Foreword from the Founder of #AncestryHour
Dear Reader
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to #AncestryHour and to tell you a little bit about how it all came about, introduce the team, and tell you about our hopes and aims for #AncestryHour going forward. My name is Susie Douglas and I have been researching family histories for in excess of 30 years. With my business "Borders Ancestry" I have exhibited at WDYTYA Live twice, am regularly published in family history magazines and helped many clients with their ancestral research. Most importantly though, I have had time to listen!
There appeared to me to be a requirement for an informal time and place where professional and amateur researchers could get together, exchange tips and advice, post questions, promote their professional services and chat amongst themselves without the confines of a set subject or agenda. To facilitate this I started to host @AncestryHour in November 2013 on a Tuesday evening between 7.00 - 8.00pm GMT, using the hashtag #AncestryHour. Wow, what a response! Two years later and #AncestryHour was being quoted as the most valuable #hastag on the internet for #familyhistory and #genealogy.
In December 2016 I was joined at the helm by #AncestryHour stalwart, good friend and 'genie' colleague Sylvia Valentine of Recover your Roots. In March 2017 the team grew again to include genetic genealogy specialist Michelle Leonard, Fergus Smith of Old Scottish, an expert in Scottish records, and Tara Frugalone in Dublin, a professional genealogist who is passionate about family history and is a social media whizz kid! In 2018 Rachel Bellerby, a champion of women's history, editor of History Scotland and digital editor of Family Tree Magazines joined our ranks along with Paul Chiddicks a regular contributor to both the magazine and #AncestryHour. Hot on their heels were Dr Sophie Kay, The Parchment Rustler, champion of cross-discipline interaction and collaboration and Scottish Genealogist, Alison MacLeod Spring of Scots Ancestors an advocate of 'frugal' family history. The team continues to evolve and add to its field of expertise. Richard Holt of Holts Family History Research is the most recent addition, joining the tweeting ranks in June 2022. Based in Cambridge but born in Buckinghamshire, his regional knowledge and specialist interests will add a new dimension to our Tuesday evening gatherings. Together we are all working towards furthering the mutual support opportunities which is the ethos at the very heart of #AncestryHour. Please explore our website and discover how #AncestryHour could help you!
Spread the word, like us on Facebook, share your knowledge and support others, follow us on Twitter and join us for our weekly "tweet-up" on a Tuesday evening. The #AncestryHour team and I look forward to welcoming you!
With my very best wishes.
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to #AncestryHour and to tell you a little bit about how it all came about, introduce the team, and tell you about our hopes and aims for #AncestryHour going forward. My name is Susie Douglas and I have been researching family histories for in excess of 30 years. With my business "Borders Ancestry" I have exhibited at WDYTYA Live twice, am regularly published in family history magazines and helped many clients with their ancestral research. Most importantly though, I have had time to listen!
There appeared to me to be a requirement for an informal time and place where professional and amateur researchers could get together, exchange tips and advice, post questions, promote their professional services and chat amongst themselves without the confines of a set subject or agenda. To facilitate this I started to host @AncestryHour in November 2013 on a Tuesday evening between 7.00 - 8.00pm GMT, using the hashtag #AncestryHour. Wow, what a response! Two years later and #AncestryHour was being quoted as the most valuable #hastag on the internet for #familyhistory and #genealogy.
In December 2016 I was joined at the helm by #AncestryHour stalwart, good friend and 'genie' colleague Sylvia Valentine of Recover your Roots. In March 2017 the team grew again to include genetic genealogy specialist Michelle Leonard, Fergus Smith of Old Scottish, an expert in Scottish records, and Tara Frugalone in Dublin, a professional genealogist who is passionate about family history and is a social media whizz kid! In 2018 Rachel Bellerby, a champion of women's history, editor of History Scotland and digital editor of Family Tree Magazines joined our ranks along with Paul Chiddicks a regular contributor to both the magazine and #AncestryHour. Hot on their heels were Dr Sophie Kay, The Parchment Rustler, champion of cross-discipline interaction and collaboration and Scottish Genealogist, Alison MacLeod Spring of Scots Ancestors an advocate of 'frugal' family history. The team continues to evolve and add to its field of expertise. Richard Holt of Holts Family History Research is the most recent addition, joining the tweeting ranks in June 2022. Based in Cambridge but born in Buckinghamshire, his regional knowledge and specialist interests will add a new dimension to our Tuesday evening gatherings. Together we are all working towards furthering the mutual support opportunities which is the ethos at the very heart of #AncestryHour. Please explore our website and discover how #AncestryHour could help you!
Spread the word, like us on Facebook, share your knowledge and support others, follow us on Twitter and join us for our weekly "tweet-up" on a Tuesday evening. The #AncestryHour team and I look forward to welcoming you!
With my very best wishes.