Delving into Family History

My delving into family history started on the death of my father, my mother was clearing out some of dad’s effects – I took them home and found amongst them his army book which gave me information to all the places he came across in North Africa. Dad was captured outside Tobruk and sent to Italy and placed in a prison camp then later transferred to a German prison camp. I decided to see how much information I could get. I visited the “Imperial War Museum” they were very helpful in supplying me with information regarding the circumstances of his capture.

At that time I knew nothing about my family other than they originated from the Isle of Wight – I contacted the IOW main library and they provided me with details of my Great Grand parents and their children. I also joined the IOW Family History Association and managed to get more info.

I joined the Orpington u3a running a group playing cribbage, after 10 years I changed and joined the Family History Group. We met and compared notes on our findings, we had outings to the Family Records Centre which used to be in Myddelton Street London (closed in 2008 and moved to Kew), to find the information you required was to get the large tome and wade through till you came across the information you required. We also visited the “Newspaper Archives” which was in Colindale, North London (now moved to the midlands).

At our meetings we discussed various aspects of Family History, which means stories of individual family members, we also discussed our names and where they originated from.

We obtained our information from Libraries and National Archives and Family History Groups of different countries of the area your family lived and via the internet. All were very helpful

Virtually all of our members have had their DNA taken via “Ancestry” and have made contact with other members who share your DNA.

Family History member’s lament – “If only I had asked about the family before it was too late”