Well, what can you say about the year 2020? To put it in more polite terms, it has been quite the rocky road!
I want to start by thanking everyone for their support this past year, during which Oracle Genealogy marked its first year in business, and I want to give special thanks to the clients who trusted me with the task of uncovering their family history. I have said before that I never have a “favourite” case because each one stands out in their own unique way. As always there has been quite a variety of discoveries ranging from a stowaway to Australia to a policeman in Shanghai. However there is one particular highlight that I think will linger long in my memory.
I received a notification that a form had been submitted via the website and the prospective client happened to be from South Africa. They expressed an interest in wanting to know more about their maternal side. They explained that their mother was in her 80s and she had lost family members in the Boer War Concentration Camps but could still provide some details. I had researched South African records before with regards to some individuals in my own tree but not extensively. I could make no promises that I would find anything but needless to say I was willing to have ago. There was no question as to my eagerness to provide something for my client but I still harboured a sense of doubt as to whether anything could be done.
So what happened with this case?
Well after many hours of extensive research I was able to take the family line back to 1783!!
It only dawned on me just how much it meant to my client’s mother when I was hearing about tears of happiness! They had believed the family history to have been lost but thankfully it did not prove to be that way! It was also heart warming to hear that someone was now very busy connecting with family members over social media, I confess it still brings a smile to my face.
With regards my own research I have taken an interest in researching the names of soldiers on headstones or war memorials to see if a story can be told, I have started to lay the groundwork for a one place study on my ancestral village of Sheeptown (County Down) and I am still trying to prove or disprove whether I am indeed related to a prominent County Down family. One day it will be solved!!
As the last few hours of 2020 tick by let’s hope that 2021*, which will mark 10 years from when I first entered the world of genealogy, brings us a certain degree of hope and happiness!
*Mother’s Day UK deadline for requests is 31st January 2021, if Mother’s Day falls on the 9th May for you then the deadline for requests is 28th March 2021!
