What I love about history are the STORIES! There are the big stories: the marital ups and downs of Henry VIII, the tempestuous lives of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, the fight of the suffragettes. Then there are the smaller stories that we family historians uncover, even more exciting because they are connected to us. Along the way in my research I have found:
Maurice Edward Burrell - his story is in an earlier blog entry. He was a Keystone Cop and appeared in films with Charlie Chaplin and Fatty Arbuckle.
George Hallam - Captain of the St Theodore who was captured by the German raider Moewe during the First World War.
Harry Trevis - a real character in the Royal Engineers. Fell down a well on the Western Front and found some antique swords. Fell down another well shortly afterwards trying to repeat his treasure hunting success but ended up injuring his back so got invalided home.
Elizabeth Jones - a young nurse from Shropshire who worked at the AngloRussian hospital and saw the revolution happen in Petrograd.
The Hookings Family - from Beer in Devon. The women in the family, along with those in the village, made the lace for Queen Victoria's wedding dress.
In the excitement of all the research, especially when we first get started, it is easy to get caught up in the mad rush of collecting ancestors. So my advice is to slow down and smell the roses. Take your time and dig up the stories.