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Tracing Family Branches

This has been a milestone month for my blog as it has reached over 50000 page views!  I was not sure which would happen first for me this year, my turning fifty or reaching the 50000 page view mark (by the way I hit the half a century mark first 😉) but I am grateful and delighted that both goals have been achieved. I thank everyone who reads my blog for doing so and hope that it has been and continues to be informative and entertaining for extended family members and others!  Upon reaching this milestone I took a good look at my blog and realised that the name didn’t really fit properly, as I have pushed past most of our families branches roots in Australia and ventured overseas to various parts of the globe and so I have renamed it ‘Tracing Family Branches’.  The new title is a bit of a play on my first name and I believe it better reflects the content and direction of my blog.
My passion for genealogy continues to grow and I am so glad that I decided to pursue this interest back in 1996!  To the unknown distant relative who came to my Nan and Grandy’s home one weekend when I was primary school age seeking family history information, thank you for igniting my initial spark of interest all those years ago and my deepest apologies that my Nan refused to share her knowledge.  She was the most wonderful Grandmother anyone could ask for, but unfortunately for you she was fiercely protective of her family and its secrets!  Her parents did not marry until the year she turned three in a time when being illegitimate still carried with it a major stigma.  I found out years after her death that she had used a birth extract certificate during her lifetime rather than her full birth certificate when she could, as the extract didn’t reveal the full circumstances of her birth and thus less people would know.  My hearts breaks for her thinking that she suffered at such an early age from the judgement and prejudice of others and that it had such a long term adverse affect on her.   She was an amazing woman who lived for her family, she was loving, loyal, fiercely protective and like all of us human.  If I am half the grandmother to my grandchildren that she was to me I will be very happy!

My Nan (Glennie 'Mariė' Stevens nee Battye) and I in the 1970's

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  1. Crissouli17 May 2018 at 00:05

    Congratulations, Tracy, a milestone indeed... and a belated Happy Birthday!
    I think secrets were often well hidden... I'm still try to find out why my Dad wasn't too keen on me digging into the family stories... He kept telling me I should let sleeping dogs lie... my answer was always the same... the dogs are safe, the people are who I'm interested in.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tracing Family Branches17 May 2018 at 13:31

      Thank you! The people interest me too 😊

      Delete
    2. Crissouli18 May 2018 at 09:51

      I have included your blog in INTERESTING BLOGS in FRIDAY FOSSICKING at
      https://thatmomentintime-crissouli.blogspot.com/2018/05/friday-fossicking-may-18-2018.html
      Thank you, Chris

      Delete
    3. Tracing Family Branches20 May 2018 at 18:36

      Thank you 😊

      Delete

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