The first family I started my research with were the Gilchrists. It was my maternal grandmother's maiden name and I knew that her sister, my great aunt Peg, had done research on the family back in the day. That was in the days before computers were a thing. In her quest for information she traced them back to Islay and even visited there. Unfortunately, I don't know what she found there because her research wasn't saved or at least, if it was, I have no idea where it is.
Still, as a family to begin with in the infancy of the internet the Gilchrists were a good one. The OPRs (Old Parish Registers) were available at my local Family History Centre. I think they were on microfiche kept in the actual centre so they didn't have to be ordered from Salt Lake. It was on the OPRs that I found the marriage of James Gilchrist and Mary Hunter, my 3 x great grandparents.
I have no idea if Auntie Peg even got as far as the marriage entry with her research. However, I do know that she visited Islay where her grandparents came from. I have a postcard that shows the hotel where she stayed and, on my first visit to Islay, I stayed there as well. So, in a way, her research did inspire mine.
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