When my sister and I opened our shop in 1997, just after Dad had died, we decided to call it 'Lonsdales', which was Dad's middle name. Over the years, several people asked where the name came from, and knowing that it was a 'family' name we started digging to find where the name 'Lonsdale' came from.......... and the rest, as they say, is history.
What a shame all the older generation had gone by then, so we've no-one to ask - all we've had to go on was our own memories of comments made over the years, an old battered photo album (with no flippin' names on the photos), and an army paybook belonging to g. grandfather. Thankfully, one side of the family developed the habit of using maiden names as middle names for their children, so we've been able to make educated guesses which came up trumps.
Like others, we've gone off at a tangent, exploring such diverse occupations as bell founding, bonnet making, mariners , brass founders etc.
We've discovered the purchase of a manor house, and connections with America's founding fathers - alongside bigamy, illegitimacy and transportation!!
Absolutely hooked now, and of course, the story never ends does it? There's always the next generation beyond the one we've just found..............
Knowing where we came from has, I think, been a great leveller, seeing how tough life was for our ancestors - I'm so glad we started.