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Monday 23 March 2015

A-Z Challenge 2015 - Theme Revealed

"Family History -  
Sources & Stories" 

is my theme for the
2015 A-Z Challenge.



I am a family history enthusiast, based in Scotland,  sharing my interest on my blog  Family History Fun.  In previous years of the Challenge. I have taken as my themes " A Sense of Place" and "My Scotthish Borders".  This year I am reverting to what I know best - Family History. 


Family History is so much more than names and dates, but all about discovering stories.  So in this challenge, I shall be  exploring a range of records that can  help you find out  about the lives and times of your ancestors and  in turn enhance writing  your family history.  For it is the richness of the detail in our family stories that make them so fascinating  to ourselves and interesting to others.

Much of my focus will be  on Scottish records, but I shall also be looking at sources (both formal and informal) that  I have used to tell the story of my English ancestors, going well beyond the standard big three of  Certificates, Censuses and Church Records.

I hope you will find the suggestions useful, particularly if you are at an early stage of your ancestral trail. 

As an introductio
A is forAdventure - when I started toying with the idea of tracing my family history, how little did I know on what a journey of adventure it would be - finding my way through the resources; alighting on surprising coincidences such as my great grandmother Maria Rawcliffe  born the same day as my daughter 114 years later;  discovering I had American connection;  hitting obstacles with the birth of my grandmother and the name of her mother remaining  my major brick-wall;  being at times astonished, puzzled  and moved by what I discovered.  


Here is a taster-  
I shall be looking at Archives & Anecdotes, Bibles, Businesses & Black Sheep,  Epitaphs & Ephemera, Funerals & Farming,  through to Mortcloths & Militias,  Occupations & Obituaries,   Sasines & Statistical Accounts, Timelines & Taxation, Wills and War,  ending with Z for Zeppelina  - a Christian name I came across in a 1916 newspaper report.  


So do join me on this A-Z Journey  and share with me your comments.

 A photograph that started me on my ancestral trail.  My aunt Edith & my mother Kathleen Danson  are the two little girl  at the front of this parade in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, c.1912.  My mohter (on the right) does not look too happy, but is so cute in her little boots and big hat.  


Thank you for your interest   

15 comments:

  1. I love this theme, Susan! Even though I won't be using any Scottish sources, I'm sure to get ideas to apply to my own family research.

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    1. Thank you, Wendy, for your encouraging comment.

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  2. Hello, ScotSue! Glad to see you again. I will be doing the same sort of thing - Genealogy Trivia, I call mine - talking about things like Mounted coral, Lacemaking, and Thatched roofs, among others. See you in April!

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    1. Hi, Ros. I look forward to reading your original theme- it sound fun.

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  3. Can't wait to read your posts! Tracing my Scottish ancestry is something I've always wanted to do but have never known how. Hopefully I can get some good tips from you!

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    1. Many thanks, Keebles, for your enthusiastic reply.

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  4. I look forward to following you through the A-Z Challenge again this year :)

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    1. Thank you, Kristin. I hope you enjoy reading the posts.

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  5. Family history is fun! As a storyteller, I love collecting family stories and looking into the past of my ancestors. Great theme!

    @TarkabarkaHolgy from
    Multicolored Diary - Epics from A to Z
    MopDog - The crazy thing about Hungarians...

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    1. Many thanks for taking the time to comment and giving me the link your site. Enjoy the challenge!

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  6. Great topic. Family history is so exciting. Discovering your ancestors and what they were like. I've done a lot of genealogy on my family, both my mother's and father's sides and hope to do more. Looking forward to reading your posts.

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  7. Many thanks, Beverley, for your comment. Are you taking part, too, in the A-Z Challenge?

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    1. Hi. Yes, I am. Here's my link:
      http://beverlystowemcclure.blogspot.com
      My topic is animals. :)

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  8. What an awesome theme. Personal stories rather than fiction appeal to me so will be dropping by to read your posts. Thanks so much for visiting my theme reveal. All the best.

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  9. Thank you Suzy for your encouraging comment. I hope you enjoy my posts.

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