Family History Trip

We didn't plan it this way, but on a day trip through the Cotswolds, we found one of my husband's ancestors was the founder of a small town there. That was really cool. I see ads for companies that rovide or help plan such trips in Britain magazine. Why don't you check out the latest edition.

We've taken a couple of these trips. Part of my family came from England, the other half from Sweden. I had done geneology research ahead of time and knew where they came from, so that's the area we went to - up around Chester. We were able to get a picture of the old home where they had lived and also to visit a museum where the clock from their clock tower was. They let us in special to see it. So, I don't think I have any suggestions for you - just that it's worthwhile. (In Sweden, the geneology society did research for me ahead of time which helped me there plus family I had located.) This is all so much fun!

I work in a public library in the UK and we get inundated with enquiries from Americans and Aussies re: their family history. There are a lot of people coming here on family history trips! It is worth checking out the website for the nearest local studies library (look on the local council's website) to see what they have and whether it is worth a trip. In the last library I worked in we had a massive photo collection and would often find incredibly old photos of the ancester's house or business.

It might be worth your while to get in touch with the local Family History Society through this site http://www.ffhs.org.uk or post on this Forum http://www.familytreeforum.com before you arrive.

I did this recently in Germany. I didn't find any graves or anything like that, but it was still a great experience to visit the town from where my ancestors came. The pictures I took have added a lot to the other research I had, and these pictures are really popular at family get-togethers.