Family Tree Magazine

Everybody is fascinated by their family history. Frankly, you would be crazy not to be – the details of what your ancestors got up to are fascinating in themselves, and the details of how you came to be who you are right now are endlessly interesting. With the recent success of programs such as the BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are, people have become ever more interested in their own family tree, starting quests to map it as far back as they can. Whilst not all of us can boast some of the amazing connections to royalty, nobility, and hugely important individuals that the celebrities featured on these programs can, we nevertheless all have a deep and fascinating family history to explore. At least, hopefully. Imagine how dispiriting it would be to investigate your family tree and find that it is full of nothing but sewer workers and gong farmers (so-called because the waste gave off a right gonging smell). Generation after generation of ‘waste management operatives’ as they might be refer