STRAND
Family History PageSTRAND
Family History PageMy Family History research started in 1993. A distant relation of my wife sent her a small booklet which illustrated her ancestry back to the mid 1800's. This brought home to me how little I knew about my own family.
All I knew about my paternal grandfather was that he had a brother named Sid and that my grandmother had a brother and two sisters, their surname being BATT. They had moved to Huntingdonshire from Kent, England in the 1920's. My maternal side wasn't much better, although here I did actually know one of my great grandmothers.
Although in 1993 my father was then alive, he couldn't help me with any details about his grandparents. At that time I knew very little about how to set about researching a family history. I did however know enough to send off to the General Register Office for a copy of the birth certificate of my grandfather, Ernest Charles STRAND. From this start, I have, with the assistance of other researchers, traced some of my ancestors back through a time span of over 520 years to 1470, during the reign of King Edward IV and The Wars of the Roses
The STRAND trail has, with a fair degree of certainty, been stuck around 1720 with the birth of my 5x great grandfather William STRAND. My recent research of the Hoath Parish Records {See RESEARCH RECORDS] has discovered the baptism of a William to John & Ann STRAN on 27 Oct 1717. Further evidence is however needed to establish John & Ann as my 6x great grandparents. All my paternal ancestors have come from Kent, 'The Garden of England'.
On my maternal side there was much secrecy to unfold. Names were not what they first appeared to be and are still causing problems ! My maternal grandmother, who I knew as Elizabeth Ann HUTCHCRAFT was registered at birth to Martha Elizabeth WYLES, a single woman. Martha married William HUTCHCRAFT some 9 months later. Tracking down the birth of Martha WYLES posed similar problems. Her birth was registered as Martha CHURCH the daughter of Elizabeth CHURCH, single woman. Elizabeth married Stephen WYLES some 6 months later.
PEDIGREE
or FAMILY - One aspect which I think
all Family Historians should think carefully about is whether they are
trying to assemble their true Pedigree, or details about the people who
made up their family. Are we really interested in the one night stand;
the father who walked away, never to play any part in the upbringing of
the children or to make any further contribution to that family's life
?
Updated 17 July 2005: Refreshed 24 Sep 2006 & 19 Oct 2007. Email change Mar 2009.
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