We’re looking forward to Who Do You Think You Are? Live in Glasgow
this weekend, where we’ll be enjoying the displays, the talks and the hubbub of
excitement when a group of genealogists get together. (How’s the research
going? – It’s all relative).
For those not familiar with the television show, Who Do You Think You Are? researches
the lineage of celebrities and documents their journey as they uncover secrets
and truths about their ancestors. WDYTYA is enormously popular around the
world, and the spectacle and scale of the live event is breath-taking. Hundreds
of genealogy experts and thousands of enthusiasts gather together to learn from
one another, discover some more about the past and to take in the buzz. We’ll
be joining them, wearing our Scottish Genealogy Network badges with pride (stop
us if you see us, we’d love to answer your questions).
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| Badges © Scottish Genealogy Network |
On Saturday morning, Graham will be giving a (free!) talk about
tracing illegitimate ancestors. While such individuals can provide fascinating
and sometimes touching stories, they are also notorious roadblocks in
progressing your family tree. In the 1850s, around 9% of births in Scotland
were illegitimate, so a number of genealogists will probably have discovered
illegitimacy in their family line. Fortunately for posterity, mothers often
took the fathers of illegitimate children to court to prove their identities
and seek financial support. We still have records of these cases, providing
details and facts which are absent from other records. Graham’s talk will
explain how both amateur and professional genealogists can use these records to
discover paternal lines and progress family trees.
We’re gearing up for the weekend – hopefully see you there!
