I received Ancestry for my recent birthday. It’s become an obsession. Growing up, I believed our family was pretty small. I always heard the name Boothby was pretty prevalent in England but I ran across so few in Alberta. To top it off, my immediate family is pretty small.
Using Ancestry and its unbelievable access to historical records, I find most of my earlier beliefs untrue. I used Ancestry and family records to develop a tree just on the Boothby side of 12 generations. I found relatives both here in Alberta and in the midlands of England. Della’s family has an interesting history going back to before the formation of Kelowna, B.C.
What I’ve learned
- I knew next to nothing about my mother’s side of the family. My knowledge pretty much ended with the names of my grandparents. I found out the name of a previously unknown granduncle who died during WW II on the submarine H.M.S Parthian in the Mediterranean.
- I have a lot of 2nd and 3rd cousins here in Alberta. My paternal grandmother’s family was quite large. I was aware of a couple of them as a child but had no idea of the scope. Finding their names and learning more about their journeys and their lives has been fascinating.
- Life can be pretty short. I have some long-lived relatives but so many died so young.
- With the help of a cousin, I’ve received some electronic copies of family histories. Della and I have had them printed and they are in pride-of-place positions in our home.
- Going through the old Census records I realized much about life in the past. Families lived in tight concentrations with multiple generations living in the same home. Often marriages occurred with the neighbours just next door.
- We’ve started getting in touch with relatives to gather some of their history and family knowledge on both sides of our families.
- We’ve had our DNA tested and are eagerly waiting for the results. Who knows, some of our beliefs may be shattered but that too is history.
- My earliest ancestor so far, was born in Cheshire, England in 1676. Della’s in the late 1800s from Quebec and Washington state.