Should You Be So Quick To Dismiss The Possibility Of A Professional Family History Researcher?

If you are one of the many people who like to investigate their own family history or perhaps are thinking of investigating it, you might think that it is unlikely that you would not need a professional family history researcher.  

Should you be so quick to dismiss the possibility of a professional researcher?

Professional researchers can save you money on doing it yourself.  Looking at Scottish records, a basic online search of only three generations could easily cost you £100.  However, professional researchers can visit centres and do the work for you - and far more work - in a short time period and certainly for less cost per certificate than trying to do it online.  

Part of the fun for you, might be doing the research yourself, even if it takes much longer and is more costly.  However, have you ever hit a brick wall with your research?  Professional researchers such as Kin Tree have obtained nationally accredited qualifications and have a great deal of knowledge of other ways to find out information on your ancestors.  Getting over that brick wall could be all you need to get on with research yourself.  Why limit your family history interest because of a snag that could easily be remedied?

Professional researchers with properly accredited qualifications are used to dealing with archives and with so many records not online, they are ideally placed to visit on your behalf.  

Visiting an archive may not be practical for you or sometimes it can seem daunting but it every day business for the professional researcher.

Most people find ancestors have moved around - often to other parts of the world and it can be a difficult to navigate in other countries' records systems.  Also, like at home, many records will be offline.  Professional researchers are used to dealing with these record systems and have links with other professional researchers around the world who can look for offline records for you.

At a good professional research company like Kin Tree, our researchers have qualifications in both family history but also in history.  We have specialists in Scottish history along with more general history.  This is important to put your family story into context.  Once you have the basic dates, you will want to know how your family lived and perhaps what prompted them to move or do the type of work that they did.  We can all guess at this but with our knowledge of history and how it is properly researched, this can quickly be added to your family story in a way that it can take months if not years to do on your own.

So remember, it's important to think of every avenue for your family history research.  Don't limit your family's story because you didn't check out what help is available.  At Kin Tree, it is always free for you to have a chat.  Contact us for a free no obligation chat at 

kintree@ymail.com

Why not enter our competition to win some free research.  It's a great way to find out if a professional researcher can help you!

Click here to enter the competition 

So You Thought You Had No Images To Add To Your Family History. Here's How To Find Some!

Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono
 www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

When we are researching our ancestors, it's not always possible for us to have images of them and their families. 

So how can we make their stories come to life in pictures?

If we are looking for images, we can either look for images that already exist or produce some images for ourself!

The internet produces a wealth of images which can relate to our ancestors. First though, remember copyright! Don't simply copy someone's images!  Most people are happy to let you have a copy of images for personal use or will sell you an image at a low cost but please ask!  Remember they have taken the time to produce the image themselves and it belongs to them. You would not take a photograph from their house without asking permission!

A good way to add images to our ancestors' stories is to look for images from the area in which they lived or worked.  There are many sites which have old photos of towns or buildings.  Facebook too has many groups researching specific towns and other  places of interest.  Even if the images don't always match what you are looking for, then you can often leave a message to see if there is anyone who can help.

It is often possible also, to see images of uniforms, medals, or equipment that your ancestors may have owned.  Once again, the internet is useful but  you can also think about visiting places such as museums and graveyards. Look at how we have added to the information by adding the images.

James joined the Royal Navy in 1916 and served aboard HMS Nonsuch.  The photo shows us the uniform that James would have worn.

During World War 2, Henry was too old to join the services. He played a vital role in the war effort as part of  the Casualty Service.  Henry would have had to carry an Identity Card which would include details of his name, address and date of birth along with a description of his appearance.

If it's possible to visit places yourself then this is great!  Although you may feel that the present day image is not representative of the time in which your ancestors lived, it still adds to the story.  Look at  our example of present day image that we took and how it can be woven into the story.

David and Mary were married on 21 January 1905 at Example Church, Anytown. This is the view that Mary would have had as she came over the bridge towards the church.  We do not know if there was snow on that day but the bridge and the surrounding buildings were built in the 19th century so the view is largely unchanged. 

It is also possible to alter photos to give a more "old fashioned" feel. 

David and Mary were married on 21 January 1905 at Example Church, Anytown. This is the view that Mary would have had as she came over the bridge towards the church.  We do not know if there was snow on that day but the bridge and the surrounding buildings were built in the 19th century so the view is largely unchanged. 

Kin Tree can help you with images and writing relevant information.  We can produce these for you or offer further tips for you to do it yourself. We can also supply images, either ones we have ourselves or by visiting places on your behalf.  Getting in touch with us costs nothing so please don't hesitate!

Contact us at kintree@ymail.com

Have you entered our free competition yet?

Click here for details!

The 1918/19 Flu Pandemic And Your Ancestors

Measles has been in the news recently with alerts to a possible epidemic and advice on how to protect children. How does this compare with how our ancestors coped with one of the deadliest pandemics - the flu of 1918/19?

Throughout the world it is estimated that as many as 100 million people may have died of the flu during the 1918/19 pandemic.  In Europe, it is thought that the flu was introduced by members of the armed services from the USA who were sent to the Western Front.  The flu then swept through the trenches.

US Soldiers suffering from flu are
thought to have brought it to Europe

Experts are unsure where the flu originated however they know that troops movements during and after the First World War helped to spread the flu to all corners of the globe.

The pandemic lasted from May 1918 until April 1919 although an increase in cases of flu was to continue into late 1919.  In Scotland nearly 1 million people caught the flu out of a total population of 4.8 million and around 70,000 died from it.  There were three waves of the pandemic. The first case in Scotland is thought to have been in Glasgow in May 1918.  

Today we associate flu deaths with those who are vulnerable through age or illness but during the pandemic in Scotland and throughout the world, the most likely age of death from this flu was in people aged between 20 - 40.  These people were often catching the flu in the morning and were dead by the same evening. 

So why were so many healthy people affected so badly by this version of the flu?  Doctors who have since studied this strain of flu, have discovered that when the flu came up against the immune system, it caused the immune system to overreact. This overreaction caused excess fluid to build up in their lungs and people became unable to cope.  People who were the healthiest had the strongest immune systems so were most likely to be affected by a strong reaction.  

There was little that doctors could do for people struck down by the flu though several possible remedies were suggested.  There was also a problem on the home front as there were very few doctors as many were away in the armed forces.  Those left including doctors coming out of retirement, were overwhelmed with the numbers.

The flu pandemic did not
 start in Spain

The flu is commonly referred to as Spanish flu but it did not originate in Spain.  During World War 1, Spain was a neutral country so unlike many other countries, it did not have an advanced use of news control.  

Spain openly reported the flu pandemic, however in many other countries governments and newspapers hid the extent of the pandemic as they were afraid of the effect on the general population on hearing about so much death so soon after the First World War  

As Spain had widely publicised the flu, it came to be thought that it had originated there because the earliest indications of its devastation were reported from that area. 

In Scotland, most families were not left untouched by the flu pandemic.  Many people will find flu as a cause of death for an ancestor but it has to be remembered that people sometimes died of related conditions so flu is not always listed as the cause of death.  

The suicide rate also increased greatly during the pandemic as the flu also attacked the nervous system.  If you find relations who died during 1918/19 of these related causes of death, it is worth looking further to find out if the death may have been a complication of flu.

For advice on how to identify possible flu victims, please get in touch for a free chat at kintree@ymail.com

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Win A Day's Scottish Family History Research!

Kin Tree is pleased to announce a free to enter competition to win a day's Scottish family research from one of our researchers!

Whether you have yet to start any family history research or you need help with an aspect with which you are stuck, this is a great opportunity to get a day's help from an experienced researcher.

To take part, read our Kin Tree blog and answer the following question:

What is the title of tip number 10 in "Ten Tops Tips For Family History Research"

• Answers should be sent by email to kintree@ymail.com
• In the subject line of the email please write "May/June Competition"
• Along with the answer, please include your name, address and a contact telephone number

Please read our competition rules below before entering!

By participating in the competition you agree to the following Terms and Conditions.

• A Kin Tree researcher will research Scottish based records however at their own discretion, they may widen the search. 
• The research to be carried out will be decided after consultation with the competition winner.  The Kn Tree researcher will decide what research will be undertaken.
• Along with the research, the winner will receive a report of the work carried out and further possible research suggestions.
• The competition is open to anyone over the age of 18 except Kin Tree researchers and their immediate families. Kin Tree reserves the right to request proof of identity or to verify eligibility conditions.
• Maximum one entry per person unless otherwise stated. Entries via agents or third parties or the use of multiple identities and email addresses are not permitted.
• Entries must be by email to kintree@ymail.com. Use of automated entries or programs is prohibited and all such entries will be disqualified.
• The competition will close on 30 June 2013 and the winner will be selected in a random draw within 5 days of the closing date from all correct entries received. The winner will be announced on our facebook and twitter pages. All entrants will also receive an email from Kin Tree announcing the winner's name.
• Kin Tree reserves the right to disqualify late, misdirected, incomplete, corrupted, lost, illegible or invalid entries.
• Kin Tree is not responsible for any disruption to the competition or Kin Tree's blog due to technical problems or otherwise due to events outside of its reasonable control.
• To enter we will ask you to supply contact details with us. These will be used to administer the competition and award the prize. 
• If the prize cannot be distributed, Kin Tree reserves the right to select an alternative winner. We require a response before we award the prize and if no response is received after we have made reasonable efforts to make contact, we reserves the right to withdraw the prize entitlement and award the prize to someone else. Kin Tree has no responsibility to anyone who has not responded.
• No cash or other alternative prizes is available. The prize cannot be transferred or sold by the winner.
• Kin Tree has arranged this competition in good faith but, to the fullest extent allowed by law, accepts no responsibility for loss or damages as a result of anyone participating in the competition or any aspect of any prize awarded. Your legal rights as a consumer are not affected.
• Kin Tree reserves the right to modify, suspend, cancel or terminate the competition or extend or resume the entry period or disqualify any participant at any time without giving advance notice and will do so if it cannot be guaranteed that the competition can be carried out fairly or correctly for technical, legal or other reasons or if Kin Tree suspects that any person has been manipulating entries or the results or has acted unethically in any other way.
• The winner agrees to take part in publicity in connection with the prize draw.
• By entering this prize draw, entrants agree to be bound by these terms and conditions.
• Kin Tree’s decision is final and we reserve the right not to correspond on any matter.
• The laws of Scotland apply and any disputes will be dealt with in the Scottish courts only.