Genealogy on the road

Published on Tuesday 15 August 2006 12:53

FAMILY history is not only about poring over sheets of notes and staring at computer screens. The most rewarding aspect can often be the excuse or motivation to get out and about. Tracing your ancestors enables you to have fun visiting relatives, old haunts, museums and graveyards.

From the very beginning of your research, the collection of names, dates and places will give you locations to visit.

Of course, in many cases you may be living in the same area. You now have a reason to walk more purposefully about the streets and lanes and byways, looking for addresses and buildings.Quick tip:

Knock at the door and ask permission to take photos. You may even be welcomed in to look at the layout of the house – and garden.

But the most exciting opportunities come when you are living far from your roots. Now you can go and visit the places where your forebears lived and worked. Take a camera and a good map. You may even be able to download an old map from.genuki.org.uk or suchlike.

(Retired people are often drawn to take up family history – Scotland's new nation-wide travel passes make such trips affordable.)

What to look for

Relative: It may seem an obvious point to make, but do your homework at home and not on location. If there are any relatives left in the old haunts, let them know in advance you are coming, and be polite. They may not be as hooked on ancestor hunting as you are.Quick tip:

For travels more further afield, you can find details of overseas graves and memorials on the awesome website of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. It is simple to search and will detail locations and background to the military action. A gem.

Buildings: If you're lucky those addresses you have tracked down from census returns and Birth, Marriages and Death (BMD) certificates may still exist. Take photos – and not just of the house – of the views your ancestors would have gazed on each day from their front door.

Finding a family home is a matter of luck. A more likely candidate is the church where your ancestors worshipped and were married. Don't forget a photo of the baptismal font.

The graveyard is an extremely special place and even if you don't find a gravestone, snap away. You'll get a lot of the atmosphere. Many family history societies transcribe monumental inscriptions, so you may know in advance that there are gravestones of interest. Take a soft brush (not a wire one) along with you, and try and time your photos to take advantage of a helpful oblique sun.Quick tip:

When you come to focus on a particular locality, consider joining the local family history society, even if you cannot attend their meeting. Their publications and members' interests will be well worth the moderate annual subscription. Most have enthusiastic members who will undertake minor search for you at reasonable rates.

Very few families got through world wars without losing family members. The recent logging of all such sites throughout Britain will let you know where the memorial is and who is listed. It's another poignant photo opportunity.

Not far behind the church are the schools and maybe even be the factory or fields where your ancestors toiled. Use your imagination as well as your camera.

The local library: It may not be as grand as the great city libraries, but the local library will be well worth a visit. It may possess small local publications not available in the larger libraries, produced by local enthusiasts. The librarian will certainly know of such works and of the activities of the local history society, plus you should be able to find out the location of any old photographs of the area. Buy copies if you can.

Local enthusiasts: Websites – especially GENUKI (above) – will guide you to the web links of the local history enthusiasts. Try and fit in your visit to coincide with one of their meetings.

Museums and galleries: Both a result of and a stimulus to family history, many small specialist museums have sprung up throughout Scotland. These will give you an enjoyable and effective means of getting to know the community from which you have sprung. These concentrate on a locality or even an industry.Quick tip:

You don't have to have aristocratic roots to find that Scotland's stately homes can help you understand your family's history. Remember: there were even more people working Downstairs than enjoying themselves Upstairs. Domestic service was as big an industry as mining or farming or fishing.

So if your ancestors toiled in the fields of Angus, down the mines of Midlothian or on the trawlers of Aberdeen, you can find a museum to help you understand their lives. Similarly if you want to get the feel of island life on the Orkneys or the Hebrides, of rural life in Ayrshire or city life in Glasgow or Dundee, there are local museums that will offer you just that.

You'll find a friendly guide at www.scottishmuseums.org.uk that will let you search museums by name or locality. You can find out visiting hours and prices and everything you need to plan a trip.

Don't forget to bring extra batteries (and film for non-digital users) for that camera!