Hello and welcome to the Blog page of Grace Ancestry.

We at Grace Ancestry are so excited about what we do, we thought we'd start sharing some of the stuff we come across, learn and the interesting characters we unearth on our journeys to the past. Obviously no details of anyone's family history would be shared without the express permission of the family concerned; however much of what we do for people on their genealogical quests can be shared in general without any breach of confidentiality.

Of course its not just about individual stories, but the fundamentals of genealogy and how the internet is changing the way we do research. Whilst we here firmly believe that for the professional, a good old physical rummage around an archive can never be replaced by technology, it is fair to say that the accessibility now provided for the amateur genealogical sleuth by the various portals and websites, has propelled what was once the stronghold of the hobbyist into the mainstream. Programs such as Who Do You Think You Are and Long Lost Family have galvanised people who may never have thought about their ancestors, to take on a mission to find them, so fuelling the rise in websites and media to cater for the demand.

One might now even say what the point is of a professional genealogist, when so much of the information is at the click of a button? Well of course its like any trade or profession, if you're competent and know what to do, then there's no problem, enjoy your research and the results it brings you. Be warned though, to the untrained eye, there are many deceptive, but enticing roads to go down, which can easily take you way off track and produce a family tree which in reality isn't yours. For example and by way of analogy, many is the confident DIY person who may well tackle a leaking tap, but would shy away from changing a gas appliance. In this instance you'll call the plumber out for his/her experience and skills. It is exactly the same with genealogy, much of the time is spent in verifying or interpreting information which you may find and in this area, as with the plumber, there is no substitute for the qualified professional.

Anyway I think that's all for now, I will be posting as much as possible as frequently as possible, so please look in from time to time.

Grace