Who do you think you are?

Do you know where you come from? Who your great great grandparents were and what they did? Maybe they were boaters.

Who do you think you are? has got everyone thinking about their family history including Terry and his granddaughter May. They were surprised to discover that canals were an important part of their past and decided to try and find out more. Terry noticed that his grandfather (George Edward Roberts) was listed as a "Bargeman" on his father's 1940 marriage certificate. Canal workers are sometimes incorrectly called bargemen - although in Cheshire they would have been known as "boaters". Using this information we were able to work with May and look at the on-line 1911 census and find an entry for him and his family (wife Edith and daughters Ada and Rhoda). They were on narrowboat "Test" in Chester at Tower Wharf. Terry was able to confirm that this was his family as he knew his Auntie Rhoda although not that she lived on a canal boat. As George was listed as 23 years old May was able to work out that he was born in 1888 and as his birthplace was listed as Chester we've now ordered his birth certificate. Terry and May along with the WOW team made a visit to The National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port to discover more about canals and boating. It also gave May the opportunity to interview her grandfather about her family. Our next move is to visit the waterway archive to search for any documents relating to the family or the boat. Terry thinks his family had some connection to Wolverhampton, as his father was born there. Most of the rest of the family were born in Cheshire along the Trent & Mersey Canal - Hassall Green, Wheelock and Chester. So perhaps the family were involved in carrying on the Trent & Mersey and Shropshire Union Canals - so we are going to make a start in the Gauging and Toll records. Terry is also searching out any photos of his family - so it's really a work in progress but both Terry and May are really enjoying it. Why don't you find out more about your family tree and what jobs your ancestors did? 1. With the help of your family, can you draw your own family tree? 2. Can you find any photos of the people in your family tree? 3. Ask your family if there are stories that they remember about their parents and grandparents. You may want to write down any of these stories. Imagine what it must have been like to be a child when they were growing up. 4. With the help of the internet and the Waterways Archive identify any source materials connected to your family. Expand your family tree using this new knowledge