One of my hobbies is researching my family… I’m interested in where we come from! Another thing I really enjoy is being in the company of my own family; I have nine living cousins, one sadly passed away several years ago, and they have twenty children between them, so the family tree is spreading onward too… and onward as there are seven grandchildren and three more due later this year.
It is somehow very satisfying in meeting these tiny new additions and adding new names to the tree; however sometimes, sadly names are deleted too. I’m not just thinking of the natural passing away of people but unfortunately some of my cousins marriages have not lasted. Luckily lovely new partners arrive too, and just yesterday one of my cousins announced that she was going to re-marry! What an opportunity for joy and celebration, and it brings four lovely step-children and a step-grandchild into the family.
Our family is not uncommon in having splits, separations and divorces, but I wonder what impact it will have on future genealogists trying to sort out the different partners some married, some not, and the complicated modern family of half-siblings and step-siblings and sometimes multiple parents-in-law and grandparents?
Lois Elsden 
Great post – I know what you mean about modern day families but I have also had confusion like this with some of my family tree – particularly going back to the times when quite a lot of women died in childbirth. I have found quite a few multiple marriages etc..
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True… also when several children are given the same name, usually because the elder has died, but not always! Also when you have a load of Williams married to Marys or other people with common names!
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Absolutely – the other thing which is very frustrating – going off topic here – is when the surname can easily be misheard or is not common and difficult to spell – this has cost us days and days of research time.
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Ditto… some of the early census enumerators were not necessarily very literate themselves and also of course if they were talking to people with country accents names could be written down totally incorrectly! If I’m looking for someone elusive I try all sorts of different spellings, adding ‘h’ or missing it off the beginnings of names. Also people suddenly change to using their middle name as first name… frustrating, but so exciting when you find them, isn’t it?!!
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I know this sounds awful but it’s nice to know you have had the same frustrations as us. As for exciting – well I have been so excited when I have tracked people down – there’s one thing about family history – it never fails to shock. There’s a new Who Do You Think You Are on – I’ve taped it but not watched it yet. Some are better than others though.
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I enjoyed it… fascinating but now I’m more practiced at researching it seemed so slow the way they went about it, but I guess they have to appeal to people who aren’t used to using modern technology.
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Yes, I see what you mean. Do you travel a lot to do your research?
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Actually no, all on the internet as my family all has roots far away from me. I do take photos when we are in the right area. What about you? Do you have many genealogical adventures… I’m thinking you do!
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Not as many as I would like. It’s something I am definitely hoping to do more of. I watched the “Who Do You Think You Are?” last night and the second part was very interesting but I do know what you mean about the speed of how long it takes them to find things out. The actress who was doing it did the most wonderful ‘gasps’ every time she found something out – it was worth watching it simply for that.
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Dear Lois, Interesting comments. I do wonder what our census returns will look like compared to a 100 years ago with more “blended” families on the increase. The complex nature of families reminds me of a family I was researching recently whereby the widowed in-laws fell in love and married. So their respective children were their step children and daughter and son-in law!
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