Family trees

Whilst visiting my Uncle Hector and Aunty Marci, who both lived in Hargeisa in Somaliland for a short while, my cousin Peter's wife Catriona mentioned that they were trying to compile a family tree. I mentioned that I could help, as I have the family tree compiled by my grandfather (Mum's father Iain Morrisom McMichael) in the early 1960's. I have scanned it and sent it off to the various members of the McMichael family.

I also have various trees drawn up my my grandfather on my father's side, the Roffey side.

So, with time on my hands I decided to register with www.ancestry.co.uk, for a 14 day free trial and see how far I can verify and extend what we know about the families. Trying to get as much done within the 14 days as possible and the whole thing is quite addictive.

It is odd that certain family lines end up quickly in a blank, like the forebears of my Mum's maternal grandfather, Frederick Richard Stewart, a silver spinner, born in Birmingham in 1872.

On the other hand, I have done erally well on my paternal grandmother's side, tracing the Mernaghs back to a village in County Wexford, Ireland called Coolamurry, near Enniscorthy with a James Mernagh who was born in 1801. There is now a James Mernagh managing the Coolamurry Stud, which houses the stallion Ashkalani, a brilliant miler of the Aga Khan's!

From the names of my grandparents: Roffey, Mernagh, McMichael and Srewart, I would be 1/4 English (Roffey), 1/4 Irish (Mernagh) and 1/2 Scottish (McMichael and Stewart).

However, three of the men the next generation up all married into English families: Harman, Somner and Manning. The other was a Robertson. This would bring me up to 1/2 English, 3/8 Scottish and 1/8 Irish. And so we can go on.....