Bevendean Hillbilly
New member
I decided to stop delving when I found out my grandfather died in Auswitz.
He fell out of his watchtower.
Boom tish.
He fell out of his watchtower.
Boom tish.
Thanks for that Mr Glasfryn, will try that Ralph de la Pomerai was from Saint Sauveur de la Pommeraye, La Manche, Normandy, France. So I would think they were land owners in Normandy and of some standing before coming over.
The first thing to do is to ask your older relatives what they know about earlier generations - names, dates & places of birth, etc. If you can find out where they lived, and what their occupations were, even better - especially if you can get back to 1881.What's the best free service to trace family tree on the internet?
The first thing to do is to ask your older relatives what they know about earlier generations - names, dates & places of birth, etc. If you can find out where they lived, and what their occupations were, even better - especially if you can get back to 1881.
Then look up their details in the 1881 census at:- 1881 census records | 1881 census records person search | Findmypast.co.uk
If this hooks you into searching for more information, it's probably worth subscribing to a site like Please sign in here - Genes Reunited (or take the free introductory offer), where you can get access to the searches that other people have done.
If you really get hooked, ancestry.co.uk has an incredible amount of information - but for a subscription.
If you want to search for basic births/marriage/death information, http://www.freebmd.org.uk/ is free.
I've found it impossible to do thorough research without shelling out for copies of birth, marriage and death certificates - just to fill in some of the details, once you have found the census data or the information about births, marriages and deaths that the free searches throw up.
Good luck.
What's the best free service to trace family tree on the internet?
One of my families distant relatives was an accomplice to John Wilkes Booth killing of Lincoln.
View attachment 39630
interesting......so being a twit really can run in the family.
The Normans were Vikings ( the clue is in the name NORman Norseman) and hated the French. They assimilated very gradually but see themselves as different from other froggies even today.
I found I am related in some way to the late but controversial broadcaster Mike Dickin.
Well, that would be me. I've been studying my family history for the past 35 years and I'm related to everybody. But I'm not going to boast about it here!
I would imagine that everyone is related to someone famous to some degree .............but as you know its bothering to find out.
My grandfather who was a priest traced his side of the family tree back to 1066 when Ralph de la Pomerai (Knight) came over with William the Conqueror and was awarded 57 manors in Somerset and Devon including the main seat at Berry Pomeroy and some intresting bits reading through the book including William of Orange. As with most people we can all make famous connections and as with most people our predecessors pissed any wealth away. Very intresting I have only just started to be intrested in it and may try and find out the other side of the family, Which came over from Germany & changed there name from schnorber to Shaw before the 1st world war and my uncle fought in Africa against the Germans and won a St Georges cross.
There is so much to think about, if I take Ralph de la Pomerai who was a Norman then there is a strong chance he is from Viking stock as the vikings settled in that part of France, so many directions one can go.
Ps anyone recommend a good website to do further tracing and how far back can one realistically go ?
The first thing to do is to ask your older relatives what they know about earlier generations - names, dates & places of birth, etc. If you can find out where they lived, and what their occupations were, even better - especially if you can get back to 1881.
Then look up their details in the 1881 census at:- 1881 census records | 1881 census records person search | Findmypast.co.uk
If this hooks you into searching for more information, it's probably worth subscribing to a site like Please sign in here - Genes Reunited (or take the free introductory offer), where you can get access to the searches that other people have done.
If you really get hooked, ancestry.co.uk has an incredible amount of information - but for a subscription.
If you want to search for basic births/marriage/death information, http://www.freebmd.org.uk/ is free.
I've found it impossible to do thorough research without shelling out for copies of birth, marriage and death certificates - just to fill in some of the details, once you have found the census data or the information about births, marriages and deaths that the free searches throw up.
Good luck.