I live in Exeter which is in the county of Devon, almost on the pointy bit at the bottom of England. I was born in Barnstaple, Devon and grew up in Okehampton, Devon. I obtained a BSc(Hons) in Mining Geology from the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of London and an MA degree in Police & Criminal Justice Studies from Exeter University.

 

I have been researching my family history since 1991 and try to fit a bit in every day. I want to take this opportunity to apologise to my daughter, Amy, for doing even more work on what she calls my "boring old family tree!" I have tried to interest my children in the project, as I don't want it to die with me, but there are no takers so far, so it looks lite it will. 

 

I still like to research the proper way, by going to local records offices and digging out the original documents but as online sites are putting more and more original documents online, the need to travel halfway across the country to find a baptism has diminished somewhat.

 

I base my research on primary sources and hope that I have made the right deductions based on those sources. I am always open to challenges on anything I have come up with, so if you don't agree with something I've written please let me know! It is always good to re-examine work that I may have done many years ago, particularly when I was still learning the ropes. Click here to see how I go about it. 

 

My favourite genealogical activity is visiting old churches and graveyards and searching for my extended family there. Strangely, the kids were never particularly enthusiastic when we travelled to yet another graveyard (especially in the rain) to transcribe the gravestones! The clue was them shouting, in unison, "Awww, Daaaaad,not another graveyard!" I don't know what is the matter with them.....!!