Family Trees
Thursday September 7, 2006 in |
The new series of ‘Who Do you Think you are?’ has just returned on BBC1. It doesn’t seem that long since the last one was on. Celebs are obviously queuing up to appear on it. This week it was Barbara Windsor’s turn, ‘famous for Carry On and Eastenders’ as she reminded us.
What annoys me slightly is that the people featured on this programme have to make little effort themselves in researching their family trees. Babs came prepared with not much more than “I’m from the East End, me!” which is hardly surprising to even the most unobservant of viewers. Barbara also helpfully supplied the name of her grandfather, hardly making her elible for ‘genealogist of the year’ either, but this was enough to get her going as a succession of experts rallied round her.
I’ve been researching my own family tree this year and it takes bloody ages. Pouring over census records, searching the internet, sending emails to complete strangers who may or may not be distantly related to you. ‘Who Do you Think you are?’ makes it appear far too easy. “Barbara is travelling to meet a distant cousin, who she has never met before” we hear. How did she find her, how long did it take? I’ve traced a few distant cousins but it’s not likely that I’ll ever get to meet them. Is it really that easy? Maybe I need the BBC to lend me a hand.
Barbara goes to meet an expert who can help her find out if her great grandfather was in the workhouse or not. “Here is a book of records from the period” explained the expert as BW approached it with her protective gloves. “Oh, look, there he is!” announces the unsurprised expert with no sense of timing. Come on, it really isn’t that easy.
Babs started to cry after the suggestion “some of your ancestors may have been poor”. She also discovered that she had Irish blood and that she was a distant relation of the painter John Constable. Looks like I’ve more in common with her than I thought. Some of my ancestors were poor in London during the 1800s and some of them were Irish. Although I haven’t yet found any art connections.
Notes to self:
Arrange to meet long-lost cousins in a pub somewhere to exchange photos.
Research poor ancestry back in London. Hopefully get to meet real Pearly Kings and Queens and exchange rhyming slang.
Check workhouse records. Shed a tear.
Research Irish background. As it’s through not only my Dad’s mother, but my Mum’s Dad’s Mum and my Mum’s Mum’s Dad, I think this is enough to warrant a free trip to Cork courtesy of the BBC.