Welcome to my genealogy project,  A London Family, where I will be describing the journey I am currently undertaking in a bid to discover more about the elusive paternal side of my family – The Skeltons. The story starts in Thatcher’s London, when, as an unemployed science graduate, I fell into the job of ‘heir hunter’ (see The Incidental Genealogist is Born), then continues to follow my research to date. Such a real-time study is, however, eclectic by nature; and rather than a traditional linear family history, my stories will explore a number of different themes related to genealogical enquiry in general.

I should also like to add that my ancestors are not actually ‘lost’ in the traditional sense of the word – although a number of them are certainly more so than others. Nonetheless, I do believe that all those who have gone before are lost to us in some way: at best we can only make a futile attempt at recreating their lives through memories, words and images. I intend to work with and examine these limitations in the project, and by doing so attempt to better understand the motivations for embarking on such a quest.

I invite you to join me on my journey, and would be delighted to receive your comments!

The Incidental Genealogist, September 2015.

P.S. Subscribing to A London Family means that you will automatically receive a link to each new chapter on the 1st of every month. Your details are never shared and it is easy to unsubscribe at any time.