Studying our ancestors often throws up surprises. Many of us begin the study of our genealogy with a few stories (usually of the fantastic variety) and perhaps we initially feel a little let down when we reality dawns. However, I feel that reality is often so much more interesting.

A case in point is a family I was recently studying in the county of Suffolk in England. Back in the day (the day, in this case, being the late 1700s) the family was well-to-do, owning a small amount of land and probably associating with what we may call the lower-middle class. One particular ancestor was born into the family around 1800. He worked as a corn dealer in his earlier years, and was well provided for when his father passed away. However, the living descendants of this man didn’t know what had become of him.

After much study and cross-referencing we discovered that he had found his way into a workhouse by the time he was 60 years old and appears to have lived out the remainder of his life there. Quite a fall indeed. We can only guess at the hows and whys of his story. But, if we try to place ourselves in this man’s shoes, his change of fortunes and situation, the emotions he felt and the conditions in which he lived, I believe that we come to a greater understanding of the life he lived. For me, this is what genealogy is about, a striving for truth and understanding, and not the perpetuation of fanciful myths or legend.