Hello and welcome, I’m so glad you’ve found your way here!

My name is Fiona and I’m a genealogist based in the Fens near Ely, with deep roots in East Anglia and Ireland. This blog is a place to share family stories, local history and practical tips to help others connect with their past.

How it all started

My journey into genealogy began after the death of my beloved grandmother. I inherited a chest full of family heirlooms. Inside were photos, war medals, letters, certificates and tiny objects which held so much silent meaning. They were the fragments of lives lived long before mine. I had always loved history, as a child I was drawn to stories of the past, castles, museums and my family’s cottage in Ireland where many ancestors had been born and died. I continued my passion, focusing on historical subjects during my degree. I was always interested in the lived experience of everyday people rather than just the big names and battles. However, it was that chest of treasures, heavy with memory and mystery which truly set me on this path.

What I’ve learned and why it matters

Genealogy for me isn’t just about names and dates, it’s about connection. It’s about understanding how our ancestors lived, loved, struggled and survived. It’s also about giving them the dignity of being remembered. In researching my own family, I have found chimney sweeps, agricultural labourers, dockworkers and farmers who have struggled through hardships, famine, illegitimacy and loss. I realised that I wanted to help others to do the same because every family has a story worth telling.

Following the threads

As I sifted through the contents of the family chest, I began to ask myself questions: Who were these people? What were they like? What happened to them? One clue led to another, a census record, a parish register, a marriage registration and even local newspaper articles started to paint a picture and before long, I was hooked.

One line of my family, the Taylors were chimney sweeps in Bury St Edmunds for generations. That discovery opened up a world of Victorian hardship and quiet resilience. Another branch of my family led to the dockyards of Newcastle where my ancestors lived in extreme poverty. They were often separated from their loved ones for long periods, sometimes indefinitely as work and hardship shaped their lives. On the other side of my family are generations of Irish farmers who endured the Great Famine and lived through times of profound change as Ireland moved towards independence. I came to feel that I wasn’t just researching, I was beginning to know people I never had an opportunity to meet.

Why I started this blog

Over time, genealogy became more than a hobby. It became a passion and a calling, a way to connect the dots not just in my family tree but in others too.

This blog is a space to:

• Share stories from my own research
• Explore the rich history and folklore of East Anglia
• Offer tips and tools for those starting their family history journey
• Reflect on why the past still matters today

Let’s explore the past together

Thank you for reading. If you’ve inherited old family items, have a mystery ancestor or just want to start building your tree but don’t know where to begin, I’d love to help. Send a message or just follow along as I share more tales from the archives. There’s something powerful about finding out where and who you come from.

Here’s to uncovering the stories that made us.

Fiona Clare

Genealogist | History lover | Keeper of stories