2022: Posts, prompts and publications

More posts, further work on my forthcoming book, and maybe even a talk or two: 2022 is looking promising.

#52Ancestors, #OnePlaceStudy and #OneNameStudy

With a young family and a full-time job, completing three different series of blogging prompts would be impossible. However, I’m thinking of amalgamating the lot in a way that might work more easily for me, completing at least twelve posts based within each study (and hosted either at Badingham and Cransford or Walne History) and the rest here. The form will vary and may only loosely feature a particular ancestor but should tell a story, share a research tip, introduce a record set – or all three.

In 2021 I began (re)working through my personal tree logically, generation by generation, researching each of my ancestors and ensuring all their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were represented. Having already reached the profiles of my 32 3x Great Grandparents, there are plenty of people to choose from, regardless of how much further I get in 2022!

Each post will appear in full on this website or be flagged here with a link to the relevant site. Join in with the relevant hashtags on twitter. You can sign up to Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors online.

My next book…

Despite everything the pandemic has thrown at us – full-time work, homeschooling (and no childcare!), not to mention archive closures – I still find myself with tens of thousands of words of drafts and notes. The challenge in 2022 is to turn at least some of those words into draft chapters.

It seems only fitting that I should keep to a five-year gap between publications, so 2013, 2018, 2023 it is, I hope… Enormous thanks go to the ever-patient owner of the house that sits at the centre of my next story.

RootsTech, One-Place Studies and other talks

I somewhat unexpectedly ended up presenting again in 2021. Next year I’ve already confirmed some appearances. I have two videos uploaded for Rootstech in March. Registration is open.

I’ve also agreed to talk about my One-Place Study for society members in May. Learn more about the programme of One-Place Studies talks on the society website. The evening will follow nicely from the Local History Pharos/BALH course I intend to complete from March.

The 1921 Census

With just days to go until 6 January, the thoughts of many of us are turning to the long-awaited delayed release of the 1921 census. It’s pay-per-view to start with (as expected; until digitisation costs are recouped), so I’m armed with a few specific addresses/people to find initially. I hope an early post will feature this fascinating new resource, arguably one of the last ‘big’ releases for 30 years…

Here’s to the New Year. Happy researching.