Island Life Magazine Ltd February/March 2012 | Page 59

FEATURE
hobby which really lends itself to dark,
chilly evenings, but once again the
course in June/July sold out.
“The subject appeals not just to older
folk, but to people of all ages. Every
course has a wide age range and an
equally wide range of experience in
family history and computer usage.
Although not absolutely essential,
computers can be of immense help
in locating records and tracing and
identifying ancestors. Subscription
websites can be invaluable, but to the
inexperienced can be an expensive
minefield. There are ways and means
and specific techniques which should
be used to get the best results from
these sites.”
Linda’ first encounter with the
internet was to search for her Welsh
great grandfather, John Roberts.
With over 49,000 hits she realised
she had a lot to learn. “Suffice to say
I have come a long way since then
despite having more than my fair
share of common names. However,
as helpful as the internet can be, it is
vitally important to obtain copies of
original documents, at least for direct
ancestors, to verify your research,”
she explained. “It is the quality of
the research which counts, not the
quantity of the relations you include.”
Novices invariably plunge into
research without sufficient knowledge
of what is involved, which can result
in wasting time, money and effort. It
can be very easy to make a small error
which can lead to claiming the wrong
family as your own.
Sometimes research can become
distressing. Linda emphasised: “At
the beginning of each course I always
warn about the likelihood of finding
cases of illegitimacy, bigamy, relatives
in workhouses, infant mortality,
descriptions of ‘idiot’ or ‘imbecile’ all
of which can occur only one or two
generations from yourself.
“If this kind of discovery is going
to be very upsetting then you may
wish to consider not continuing with
research. It can be an addictive and
absorbing hobby, but the thrill of
discovery is immense. As people delve

into their past, their proficiency will
improve but at some stage they will
encounter at least one ‘brick wall’.
This is where you need to learn to
think ‘outside the box’ with your
research.”
The topics Linda covers include
Civil Registration; Census data; Parish
records including BMD’s, Bishops
transcripts, and Poor Laws; wills;
immigration; Military records and
apprenticeships, as well as a wide range
of internet websites.
“All this research generates a large
amount of data which is essential to
record and I suggest a free programme
which is extremely useful, copies of
which can be sent to fellow researchers
to share. You will also collect a lot of
paper records and ideas are given for
storage and indexing.
“Some people go on to produce a
written record for posterity and once
you are in possession of the facts, the
way you tell your story is entirely in
your hands. For instance it has become
very popular in the US to present your
offspring with a book on their family
history.
Family History Societies can be
very helpful and I encourage people
to join one in their area of interest. I
also review the Isle of Wight Family

History Society as it is of significant
value to anyone researching on the
island and their website is the best
I’ve ever encountered. I only wish all
Family History Society websites were
half as good.
“One session of the course is spent at
the island Record Office in Newport.
Chief Archivist, Richard Smout, talks
to the class about how record offices
work and shows some of the records
you can expect to find – tithe maps;
directories; electoral registers; school
logs books to name but a few. He
explains how to prepare for a visit to a
Record Office, what to ask and what
to expect.”
Linda added: “I’m hoping the courses
will continue but I am also hoping to
diversify by offering private research;
organising family reunions or indexing
and organising historical documents.
I have thoroughly enjoyed running
the courses and watching other people
experience the joys of discovering their
ancestry.”
Some of Linda’s research can been
seen on website at: http://www.
mysons.org.uk/familywebsite/index.
htm

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