Showing posts with label Who do you think you are?. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Who do you think you are?. Show all posts

Friday, 8 June 2018

We Only Do It Because We Care...

We have blogged before about our passive - aggressive relationships with certain TV shows. Sometimes one nit picks because one loves a person so very much and it pains us that they are not reaching their potential.


We wrote a snippy complaint about Autumnwatch calling Orkney 'The Orkneys' because we are pedantic but also because we love BBC's 'The Watches' so very much. It is the only thing that has ever annoyed us about that wonderful show.


We were unreasonably delighted by the first series of Bake Off, and we almost lost our minds when Who Do You Think You Are called (another show we had previously chastised), but we ADORE Spring/Autumn/WinterWatch. Thus, there was another very hysterical afternoon after we were contacted by one of the show's producers to provide copies of audio tapes of Orkney naturalist and expert on Hen Harriers, Eddie Balfour.


The relevant program aired on Wednesday but can still be watched on iplayer here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b61crx


For more information on Eddie, see this obituary which appeared in a 1974 copy of The Orcadian:
 



 






Thursday, 12 September 2013

Who Do You Think You Are?



About six months ago, I walked into our search room to find Dusty and the Fonds feverishly working away at their desks.

 "What on earth is going on?" I cried, "Are you ill?"

 Both looked up with glazed eyes and dopey smiles of joy.

"It has finally happened." Whispered Dusty.

 "The dream!" said the Fonds, " It has become our reality!"

Both leaped to their feet at the same time and screamed in my face "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH!!!!!!"

I wiped their spittle from my face and fell into a swoon.

Now.  Long-term readers may remember that we have gotten a teensy bit angry at WDYTYA in the past but that is only because we love it (We have a dysfunctional relationship.) In reality, being asked to research for the show is every archivist's dream and we had just won the equivalent of Best Picture Oscar, 100 metre dash at the Olympics or best haircut at the Smash Hit Poll Winners Party.

Imagine our desolation then when we could find no interesting, original documents to illustrate the mystery celebrity's family tree.

"There must be something that proves his birth date!" sobbed the Fonds.

"I've already picked out my outfit for the filming!" raged Dusty, "There must be a photo, something, ANYTHING!"

Readers, I wept a thousand tears.

Although it is clear from records in Canada that Sarah Millican(for it was she)'s, ancestor was an Orkneyman who travelled to the frozen North East of Canada to work for the Hudson's Bay Company we could find no primary documents of our own to lure the comic through to Kirkwall.

Instead, Sarah spoke to our esteemed colleague Janette of the Orkney Museum in Stromness where John Malcolm would have left Orkney for his new, very tough life.

If you missed the programme last night, it is well worth your time catching it on BBC iPlayer, it is a truly incredible tale of bravery, stoicism and the very Orcadian thirst for adventure. It's probably even more enjoyable when not watched through a veil of bitter tears...

Never mind, we are still clinging to our long-cherished hopes that Colin Firth's family originate from the Parish of Firth. Fingers crossed.


Saturday, 2 February 2013

Whar dis thoo think thoo ar? (Westray)

It's Who Do You Think You Are? Live this month on the 23rd -24th February. http://www.whodoyouthinkyouarelive.com/

Whar dae you think you aar? (Sanday)

So we thought we'd help our customers by creating a display which suggests alternative sources of information for family history research.


Whar dae ye think ye er? (Harray)

We show examples of usual sources such as IGI, census, graveyard surveys, parish registers, etc. and also show more unusual sources such as 18th century muster rolls, a 19th century customs & excise book of ships' crews discharged, a commonty map showing tenants names, a school admission register showing pupils names from 1897.

Wha deu you tink you urr? (North Ronaldsay)

We hope to encourage our genealogy customers to dig a little deeper into our archive collections and discover some information treasure of their own. if you know of any other unusual sources, please let us know.

Saturday, 26 June 2010

What a Wicked Game to Play...

Shocking news. The library copy of Orkney Today has gone missing today! 'Surely no-one would steal a newspaper from a public library?' I hear you muse, 'such a thing would be both a) ridiculous, as the paper costs less than a pound and b) evil.'

But apparently, newspaper thievery has been going on for ages! So much so that The Orcadian has to be kept beside a member of staff at all times! The paper is now attached to a piece of elastic which is connected to a special belt worn by whoever is on the desk. This has led to several staff members being dragged into the foyer and some people just let go of the paper when they are finished, letting it smack into the face of whoever is wearing the belt, but it is worth all of this trouble to keep a copy of our local paper available for all who wish to peruse it.

I phoned up Chris Isaak just now to wish him a Happy Birthday, told him of this outrage and he was as shocked as I was, if not more. In fact, he made up a song expressing his confusion about the matter. It's a little derivative of his old material, but I didn't tell him that...

Monday, 14 June 2010

Have At Thee, BBC's 'Who Do You Think You Are'!


A celebrity walks into an archive, or a quaint country home. A cheerful archivist greets them pleasantly, offers them a seat and immediately opens a book the exact page on which said celebrity's ancestor's details are recorded. The television/film/musical star sits rapt as the librarian/archivist/historian weaves a wonderfully detailed tale catered solely for this particular person's family history.

Supporting documents are plucked from thin air, photos appear at the click of fingers, a previously stern figure weeps thrilling tears because his great granny once had to lift a quite heavy bucket of water. The End

Wrong! If you look carefully, there are book marks in all the weighty tomes which are supposedly lifted from shelves by the archivist for the first time and it would be impossible to give this level of detail without several hours of research beforehand.

Sadly, the curse of WDYTYA? has encouraged visitors to libraries and archives to expect this magical service. They present themselves, tell us their last names and wait for us to produce the book of their family and move them to tears. It doesn't really work like that. Sorry.

When starting your family tree, always do as much research as you can within your own family before trying a records centre. Ask your parents and grandparents (if they are still around) as many questions as you can. Don't just ask for the names of your grandparents' parents; ask about their brothers and sisters too as this will make it easier to find them on a census. Middle names are also useful, as are any professions that you know of.

Take your research with you to the archive. We have several visitors every year who describe the reams of research and acres of carefully compiled scrapbooks that they left at home in loving detail. We need to see them.

Lastly, research takes a lot of time. Some of our visitors have been doing their family history for 10 years! Sometimes people are lucky and their relatives had an unusual name, were landowners or didn't move around very much and so can be traced easily from census to census. everyone else has to work at it. (It is fun though, you feel like a detective.)

Two particular episodes made every one here swoon with rage. First, was the Matthew Pincent episode where he was traced back to God. Don't get me started on that.

The second, was David Mitchell's episode. The morning after it aired, three of us all burst into the search room at 9am and shouted at each other "that lady was keeping Church Records in her HOUSE!"

Tuesday, 25 May 2010

Cruising in Orkney


When hearing the words 'cruise liner' most people picture the Caribbean, shuffle board, or cocktails with little umbrellas in them. Perhaps they then muse upon Poirot investigating a murder on the Nile or poor, frozen  Leo desperately scrabbling at the edge of the floating door hogged by greedy old Kate Winslet.


You may be surprised then to learn that little old Orkney is expecting SEVENTY THREE cruise liners this Summer with a record FOUR vessels all stopping in Kirkwall on August the 18th!

A timetable of these visits is published each year in the Orcadian and a copy is kept by the till of most shops and public buildings in the town.
We do not put on anything special for cruise visitors in the archive but it helps to be poised for the days when there are more tourists than regular inhabitants on the streets. We like to have maps handy for giving directions and  lists of eateries memorised in order of distance from archive, price and quality of cake.

We are often visited by voyagers who have family connections to Orkney and are wishing to explore this link. As delighted as we are to help, let one point be made; while it is incredibly flattering that some optimistic visitors think us capable of compiling a family tree in just 5 minutes, without any supporting dates or documentation, sadly our skills do not extend that far. Any genealogical visitors may get on a bit better with a birth date or two and perhaps at least an hour to spare.

Damn you, BBC's 'Who Do You Think You Are?' and damn you again!