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Time to plan ahead - where will you take your family history research this year?

In extraordinary times, it is often useful to revisit the past to put life into perspective. I was reminded of this as my current task having some free hours on hand is to prepare my wall full of paper files ready for scanning to digital and searchable files. In the process I have had to review the contents of numerous folders of family trees, notes from family gatherings, photographs and newspaper cuttings, and background historical data gathered to help inform my family histories. What a discovery process in itself ! What lives the ancestors lived - through pandemics, wars, floods, fires, heat waves, droughts, economies failing, illness and setbacks year after year, no matter what location they lived in and no matter the era. Sometimes you wonder how we all came to be where we are in relatively good health and reasonably good spirits - So here is your chance to look ahead and work towards the future for when our doors open and you have a chance to take advantage of the wo

2023 and it is time for new discoveries

 As we launch into another year of research and discovery, it never fails to amaze me how wrong my deductions and conclusions can be after 50 years of seeking out family history. That may seem alarming, but the truth is that we have so many new tools to discover and review our history.  We have DNA evidence for the first time which can help define the path of our research and help us to understand so many characteristics and traits that we might never have thought of through our family stories alone.  It can help us with medical and health issues that might be found in our various family lines - information that can be very useful when combined with new discoveries in medicine and building awareness in our families of issues of concern. My Norwegian ancestry has led us to become aware of the Kell antibody which impacts on the success of blood transfusions - a useful piece of information for current health issues of late, but also of interest in the causes of death on death certificates