WI Meeting July 2025 - Life as a Genealogist

If you are thinking of tracing your links to the past, according to Matthew Homewood our July speaker, you need to start in the present. Ask your family what memories they have of past times and peoples and make a note of them. Family histories are much better when there is something tangible to relate to – a family tree with no information about the people on it is really just a list.  It is much more interesting to know what your grandmother did, rather than a nebulous ancestor in the sixteenth century unless he happened to be a King of England! And even if he was the king of England, this must be put into perspective as someone born 200 years ago can easily have as many as 4,000 descendants.  

As well as giving advice on tracing family Matthew also described some of the records he had come across while investigating the antecedents of his clients.  The oldest record Parish record of Uckfield is from 1530; the records of East Grinstead are much neater than those of Uckfield; and in 1768 in Battle a man was accidentally killed falling over a hedge.  One of the best sources of information is the 1904 census – this you can access online, and there is also the British Newspaper Archive – another great source to make you list come to life.

I am not sure we were immediately inspired to trace our past families, but Matthew’s talk gave us a much clearer idea of where to start and how to make the past come alive.

CWP