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I can only surmise that he was refused entry to North America, which begs the question: why? Instead, he returned to England after which, it seems, his wandering days were over. Indeed, he clearly returned to the UK, because the following year I found his name on the passenger list of another ship bound for Canada.Īgain, there is no record of him ever entering the country. Yet, there is no record of him entering the US at Ellis Island, where 12m others set forth on a new life. But looking at the passenger lists on emigrant ships has also uncovered a family mystery.Įarly in the 20th century, my great great uncle, who clearly had a taste for adventure, was on board a ship for New York with thousands of other migrant passengers. I have discovered relatives in Australia and Canada. Coincidence? Probably - though worthy of further investigation.Īpart from travels through time, research will almost certainly take the armchair genealogist on a journey to far-flung places. Sadly, nothing in my researches has confirmed this, although, curiously, my forebears lived a mere 15 miles away from where Turpin grew up. Many years ago, my grandfather told a story, passed down through the generations, that the Tilbrooks were in some way related to the 18th century highwayman Dick Turpin (also known as Palmer). Was highwayman Dick Turpin an infamous forebear? © Getty Many researchers will live in hope of finding a connection to a famous - or perhaps infamous - name from the past. Important as official documentation is to tracing your roots, it is individual stories that will make your family tree bloom. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a huge online resource at.

My family tree plus#

From there, you can order copies of birth, death and marriage certificates, plus military service records, which should lead to more names and addresses. You will almost certainly discover names of family members you never knew existed.

UK census records - a vital source of information for the family tree detective - can be accessed through the National Archives website.

But do not assume that someone else’s research is 100 per cent accurate. Sites such as FamilyRelatives, LostCousins and GenesReunited can help put you in touch.

A number of social networking websites exist and you may well find that someone else has already researched your family history.

If you are looking for information about a particular district, it may be worth contacting the local family history society - see the Federation of Family History Societies website.

A name or an address that seems irrelevant at the time may become important later in your research. And be careful what information you discard. This is part of an all-important note-taking exercise.

Start a family tree based on what you - and other relatives - already know.

It was as if this large family had never lived here. My ancestors had clearly moved away long before the 20th century. I pulled into the road and scanned the obelisk. Maybe it would list a Tilbrook or two who had fallen in one of the world wars. The gravestones were far too modern to help in my researches, and none were engraved with my surname.ĭriving out of the village, I spotted a war memorial in a side road and my hopes rose again. But the village churchyard was a disappointment.

My family tree full#

I recently travelled to a small village on the Suffolk-Cambridgeshire border, full of optimism that I might find clues to the lives of family members from the 18th century or perhaps earlier. But even if you feel your research has led you into a cul-de-sac, it can pay to keep your eyes open. In the Tilbrook family, that person is me. There tends to be one person in every family who slowly becomes obsessed with tracing the roots of the family tree. Searching for your ancestors can be rewarding and frustrating in equal measure.