#52Ancestors Week 34 ‘Chosen Family’

Welcome to Week 34 of my Genealogy challenge, from the wonderful Amy Johnson Crow, of writing something about your Ancestors for a whole year, #52Ancestors in 52 weeks. This week’s prompt is ‘Chosen Family’.

When we start of on our Family History many of us choose one line in particular to trace first, it could be your birth surname, a natural choice, or your maiden name, if you are married, but for different people, for different reasons, we are sometimes attracted to one family line in particular.

Taking that one step further, as our tree grows and our branches spread far and wide, we can sometimes be drawn to one family member in particular, or one branch of our family that seems to draw us in. Has that happened to you in your Research?

Like me, have you been drawn to a branch of your tree, ‘the chosen family’, for a reason you cannot explain? A gut feeling, an instinct, a sixth sense almost, or is it Ancestral Memory?

We can never be certain of the reason why, but there is nothing I love more than deviating off on a bit of a tangent sometimes and doing some ‘off-roading’ Genealogy, following the trail that I have been drawn too. It could be a Family Story or legend that sparks the interest, or maybe a photograph, or even an heirloom that’s been handed down. Whatever the reason, sometimes an Ancestor and their Family are just calling out to you, ‘The Chosen Family’.

My 2 x Great Aunt Alice Chiddicks, is a prime example. When I began researching this line, it started my obsession (I prefer the word Passion) for trying to find the Burial places for each generation as I went along. Alice became a pain! I literally couldn’t find her final resting place. Lots of communication and phone calls and eventually I found her final resting place and then I too, could rest easy. By hook or by crook Great Aunt Alice, I was able to complete your Journey. Why did I become obsessed with finding her Burial? I have no idea, she just became ‘My Chosen family Member’.

For the record, she wasn’t actually buried at all, she was Cremated at Counties Crematorium, Northampton on 23rd March 1966.

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