Have You Researched Your Family Tree

[tip top]

After watching the programme who do you think you are, I decided to start to research my family tree.

I've got back to late 1700's but having trouble getting any further.

Has anyone done their family research and any advice on how to get further back? Is it worth paying websites to access information? Any recommended?

Also any funny stories or famous ancestors?

My ggg grandfather was a cattle dealer who lived in shropshire in a mud hut, pikey!

 

[Nibble]

It turns out my family are a bunch of ****s.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

I think my parents have got back to the 1600s. I will ask them what tactics they have used and get back to you on that front. We appear to stem from 'oop North (Big players in the salt industry in Northwich) and Cornwall (Methodist preachers ).

 

[The Large One]

The best I can do is go by what my grandmother told me that she is (and therefore I am also) a direct descendant of Benjamin Franklin.

 

[Gully]

I found out, from NSC, that my ggg grandfather was a fisherman on the river Arun...I had always believed that he was a lime-burner (working in the chalk quarry) in Amberley. I am tempted to try and trace the family tree of my dads paternal line, I know little about them other than they came from Shropshire, nice and handy from where I live to go and visit.

 

[Southover Street Seagull]

After watching the programme who do you think you are, I decided to start to research my family tree.

I've got back to late 1700's but having trouble getting any further.

Has anyone done their family research and any advice on how to get further back? Is it worth paying websites to access information? Any recommended?

Also any funny stories or famous ancestors?

My ggg grandfather was a cattle dealer who lived in shropshire in a mud hut, pikey!

www.ancestry.co.uk is very good, I have got back to 1811 so far, but I now need to visit London to continue my research.

 

[smudge]

I've discovered that the paper my Dad went out to buy when I was 11 without ever returning, was in fact the Daily Sketch.

 

[Barnet Seagull]

It turns out my family are a bunch of ****s.

if ever there was an argument for nature over nurture...

 

[Gazwag]

My sister has been doing ours, apparently I'm related to a ferret farm owner in Kent, who was the main supplier of ferrets to the trenches in the 1st World War, but he left all his money to his house keeper.

 

[Dave the OAP]

The only really interesting thing I found ( my Grans sister was the Lady mayoress of Scarborough) was on my dads side.

My dads mum was one of three sisters and a brother who lived in Belfast. Anyway, their mum and dad had agreed to go to America just before the war and they had it all planned. The family sold their house, the dad left his job, and on the night before they were due to sail to America, Dad( my GGd) went out to say goodbye to his mates, took with him all the money they had and blew it all on beer and gambling.!!!!!!!

GGrandma went ballistic and took the family the next day down to the port, explained the situation but the shipping company would not take them to the states, they however took pity and allowed them to jump on the first boat to Liverpool, they left him in Belfast and eventually settled in Huddersfield, where GGd finally came over and settled with them.

To her dying day, Nan used to go mental when she recited the story..

 

[London Calling]

Our surname is Franks.

Basically, the Franks ruled most of Europe circa 500 ad - 950 AD, with the core based around FRance. By the time of the norman invasion. Frankish power had waned and many Barons were mercenaries and is likely they popped over with William.

Somewhere around Haywards Heath isn't there a village called Franks or Frankslet?

LC

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Our surname is Franks.

Somewhere around Haywards Heath isn't there a village called Franks or Frankslet?

LC

Franklands Village, I think you mean.

Think my Dad's gone back a long way with our family tree, don't think there was anything of note on it though. The Alistair McGowan episode of WDYTYA was quite interesting, when he found out his father's half of the family were all Indian, instead of Scottish as he'd hoped.

It transpired there was no Scottish blood in him whatsoever, and his father's side since about 1600 were all Anglo Indians, ie the product of a marriage between an Irishman and an Indian woman. Was also fascinating that there were loads of Indians (by that I mean of Indian ethnic appearance) with names like Johnny McGowan and Cecil McGowan all over the place, all distantly related to Alistair.

 

[captainmorganrum]

I'm a Jones mun!

Needle/haystack/needle.

I can't be arsed!

 

[Everest]

My great grandfather was THIS BLOKE (number 10)

 

[Les Biehn]

Our surname is Franks.

Basically, the Franks ruled most of Europe circa 500 ad - 950 AD, with the core based around FRance. By the time of the norman invasion. Frankish power had waned and many Barons were mercenaries and is likely they popped over with William.

Somewhere around Haywards Heath isn't there a village called Franks or Frankslet?

LC

Franklands Village. Currrently the fine figures of Kinky Gerbils and myself can be seen turning out for their ressies most Saturdays. We will try to do you proud (lost 5-1 last week).

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Traced the family line back to 930AD to the man who started the family surname in Ireland.

After him we have the name of every clan chief up until around 1550 when we are able to trace direct lineage.

But we were lucky because we were from noble lines in Ireland so the Monks of the time recorded all the commings and going of the clan nobility in Ireland including deaths and battles etc..

We were O'Loughlin, Princes of the Burren.

 

[London Calling]

Franklands Village. Currrently the fine figures of Kinky Gerbils and myself can be seen turning out for their ressies most Saturdays. We will try to do you proud (lost 5-1 last week).

Losing 5-1 is not doing my hierachial name any good - does the place have any history Especially with Norman and his mates?

 

[Les Biehn]

Losing 5-1 is not doing my hierachial name any good - does the place have any history Especially with Norman and his mates?

As far as I can tell it was built in the 20's to provide people (the pikeys of Haywards Heath) with affordable housing.

Not sure it has any link with you heritage.

By the way it was in the cup and they were 2 divisions above us. We were f***ing shit though.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Our surname is Franks.

Basically, the Franks ruled most of Europe circa 500 ad - 950 AD, with the core based around FRance. By the time of the norman invasion. Frankish power had waned and many Barons were mercenaries and is likely they popped over with William.

Somewhere around Haywards Heath isn't there a village called Franks or Frankslet?

LC

Charlemagne being the most famous Frank of all time.

 

[Les Biehn]

Apparently Franks means free. As in 'can I be Frank' (i.e speak freely), or 'Frankly speaking, NSC is full of dicks'.