Our ancestors may well have been present at major landmarks and turning points in our history, such as the two World Wars, the suffragette movement and the industrial revolution, and they all have their own story to tell.
When we go to the places where they lived, worked, fought, travelled to and ultimately died, they will cease to be just names on a piece of paper. They will walk into our lives as we walk into theirs. You will feel their presence and get to know them in a way that creates a real sense of belonging.
My name is Benjamin Nicholls and I am the founder of Footsteps.
I have been researching my own family history since 2001. My paternal grandfather was a shadowy figure who died long before my birth and one day I realised that he represented a quarter of me that I knew nothing about.
My journey started with my grandfather’s birth certificate. I have been on many journeys back through the centuries to the middle ages. I have travelled on a tide of documents and stories across Europe, and traced pioneers across far flung exotic lands.
I have met some truly wonderful characters in my personal history journey, from war heroes to Jewish millionaires, divorcees to lunatics, skilled artisans to adventurers, and artists to socialites.
Their colourful stories have thoroughly enriched my personal sense of identity, and I’m sure that embarking on a similar journey through time will do the same for you and your family too!
