Luke Mouland

Dorset, one of my favourite counties in England, is home to Luke Mouland of Kith and Kin Research. I have been following Luke online at Twitter and appreciate his tweets about the genealogy scene in "The Mother Country". I was thrilled when he replied promptly to my request for a profile for GeniMates.

Thanks, Luke, for telling us about your involvement with genealogy.

Date  4th June 2011
Name  Luke Mouland
Hometown  Sherborne, Dorset, England

Are you a Hobbyist or Professional Genealogist? Professional Genealogist

What is your day job? Genealogist, historian and writer

How long have you been chasing ancestors?  Six years

How did you get hooked on genealogy?  I inherited two family portraits - one depicting my 2x great-grandparents and the other my 3x great-grandparents. These having fascinated me thorough my childhood, I soon decided to find out more about the people featured.

What, if any, formal or informal studies have you undertaken that are relevant to genealogical research?  The State & The Poor in Britain, 1830-1939 (GCE Advanced Level)

What are your areas of Expertise in Genealogy?  I spend much time placing the lives of ancestors against the wider social and historical context in which they lived. Background research is vital to understanding our ancestors' lives in perspective.

Please outline your involvement in Genealogy Societies and Groups. 
- Founder Member of London Historians
- Member of the Sherborne Historical Society
- Dorset Online Parish Clerk (Lillington & Longburton)

What are the lands of your ancestors?  England, Ireland, Malta, Australia, Canada

What Family Names are you Researching?  Main lineages of interest: Arnett, Budd, Carn, Lillington, Maidment, Mouland, Newman, Wareham

Who is your favourite ancestor? Why? I have great admiration for my 2x great-grandmother, Gertrude, who left her humble origins behind to enlist into the Salvation Army. She dedicated much of her life to the cause, eventually becoming an officer.

What ancestral city or town would you like to visit? Why?  Floriana in Malta. This is where my great-grandmother was born, so I would very much like to visit the building where she spent the first few years of her life.

What is your favourite resource for genealogy? Poor Law records are particularly fascinating to research but I also like to delve into probate documents, which can be equally wonderful. But, with those aside, census records never loose their appeal, either!

Do you keep your genealogy files on paper? Yes
Do you keep your genealogy files on a computer?  Yes

What genealogy software do you use to record your family tree? Family Tree Maker

Do you have your tree posted on the internet?  No

What Social Networking Sites do you use for genealogy?  Ancestry, Facebook, Genes Reunited, LinkedIn, Twitter

Do you have a blog?  Yes
What are your blogs' URLs?  http://kithandkinresearch.posterous.com/

What are your Other Hobbies, Activities, Interests?
- Cycling
- Walking
- Reading
- Writing

What is your favourite lesiure time activity apart from genealogy? Cycling

What is your favourite (non genealogy) book?  The Blackest Streets by Sarah Wise

What is your personal philosophy in a few  words ?  Life is short. Seize every opportunity.

Paul Willis

 

Paul Willis


Whenever someone leaves a comment on my blog I take a look at his/her profile.

Paul Willis' profile led me to his very attractive and information rich genealogy website. As I wanted to find more about the man behind the site I sent Paul an invitation to submit a profile to GeniMates.

Thanks, Paul, for your prompt response and for sharing your story with us.

Date  29 April 2011
Name  Paul Willis
Hometown Hawkhurst, Kent, UK, but now living in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, UK

Are you a Hobbyist or Professional Genealogist?  Very keen [almost obsessive] Hobbyist!

What is your day job?  I'm a Civil Servant, working in a Job Centre

How long have you been chasing ancestors? Since January 2008

How did you get hooked on genealogy?  It all started after I was diagnosed with depression in 2008 and was off work for three months. I took the opportunity to stay with my parents in the Scottish Highlands and while they dug out the research my dad had done in to the family history back in the 1970s. He hadn't been able to get very far (no Internet in those days!) but there was also a bundle of old photos and letters which fascinated me. In particular a four-page letter from my grandmother's sister, Lizzie, to her family written in 1919 when she was employed as a domestic servant in a house in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. As I read it I was fascinated by the mention of my grandmother's name and those of her parents and siblings, but also intrigued by the reference to members of the household where she was working. Following a lot of research I was able to finally set out a full picture of the context and background to the letter. Its now on my website at http://www.thewillistree.info/stories/?p=40

What, if any, formal or informal studies have you undertaken that are relevant to genealogical research?  I can honestly say I've had no formal or informal training. I've picked up everything I know from my own journey into my family's history - through magazines, books and hints from others.

What are your areas of Expertise in Genealogy? I woudn't say I have one, but I guess I have become quite good at researching the lives of those from my family tree who died during the two World Wars. I set up a separate website called 'The Roll of Honour' to set out this research. I've been able to set out there in hopefully a reverent way the details of each individual and as much information as possible, including links to their service records, and their entry on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website.

Its been humbling to discover their stories, in particular instances where brothers were killed in action, or those who died while still in their teens, or left behind young families.

Please outline your involvement in Genealogy Societies and Groups. To be honest I have no connection to any Genealogy Societies.... I am somewhat at a disadvantage living so far from my geographical area of study!

What are the lands of your ancestors? My ancestors come predominantly from the area around the East Kent coast in England. One strand (my dad's mother's paternal line) comes from South Devon but yep for the most part everyone is rooted in Dover!

What Family Names are you Researching? Willis, Hopper, Huggins, Gurnsey, Greenland, Kingsnorth, Nicholls (thats the Devon connection!), Collard, Harvey, Hare are the main ones.

Who is your favourite ancestor? Why?  A difficult question with so many to choose from! I have links going back to the knights of Normandy so I could choose one of them! But at the moment my favourite is alot closer to home - my Great-Grandfather, William Nicholls (1870-1932). He was born in East Allington, a tiny village in Devon, but within two years he and his parents and older sister were living in Fort St George in Madras, India. His father was a Gunner in the Royal Artillery and had been stationed there after completing his training in Essex the previous year.

William's father died sometime between 1876 and 1878, and his mother Ellen married John Gorman - another Gunner - in Bengal in 1878. In 1880 the family were in Burma where William's half-brother John was born; no mention of them in the 1881 Census, but in 1883 they were in Dover Castle Barracks, where Patrick - another half-brother - was born.

In 1891 William was 23 and a boarding with a family in Dover, while his mother and step-family were living in Devon! He married his sweetheart, Susannah Kingsnorth in 1895 in Faversham in north Kent and the couple went on the have seven children. Two of those children died, and of the remaining five only one (my grandmother) went on to marry - and only then when she was 41 years old!
The full story can be read here: http://www.thewillistree.info/stories/?p=5

What ancestral city or town would you like to visit? Why? I'd love to go back to Dover again. Although I wasn't born in the town and have never actually lived there, I have wonderful memories of visiting both sets of grandparents there in the 1970s and 1980s as its the area where my parents grew up. I did go back in 2008 for a week to do some family history research but another visit would be great!

Also, I would love to visit the town of West Newbury in Massachusetts USA. Its where a whole branch of the Willis family settled after emigrating from the Kent village of Barham back in the 1830s and 1840s.

What is your favourite resource for genealogy?  I have to resist saying 'the internet!' and instead say that my favourite resource has to be people! Since starting my research I've made contact with over 100 people who have also been researching their part of the tree and we've been able to share information and media with each other, and realise that we are related - albeit 2nd, 3rd or 4th cousins, or whatever!

I would also mention a book called 'The Genealogist's Internet' written by Peter Christian (http://www.spub.co.uk/tgi4/index.php) which is about as comprehensive a round-up of online genealogical resources as you're likely to find

Do you keep your genealogy files on paper?  Yes
Do you keep your genealogy files on a computer? Yes

What genealogy software do you use to record your family tree?  I tend to use my online site (Editor's note: TNG) to record additions and updates, but also have a copy of Personal Ancestral File [PAF] on my laptop for those 'offline' periods!

Do you have your tree posted on the internet? Yes
If Yes What is the URL?  http://www.thewillistree.info/



What Social Networking Sites do you use for genealogy?  Facebook, Genes Reunited

Do you have a blog?  No

What are your Other Hobbies, Activities, Interests?  Watching movies, reading my Amazon Kindle, watching TV shows to do with history, watching episodes of 'Who Do You Think You Are?' on DVD...

What is your favourite lesiure time activity apart from genealogy  Spending time with family...

What is your favourite (non genealogy) book? "Dover Harbour" by Thomas Armstrong, published in the 1940s. A historical novel set in the town during the turn of the 19th Century...

What is your personal philosophy in a few words ? I suppose take life as it comes, seek the good in everyone, treat people as you would like to be treated, and never lose your sense of humour!

Julie Goucher

Our latest GeniMate from England is very active in the online world. I have encountered Julie through Twitter and at her blog, Angler's Rest. I was most impressed when Julie took up a challenge from Shelley at Twigs of Yore and submitted a blog post for The Australia Day Genealogy Challenge.

Thanks, Julie, for a thoughtful post.

Julie Goucher

Date 20th March, 2011
Name Julie Goucher
Hometown A Surrey girl living in Devon

Are you a Hobbyist or Professional Genealogist?  Hobbyist

What, if any, formal or informal studies have you undertaken that are relevant to genealogical research? I have a Honours Degree in history

How long have you been chasing ancestors? Since 1986

How did you get hooked on genealogy? I was hugely influenced by elderly relatives, three Great Aunts and an elderly cousin who shared so much of their earlier lives that I simply wanted to know more and more and more!

What are your areas of Expertise in Genealogy?  I don't know if I am an expert, but I am currently undertaking two one name studies, one of which is for an Italian surname and a one place study.

Please outline your involvement in Genealogy Societies and Groups
I am a member of :

West Surrey Family History Society since 1986
Hampshire Genealogical Society
Sussex Family History Group
Families in British India
Guild of One Name Studies since 2002

I am also a member of the Anglo Italian Family History Society and was one of the founder members and spent the first 4 years or so as the Vice Chair of the Society.

What are the lands of your ancestors? The majority of my maternal line is from the Surrey,Hampshire and Sussex borders. I also have a line in the Midlands and my paternal line is from a rural community in Sicily. I also have lines that migrated to Canada and Australia. There are also link with the East India Company, and a rumour of a paper mill in Russia!

What Family Names are you Researching? Here are a few of them: Butcher, Budd,Goucher,Worship,Orlando,Pim, Elstone,Denyer,Matthews,Jelley, Ellis

Who is your favourite ancestor? Why? My favourite has got to be a chap called Henry Budd who is my 6 x Great Grandfather. Henry has lead me on quite a journey over the last 20 odd years. I eventually found his marriage after 15 years of looking! I then, quite by chance came across a reference to a Henry Budd in the rural village of Shackleford and believe that this is Henry's birth place. Sadly records for that parish have not survived. Henry is believed to have been born circa 1700. He married Martha Ottaway in Chertsey in 1723 and raised his family of 8 children in Puttenham Surrey.

What ancestral city or town would you like to visit? Why? I would love to go back to Australia and follow as much as possible the footsteps of my ancestor Esther Bellasis nee King. Esther's husband was an officer in the East India Company and following a dual in which the other man was killed, George Bridges Bellasis was sentenced to transportation to Botany Bay. Esther accompanied him, although the sentence was overturned. Meanwhile, Esther left in Australia a lovely picture and it is believed the be the earliest piece of artwork by a women in the colony. I would love to be able to explore this line further. Esther was certainly a women, who quite accidentally put herself into the historical light.

What is your favourite resource for genealogy?  The internet is a fabulous resource for genealogy, the facilities on line that have developed over the last 20 years or so is wonderful. Not just the indexes, but the transcriptions and document scans on sites such as Ancestry and Find my Past to name just two. Also the interaction with other genealogists, the support, assistance and genuineness is great. The scope of the internet is limited in some ways to our own imagination, it is a great stepping stone to archives and other areas of research, and is another tool we can use as we pursue our ancestors.

Despite that, you can not beat the attendance at a records office, touching and smelling the archives and absorbing the general feel - wonderful!

Do you keep your genealogy files on paper? Yes

Do you keep your genealogy files on a computer? Yes

What genealogy software do you use to record your family tree? I am currently using a rather elderly piece of software - Family Origins 10 but looking at the alternatives. I also use Family Historian. 

Do you have your tree posted on the internet?  No

What Social Networking Sites do you use for genealogy? 
Ancestry, Facebook, GenealogyWise, Genes Reunited, Twitter

Do you have a blog? Yes

What are your blogs' URLs? www.anglersrest.blogspot.com


What are your Other Hobbies, Activities, Interests? Reading, Walking, National Trust and Collecting

What is your favourite lesiure time activity apart from genealogy? Reading

What is your personal philosophy in a few words ?  Life is for living

Debbie Kennett

I am pleased to present our first GeniMates profile from England. I have been following Debbie on Twitter and have been impressed with the work she has done with One-Name Studies. Thanks, Debbie for telling us about your involvement in genealogy.

Date 16th March 2011


Name Debbie Kennett


Are you a Hobbyist or Professional Genealogist?  A bit of both


What is your day job? I am a freelance copy editor and proofreader but I mix it up with genealogy work such as writing articles and research in the local archives. I spent much of the second half of 2010 writing a book on DNA and social networking for the family historian which is due to be published by the History Press in the autumn.


What, if any, formal or informal studies have you undertaken that are relevant to genealogical research? None. I have learnt from experience and from my own reading. I found Mark Herber's book "Ancestral Trails" particularly useful when I first started out.


How long have you been chasing ancestors? Nine years


How did you get hooked on genealogy? I started my research after the death of my father-in-law. We inherited a collection of old photographs without any names so I started to write to relatives to try and find out who they all were. It then all spiralled from there. Having researched my husband's family I thought I should start on my own and I've not stopped since!


What are your areas of Expertise in Genealogy? I have a lot of experience with the records in Devon and Berkshire, and I am also familiar with many of the medieval records as I have a number of gentry lines which can be traced back a long way. In the last few years I have specialised in the field of genetic genealogy - the application of DNA testing to family history research. I also have a particular interest in the use of social media for genealogy purposes.


Please outline your involvement in Genealogy Societies and Groups I am a member of the Guild of One-Name Studies where I have registered the surnames Cruse and Cruwys. I am also a member of the Guild's Marketing Sub-Committee. In addition I belong to the following societies:

Berkshire Family History Society
Devon Family History Society
Society of Genealogists
Somerset and Dorset Family History Society

I have recently signed up to become a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists.


What are the lands of your ancestors?  I have one great-great-great-grandfather from Scotland and one great-great-great-grandmother from County Kerry in Ireland. Otherwise all my lines are in England and concentrated in the south of the country. I have ancestors from Devon, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and London.


What Family Names are you Researching? Batt, Berryman, Bodger, Boundy, Couch, Crewes, Crews, Cruise, Cruse, Cruwys, Dillon, Eastmond, Faithfull, Gough, Hunter, Kennett, Keynes, Male, Offley, Paddon, Pigg, Ratty, Rudd, Saunders, Smart, Tidbury, Trask, Tout, Underwood, Walker, Westcott, Whiting, Wiggins, Wolfenden and many more.


Who is your favourite ancestor? Why? My favourite ancestor is my great-great-great-great-grandfather David Tidbury simply because of his phenomenal military record. He was a humble private with the Royal Welch Fusiliers (23rd Regiment of Foot) in the Peninsular War (1808-1814). He somehow managed to survive most of the major battles in the Peninsular War (Albuera, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, etc) as well as the Battle of Waterloo. He died in 1867 when he was supposedly 84 years old. He was awarded the Military General Service Medal with eight clasps and, like every soldier who was present at the Battle of Waterloo, he was awarded the Waterloo Medal.


What ancestral city or town would you like to visit? Why? I would like to go and see the Peninsular War battlefields where David Tidbury fought. I'd also like to go to Richmond Hill, Long Island, in America to see the home where my great-great-grandmother Anne Cruwys nee Wall spent the last fifteen or so years of her life and to see the cemetery where she is buried (Maple Grove Cemetery in Kew Gardens, Queens, NY). She emigrated in 1901 when she was in her sixties to go and live with her unmarried son and daughter.


What is your favourite resource for genealogy?  Mailing lists. I have met many wonderful people over the years who have provided much-needed advice and encouragement.


Do you keep your genealogy files on paper?  Yes


Do you keep your genealogy files on a computer? Yes


What genealogy software do you use to record your family tree?  I use Family Historian, a British genealogy programme, which is excellent for storing and sorting large quantities of data and for recording sources. A trial version can be downloaded here: http://www.family-historian.co.uk


Do you have your tree posted on the internet? No

What Social Networking Sites do you use for genealogy?  
Ancestry, Facebook, GenealogyWise, Genes Reunited, Geni, LinkedIn, MyHeritage , Twitter, WeRelate, Other.

Do you have a blog? Yes

What are your blogs' URLs?  http://cruwys.blogspot.com

What are your Other Hobbies, Activities, Interests?  I like gardening, reading and travelling.

What is your favourite lesiure time activity apart from genealogy? Gardening

What is your favourite (non-genealogy book)? Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre and Tess of the d'Urbervilles (hope I'm allowed three!)

Audrey Collins



Audrey Collins at The Planetarium

Another foreign visitor to the Rootstech Conference with whom I shared a glass of wine was Audrey Collins, Family History specialist at The National Archives (TNA) at Kew. I first had a chat with Audrey at the evening function at the Planetarium where she told me of some of the changes that had been introduced at TNA to make it more user-friendly since my visit in the early 2000s. As I am planning another visit in July this year I was keen to hear about these innovations. I had a number of chats with Audrey over the next few days and must say that I enjoyed the open, friendly, down-to-earth nature of this VIP in the genealogy world. We didn't just talk about genealogy but about families, kids and travel, Audrey is a gifted and amusing storyteller. 

Although she has no English ancestry Audrey is an expert in English genealogy. I discovered, when we were playing Jeopardy at Dinner with Dick after the conference, from one of her interjections that Audrey is actually a Scot.

Before she joined The National Archives (TNA) Audrey was a professional genealogist. She regularly records podcasts for TNA She has written a number of books on aspects of English genealogy, and contributed to several magazines.

Audrey's blog, The Family Recorder, where she writes about "that interest or amuse me, and that I think are worth sharing. They might be topical, or 'cold case', educational or trivial; the only rule is that they will have something to do with genealogy, is one of the favourites on my reading list.

While she was in Salt Lake City Audrey recorded a tutorial for the FamilySearch website and gave a talk at The Family Hisotry Library to library staff and the public. "Having heavily used FamilySearch resources free of charge for over 20 years, whenever I am in Salt Lake City I like to give something back."

POSTSCRIPT. Chris Paton of Scottish Genes has just posted to Youtube a video interview he made with Audrey at the WDYTYA Live event in the UK last week. I am posting the video here so you can see and hear Audrey.