It is all very well finding information on the internet with dates of births, marriages and deaths plus various other snippets here and there, but it is something quite different having a piece of paper handwritten by an ancestor who lived over 100 years ago.
Although the 52 ancestors in 52 weeks challenge is primarily about finding stories of individuals in your tree, it is also about families.
I like to think that on a cold and wet Monday afternoon in the winter of 1874, thirty six year old, as yet unmarried, Henry Ross was sitting by the fireside in his adopted parents' manor house, a few days after the funeral of his adopted mother, when he decided it was about time he transcribed for posterity details of the children's births and deaths which his grandfather, William Bird the builder of Newnham, had written in the family bible from around 1798.
When William died in 1833 the bible must have been passed to his adopted mother, William's daughter Harriott whose husband, John Coveney, added the entry about Margaret's death a year later in 1875.
Henry Ross, son of Francis Ross and Anne Bird, had been living with John and Harriott since he was a child. His 37 year old father had died five and a half months before Henry was born; the cause being "decline", probably tuberculosis.
Little did he know then what a valuable source of information this would provide to his wife's great grand nephew and that 140 years later a copy would be posted on the internet with the potential for it to be seen by millions.
Perhaps one day it would be a good idea for me to sit down with my photograph album and go through and write the names of those who appear in the photos. I know who the people are but someone in 150 years time won't and I bet they would be grateful if todays generation left something handwritten rather than nameless photos.
Although the 52 ancestors in 52 weeks challenge is primarily about finding stories of individuals in your tree, it is also about families.
I like to think that on a cold and wet Monday afternoon in the winter of 1874, thirty six year old, as yet unmarried, Henry Ross was sitting by the fireside in his adopted parents' manor house, a few days after the funeral of his adopted mother, when he decided it was about time he transcribed for posterity details of the children's births and deaths which his grandfather, William Bird the builder of Newnham, had written in the family bible from around 1798.
When William died in 1833 the bible must have been passed to his adopted mother, William's daughter Harriott whose husband, John Coveney, added the entry about Margaret's death a year later in 1875.
Henry Ross, son of Francis Ross and Anne Bird, had been living with John and Harriott since he was a child. His 37 year old father had died five and a half months before Henry was born; the cause being "decline", probably tuberculosis.
Little did he know then what a valuable source of information this would provide to his wife's great grand nephew and that 140 years later a copy would be posted on the internet with the potential for it to be seen by millions.
Perhaps one day it would be a good idea for me to sit down with my photograph album and go through and write the names of those who appear in the photos. I know who the people are but someone in 150 years time won't and I bet they would be grateful if todays generation left something handwritten rather than nameless photos.