My name is Mary St.Leger-Bardon and from an early age my Grandmother fuelled my passion for genealogy.Â
During the 1960’s, she took the time to research both her family and my Grandfathers.
She then constructed an amazing embroidered sampler, that contained all of the main and pertinent information she had discovered about their respective ancestors. The sampler was something I saw everyday and it still has a special place within my home to this day.
At the age of 14, when clearing out a bookcase for my parents, I found a letter with a scribbled set of names and a spidery hand-drawn family tree, with this, my genealogy passion was born. Of course, I asked Grandma lots of questions. Being born at the turn of the Century, she knew all about the names and dates it contained.
I started to learn the craft of historical research, which ‘back in the day’ was a pain staking task of searching through library records, dusty books and microfiche. Thankfully with the availability of digitized records and databases being widely available, this has now become considerably easier and more accessible. Using the knowledge, skills and experience that I have gained over 40 years, doing this as an enthusiast, I chose to develop my passion into a career. I specialize in British Ancestry records and I also have experience in Genetic Genealogy research.
All our families have a past and stories to tell.
The stories that followed gave these names presence, form and solidity, I could almost see my ancestors staring at me from the page. I wanted to know more. Who had come before me? What jobs they had done? How did they live? Who did they love? Were they married? What historical events had they lived through and had it changed their lives for better or for worse? What tragedies and triumphs had shaped their choices?
