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Genealogy

budgie

For as long as I can remember I have had many interests. I think that's often the experience of many Autistic women. I kind of go from one 'favourite interest' to the next.

One of my main interests as an adult and which I have had such passion for is 'Genealogy'. I can still remember the elation which I felt when I started to read my first book on the subject. It was a thin book but packed with information and I just knew this would be a passtime that I would really enjoy.

I started researching my ancestry in the early 90's and at that time it was less expensive to get information from the various record sources. I did such a lot of research before even approaching any of the British record offices and I think that is why I have found so much interesting information. Years later I could corroborate what I have found against the records of births, marriages and deaths in both the Scottish and English records.

One of the most enjoyable things about this hobby for me has been visting various places where my ancestors lived. Many of them lived in the big cities of Scotland and England as well as abroad.

The only thing which isn't so good is when it comes to meeting new found relatives. I find that having Aspergers just makes be so nervous that I don't really want to meet them when it comes to the point. I just imagine they will think I am too strange or that trying to talk to them, whilst remembering information will make me appear really stupid. Two years ago I visited someon relatives in Kent where my Grandmother came from. I had my elderly Auntie with me which was nice as otherwise I doubt I would have met up with the people. They turned out to be lovely and down to earth which I was so pleased about but there was still that feeling of trying to communicate with complete strangers.

In a few weeks I will meet someone else who is related to me and I am very nervous. I just hope my Auntie will be able to come with me but I'm not sure if she will.

I love this hobby and think it as an activity where Autistic people can excel.

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  • Former Member
    Former Member

    This is a passion of mine, too. I've only 'met' one or 2 new relatives by email, so no face-to-face so far. I've been quite upfront with family members about the scandals I've uncovered. Fortunately, they took it well – even my Mum, when terminally ill, coped with the fact her apparently strait-laced grandmother had left a husband and 3-year-old son in another town, moved in with her grandfather, had 7 kids, and then a church wedding in the same church she'd married in 24 years previously, while claiming to be a widow. Her legal husband outlived my great-grandfather.

    My father's Scots (mostly West Highland), and my mother was English-French-Irish-Welsh and possibly a bit African/Afro-Caribbean. I've got back to 16-17C in some lines, and in one, there's then a 200 year gap (when they lost nearly everything) and then it's back to the 11C. I was surprised to discover that one side of the family was Huguenot, not Irish, as had previously been thought, due to a mess-up of the spelling.

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  • Former Member
    Former Member

    This is a passion of mine, too. I've only 'met' one or 2 new relatives by email, so no face-to-face so far. I've been quite upfront with family members about the scandals I've uncovered. Fortunately, they took it well – even my Mum, when terminally ill, coped with the fact her apparently strait-laced grandmother had left a husband and 3-year-old son in another town, moved in with her grandfather, had 7 kids, and then a church wedding in the same church she'd married in 24 years previously, while claiming to be a widow. Her legal husband outlived my great-grandfather.

    My father's Scots (mostly West Highland), and my mother was English-French-Irish-Welsh and possibly a bit African/Afro-Caribbean. I've got back to 16-17C in some lines, and in one, there's then a 200 year gap (when they lost nearly everything) and then it's back to the 11C. I was surprised to discover that one side of the family was Huguenot, not Irish, as had previously been thought, due to a mess-up of the spelling.

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