As I write the story about HS Chambers, I'm bringing his tale forward in time which can be counterintuitive to genealogists who are trained to go from the people in current times back into history. But I can remember the voyage of discovery as I took his family lines, both paternal and maternal, back in time. Both family lines took me back to a common place, at least as far as county goes. That place was Northamptonshire, or Northants, as it is sometimes called.
In 2006 when I found out there was going to be a conference in Northampton put on by the Federation of Family History Societies, I knew that I had to go. It would be a perfect opportunity to get to that area of the UK to attend the conference and do some research in the area. I'd attended conferences before but none in the UK where most of my family originated.
The five-day conference was held at the University of Northampton and accommodations were in the student residences. I was a little bit apprehensive based on my own days in student residences, but ended up favorably impressed. We didn't have ensuites back in my school days. Staying on campus made getting to the lectures so much easier.
The theme of the conference was Putting Flesh on the Bones: A Study of the Common Man. It was so interesting attending in-person sessions given by well-known names in English Genealogy, like John Titford, Nick Barratt and Else Churchill, probably old hat to most attendees but I got a kick out of seeing them. Also on campus were reenactors from the English Civil War Society, which makes sense as there was a lot of fighting around Northamptonshire during the Civil War.
The tents of the Time Village with its emphasis on ancient crafts were a draw but I spent most of my time checking out family history goods on offer. Good thing too because I picked up some booklets of graveyard transcriptions which stood me in good stead. More about that later.
Tents in the Time Village
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