My inspiration came from a book I came across some time ago "William and Christina: One Woman's Search For Her Ancestors" by Hilary Wallace Forrester. I was immediately attracted by its format of linking local and family history and giving an emphasis to sources. The author traces the story of her great grandparents - their ancestors and descendants, the background to their lives and the places (Scottish and English Border country) and the times in which they lived. My own story of "James and Maria - A Fylde Story of their Ancestors and Descendants" owes much to her style.
Progress is slow and I have only completed Part 1- The Rawliffe Story, based around my great grandmother Maria, wife of James Danson. There is something special about seeing my work in a printed and bound format, rather than loose-leaf in a file.
One feature I introduced in each chapter was a timeline text box to show what was happening in the lifetime of my ancestors on the local, national and internationlal scene, whether it was the opening of the railway, the invention of the sewing machine, the Irish Potato Famine, or the Crimean War. People seem to like this and I have used it a lot when writing up family histories for friends.
Look out for my next two articles to commemorate Remembrance Day:
The Danson Family at War
William Danson - Postcards from Flanders.