What do you know about your ancestors?

​When we think of our ancestors we imagine Victorian people in fancy clothes or hard-working farm labourers with rolled up shirt sleeves and cap. Many of us will have a mixture throughout our families. 

​Our ancestors begin with our parents whom we are immediately descended from. Then our grandparents, great grandparents etc. The number of people double each time so the further back we go the more the family grows. Don’t forget the brothers and sisters of each direct ancestor, they are family too! 

Most of us will know our parents and their parents if we are lucky. We may know our parent’s siblings, our Aunts and Uncles, and maybe some of our grandparent’s siblings?

In my case, my maternal grandfather (my mums father) passed the year I was born, so I never knew him or any of his siblings. My Granny passed when I was 16 years old in 1990, and although we were very close, I never knew anything of her siblings, nor did I ask!
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It took me many years of learning how and where to find details of family before my tree began to fill with names. Each person has their own story to tell and when you do what I do, you need to know! 

In the last few years, online genealogy records have become more accessible and have made my work much simpler and less costly. Genealogy can be a very expensive hobby and very time consuming.
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Here is a list of questions about our ancestors. Beginning with your parent/s, see what information you can gather, the sooner the better. Talk to your family, ask about their parents and their siblings. You will be surprised how much you don’t know and if you are lucky there might be that old family secret or mystery that you can help solve! Good luck!