Begin forwarded message: > From: Mary Simpson <mary@msimpson.demon.co.uk> > Date: 11 July 2007 12:24:32 BST > To: irl-cork@rootsweb.com > Subject: Searching for family > > Dear Elizabeth ( and everyone else looking ) > > a quick line to say keep on digging for family, even when it seems > impossible, you find extraordinary side-shoots! > > I realise that I am more fortunate than many in that I live near, and > still have family in, Ireland, but like many others only began > searching for the " family story " when I had the time to do so, i.e. > after my parents, grandparents, and most of the aunts and uncles had > died. So, like many others, began with a completely clean slate and > had to build up, bit by tiny bit, from all and any source that I could > find. I was fortunate in that I had cousins who had done some > enquiring thirty years ago, but even so.... > > What I would like to say is also - collect all and any bit of > recorded evidence, whether it seems useful or not, or relevant or not. > You will end up with a mountain of " stuff ", but the number of times > that I have made a connection on going back and re-reading things long > after I had collected it is amazing. Go to the place that your family > came from, ask around, with luck you will be sent to the local > Historian, who is the repository of the history of the local area, and > to be prized above rubies! I found out recently that our family had > very strong connections to Tom Barry and the Cork No 3 Brigade in the > Irish War of Independence, which my father had hinted at but never > talked about, but it explains his strong support for republicanism, at > least the Irish / British variety! > > So keep up the good work - there are lots of good helpful people out > there. > > Slan > > Mary >