| My late father first suggested the idea that he | | | | conclusions by the medical staff. It has |
| wanted to trace his family sometime in the early | | | | subsequently been decided that I may have very |
| to mid 1990s. I was `between jobs` at the time, | | | | brief seizures, a matter of seconds only at a |
| and felt that maybe it would be a welcome | | | | time, but enough to prevent me from driving |
| distraction from the soul destroying search for | | | | again. |
| work; unemployment under the Tories was near | | | | So, here I was, likely to be permanently `signed |
| to 3500000 officially, and in reality many more! | | | | off` sick. What would I do? After the initial shock, |
| I had been told that the best place to start was | | | | I decided to tidy up the house, and it was then |
| at the local library, so I found that my nearest | | | | that I found the notebook. It was fascinating |
| library was in a place called New Mills, Derbyshire, | | | | reading all those scribbled note, andpoignant seeing |
| near to where I lived in Disley. What I found there | | | | my father`s writing next to some of the names. |
| was the beginning of a long and tortuous journey | | | | In that instant,I decided to resurrect `The Search`! |
| to unearth those elusive ancestors. I did have a | | | | One massive change had taken place since those |
| stoke of amazing luck. The lady in charge | | | | days back in the mid 1990s; the internet! I was |
| mentioned that their library was one of only a | | | | already quite adept atusing the internet for just |
| very few that had a complete set of the Latter | | | | about everything in my life, so why not this. What |
| Day Saints (known popularly in the UK as | | | | I found was extraordinary. All those elusive |
| Mormons) microfiche records of Births, Marriages | | | | records could be found at the click of a mouse; |
| and Deaths, or BMDs as they are knowntoday. I | | | | Census Lists; Parish Records; even other people`s |
| had to make an appointment to view the records, | | | | searches and partial family trees! Over a |
| and make a small donation. I took a small | | | | `demented` period of 3 days, I found every |
| notebook. What I found were records dating back | | | | record dating back 5 generations. All the names, |
| as far as 1558 in my surname. Page after page | | | | dates of birth, dates of marriage, dates of death. |
| of them! Over a period of a couple of weeks I | | | | All the places where the relevant events took |
| filled my notebook.But now what? I had all these | | | | place. I actually had records traceable back to |
| names and dates, but they meant nothing to me | | | | 1558, incredibly, that first entry on the Mormon |
| at all! I showed my father, and he highlighted the | | | | microfiche all those years ago! Ironically, his name |
| ones that he recognized, so that was a start. We | | | | was Christopher Arnfield as well! I completed a |
| decided to go to the County Records Offices to | | | | family tree software package and produced my |
| search the records further. The problem was | | | | tree. I sent it by email to a UK based family tree |
| thatour family spanned across three counties at | | | | specialist, and for a modest fee received a |
| that time, so we would need to go to three | | | | beautifullyframed tree to show off. What |
| separate Records Offices! We went to Matlock, | | | | happened next is amazing! I took the framed tree |
| Derbyshire which is where the records for | | | | to my local pub where I had arranged to meet |
| Derbyshire were kept. Chester was where the | | | | my daughter to show her my efforts. Everybody |
| Cheshire records were kept, and luckily, the | | | | wanted to know what it was. Where did I get it |
| Lancashire ones that applied, could be found at | | | | from? Who did it for me? The interest was |
| Manchester. We realized after the first visit to | | | | unbelievable. Before I knew what was happening, I |
| Matlock and Chester, what a daunting task we | | | | was inundated with requests to `do one for me`! |
| had set ourselves. We had to literally ask for | | | | In an effort to put people off, I made out that it |
| every massive ledger for each record, and we | | | | involved too much work and time, and that I |
| had to make appointments each time we wanted | | | | could not devote the time and effort that I had |
| to view anything. Fate stepped in, and totally out | | | | spent on my own project. That having failed, I |
| of the blue, I was offered and took a job. At a | | | | made a statement right off the top of my head. |
| stroke, our search ground to a halt, and though I | | | | I would want at least 250 pounds to work all |
| occasionally looked at the little notebook with | | | | those hours(!) for somebody else`s search. Guess |
| scribbled notes everywhere, nothing more really | | | | what? Yep. You guessed. I still had a list as long |
| was done. My father died in 2000 without ever | | | | as your arm. Surely, I thought, nobody would pay |
| seeing his family tree. Fast forward to November | | | | me that sort of money to just compile a family |
| 2007. I had been working as a self employed | | | | tree? Well they did, and I nowspend about a |
| courier for a few years, and though it involved | | | | week a month doing searches for other people. |
| long hours and massive mileages, it paid well | | | | This is such a rewarding experience, that I have |
| enough. However, that was all about to change | | | | put together an e-book which I have now |
| dramatically. Over the weekend of November | | | | released explaining exactly how to produce a 5 |
| 4-5th, I had what I thought at first was a stroke. | | | | generation family tree forvirtually no cost. Most |
| I awoke in the night, with my son standing over | | | | records are freely available if you know where to |
| me, asking if I was alright. Every time I tried to | | | | look, and I know them all! Then, when you have |
| get up, I fell over again. I had fallen out of bed, | | | | completed your research, I have the name and |
| and hit my head on the dressing table as I fell, | | | | number of a little known company who specialize |
| and cut my eye and head open. I went to the | | | | in producing custom made family trees that will |
| doctors on the Monday; had tests that day at | | | | knock your friend`s socks off. |
| Hospital, and finished up at home without any firm | | | | |