52 Ancestors challenge - Week 5 - Branching out

 

As you gain confidence with your family history research branching out into tracing other families which are connected in some way is inevitable.  We first start with looking at our fathers’ and mothers’ families, two families, then when we go back to grandparents, two more families to research, and so it continues continually increasing the further back we go in our family story.

If your family have been resident in a small town or village for many generations, you may find that there are multiple connections with your family over several generations.  Small communities can offer little opportunity for marriage, so some people venture further away, for work, or adventure and then you get branches of your family who live in another part of the county or country, or even abroad. 

What I find fascinating is the kinship networks which can become apparent by studying your family.  The more you delve, the more connections can be found – marriage, work, church or chapel or social activities. 

Since the 1970s, and perhaps more so now that more datasets and digital records are available to view online, connections with my families have become clearer, and in some cases have given me more leads to chase up.    

From my paternal Nickels family in Hertfordshire, London and Suffolk, UK I have now researched in some way the Sutch, Israel, Woodman, New, Dominy, Baker, Hunt, Fairhead, Borrett, Kemp, Bigsby, Boulton/Bolton, Fiske/Fisk and Colby families.

From my maternal Morgan family, mostly in north Hertfordshire and south Bedfordshire, since the 17^th century, I have also researched, Taylor, Cotton, Moules/Moles, the families of my Gt Grandparents – then with their ancestors also done some research on the Day, Muncey, Brown, Pratt, Rook, Dilley and Darton families.  Not all direct relatives but connected by marriage. 

Then, when we married we also researched my husband’s families – Tunesi, we have a One-Name Study registered with the Guild of One-Name Studies (GOONS), Whenmouth, Thomas, Wild, and in Scotland, as he is half Scots, we have researched his mother’s family of Dodds, Muir, Gibson and Ewing in Wigtownshire.  

Branching out of the main line of research with genealogy is inevitable.  Going down rabbit holes of collateral interest you may find treasure, but also the odd brick.