Essex: Keeping it in county's family tree...

Tracing a family tree is one of those things that many people talk about doing but are put off by not knowing where to start.

Yet there is a society with five branches in Essex which was set up specifically to help those who want to discover more about their ancestors.

Around 100 people meet in Southend on the first Saturday afternoon of every month to compare notes, listen to speakers and pick up tips on where to go next to find out about their ancestors.

This branch of the Essex Society for Family History was set up ten years ago by a group of people from south Essex who had previously had to travel to Chelmsford to attend meetings.

Gwen Rawlingson, whose husband Kenneth was the first chairman, is one of the longest-standing members.

"We had been going to Chelmsford for years but found there was enough support to set up a group in Southend," she says.

"I have been interested in family history for as long as I can remember and have traced my ancestors back to 1500. I have all sorts of documents to prove this but there are not enough parish registers around to go back in a direct line."

Gwen's task was easier than most as many generations of her family were born and stayed in Great Wakering, where she and her daughter still live.

As well as making many friends, she has found attending the society meetings helpful: "It puts you wise to different areas of research. I found out about settlement orders. These were issued to a person who became a burden on the parish through unemployment or ill health.

"They had to return to the parish in which they were born to get support. These are often a good source of information."

Tracing your ancestors can involve many trips around the country or even abroad, according to Heather Feather, another long-standing society member who has just returned from Canada where she was investigating a strand of her family tree.

She says: "If your connections are not local it can involve a lot of travelling but that is part of the fun.

"It is not just finding out about your relatives, it's about learning of the social history and the people you meet on the way."

People whose ancestors are scattered across the country or the globe should not be put off attending society meetings as they are not specifically aimed at people whose ancestors are from the county.

Heather says: "We are the Essex Society for family History not the Society for Essex Family History. Many members have ancestors from all over and can pass on details such as addresses of records offices in other counties."

Heather has managed to trace both her and her husband's families back about 200 years, but admits it has taken time: "The most obvious way to start is to ask older relatives but they may not want to talk about it.

"I've heard tales of great aunts having to take to their beds for a fortnight after recalling family stories. They unearth things which have been embedded in their memories and which they would rather not remember.

"I had an aunt who called the society my 'nosy' club. She's dead now and she could have told me an awful lot, but could not understand why I wanted to know."

Heather adds: "Family history is known as genealogy. I always say it's not an ology, it's an allergy - it sort of gets to you and once you start you can't get rid of it!"

Near and far - finding out about your family can involve travelling many miles according to Heather Feather who has recently returned from Canada on just such a mission

(Left) Keep it in the family - old family pictures like this, taken at a country wedding in 1913, often cause people to start wondering about their family tree. However, some relatives prefer not to talk about the past

Picture: STEPHEN LLOYD

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.