A crash course in genealogy research

Our ancestors are totally essential to our every waking moment, although most of us don't even have the faintest idea about their lives, their trials, their hardships or challenges.

Annie Lennox

An afternoon with Nolene Lossau and all things genealogy

What a delight to spend time with Nolene Lossau.

She navigated me around the National Archives files in Pretoria, the Family Search website and FreeBMD a site which provides access to the Civil Registration index of births, marriages and deaths for England and Wales.

She opened my eyes to using Census data, it was all quite wonderful.

I look forward to doing research into my mother's family.

Nolene finding a gem for me, the existence of Edith Argyle, a little sister to my Nan.

One of the surprises of the afternoon was finding out that my maternal grandmother Nellie Winifred had an older sister, Edith Argyle.






Edith was born in Freshwater on the Isle of Wight to William and Katherine Argyle. She only lived for a few months and died on the 15th August 1898.

Nan was born the following year.

How interesting that William, after he was remarried to Fanny, named another little girl Edith.
She was my Godmother.