#52ancestors (Wk6): Social Media – Alfred Vickery

Surnames provide those instinctive foundation ‘props’ when first getting stuck into drawing up a family tree. Over time, stories become the driving interest, but when I began, it was always those names. When it comes to this week’s #52ancestors theme of ‘Social Media,’ surnames provide an easy ‘hashtagable’ way of sharing my interest areas, not …

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#52ancestors (Wk5): Oops – Thomas Backhouse

When I first started doing my family tree as a teenager in the 1980s, I thought my first mistake was pretty justified. Unilaterally, I decided that when it came to research, I was only interested in my Mum Mary’s side of the family. It was because my Dad’s Dad, Spencer Simpson (1914-1982) was such a …

#52ancestors (Wk4): Education – Rhoda Phillips

While the theme for this week’s chosen ancestor is ‘Education,’ the inspiration for the choice is related to a simple link, more to do with the home address for the last few decades of her life – School Hill, Little Sandhurst, Berkshire. My 2x great grandmother, Rhoda Phillips. Rhoda Phillips [7 February, 1876 (Dipley, Hampshire) …

#52ancestors (Wk3): Out of Place – Sarah Halfacre

The Basingstoke Canal navigates its way through the area of Surrey and Hampshire that I call home. Never a real commercial success after its completion in 1794, it was brought back to life in the last forty years through volunteer restoration. The waterway does however provide the picturesque backdrop to the early life of my …

#52ancestors (Wk2): Favourite Photo – Ellen Eliza Sawyer (or ‘Nana Coombes’)

Casting a spell for many a year, this photo of my great-grandmother Ellen Eliza Sawyer [b. 30 March, 1898 (Dogmersfield, Hants) – d. 1 March, 1953 (Guildford, Surrey)] has entranced three generations of my family – her son (my grandfather, Frank); her grand-daughter (my Mum, Mary) and yours truly. 'That' photo of Ellen Eliza, As …

Going Back

Family history research has become a bit of an addiction over the years, taking hold with varying intensities since I was a teenager. In recent years, that interest has become a bit of a comfort blanket, taking up ever increasing amounts of my time, with more of a passion for the human stories, and the …