Are the rewards worth it, l think so. (Geneology)

Member Name: happytohelp

Product:	Geneology
Date:	15/10/09 (31 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: You see yourself in a different way

Disadvantages: It can be very expensive and addictive

l had never thought about looking into my family tree till my beloved elderly Auntie died.
l found out then that she had been writing her life story for her children and grandchilden and they decided to have it published.
This book,Brum by Candle Light, tells the story of my grandparents hardship,like so many others living in Birmingham during the 1900s.
That book started my journey into looking further back into my family tree.
At the time of my research,l didnt have a computor, so all my looking up and reading certificates were done by visiting the records offices, which was very time consuming and very expensive as l now do not live any more in Birmingham.
Would l recommend looking into your family tree, yes, as it can be so rewarding, but there are a few things to take into account before you start.

So far,on my father's side, l have found a distant relative in Canada, that our family had a Crest, and the origin of the family name.
But alas...no family fortune lol.
In fact, it was the complete opposite, most of my ancesters all lived in poverty,way back to 1794,which was very sad imagining the hardships they must have faced.
My tree did lead me to a little church yard though, that has many of my ancesters buried there and also the farm and country lane that was named after them.

As l couldnt trace back any further, l have since done my husbands family tree and now studying my mothers tree.
Its been a fascinating journey so far, but it is so time consuming.
Also you need to be very organizied, as files and paper-work do mount up.

l estimate it has costed me around £400 to collect and send for all the certificates, photo copying,fees to join Geneology sites,stationery,travel, ect,ect
And thats just for one research on one side of the family!

So if you have time and the money, researching your family tree can be a fascinating hobby,but be warned,it can get addictive.

Summary: You could end up writing a book.