitcase full of photographs and various records. So, I think the scanning will be a big priority - and the cropping that comes after it.

I was lucky that someone in my extended family has access to the 1939 register. But unlucky that I only had 2 grandparents that lived in England and only 1 was on the register! I need to add the information to my family tree as it provides data not just on my grandmother, but some of her siblings, her father, and his second wife.

So, I have 2 main tasks. I know what I need to do. Now all I need is the motivation to do it!

Book Review: A History of Ancient Britain by Neil Oliver

I've been enjoying Neil Oliver documentaries for many years now, and felt it was time I gave one of his books a go.

Book Review: Tracing Your Ancestors Using the Census by Emma Jolly

This is by far, the best genealogy book I've read so far. Balancing historical context with practical,
hands on advice and analysis, this was a joy to read.

Book Review: Research Your Surname by Dr. Graeme Davis

This book is short and focused ad because of this, it was the perfect first book to learn about surnames. Each chapter is sub-divided so that there is a paragraph or two on each single topic, for instance, surname drift or Norman England.

This is such an accessible book that has made me feel much more confident with my surname studies and given me clear directions on what I should be looking for and where my research should be headed. While I had already realised that I needed to go back as far as possible to get as close as possible to the origin of surnames in my family, I can also use distribution maps when I find that my family lived in certain areas. I also need to spend time looking for place names, occupations, or topographical features in those areas that may have originally provided the origin of individual surnames. The author teaches us to be sceptical of convenient surname definitions, for instance is it likely in a country where brown hair is very common that the surname Brown would be given due to hair colour?

I have some very common surnames, such as Brown, which this book helpfully describes and tells me that the research on this surname doesn't provide a clear definition. I also have surnames that aren't English and aren't common worldwide, never mind in Britain, so there is no definition I'm aware of, only the research I've been conducting - but this book is helpful for that too - as I've written about in the paragraph above.

There are some excellent chapters on surnames of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. A reasonable amount of history described means that the reader can get a real sense of the events of the period that surnames were formed - and why certain surnames occur in certain areas.

If you'd like to begin surname research, or just get a better grasp of what a surname is - then read this book. It's short, so won't take up too much time; but full of very useful information. An added bonus is how readable it is. Give it a go!