So, here we are again, at the end of what seems to have been another generally rubbish year for most people around the world, for one reason or another. Still, at least (hopefully) we made it through to try and look forward to some semblance of normality in 2026. I’m pretty sure I said exactly the same thing last year.
Anyhow. We would like to wish all our family, relatives, friends, visitors and especially our Contributors a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Please also raise a glass to our ancestors, without whom none of us would be here today trying to piece this nonsense together.
At the moment, I’m now 3 years into a deep dive of Swaledale and surrounding areas. I figured when I started that it was a while since I last dipped my toes into the murky goings-on there. I was also struggling to make sense of the DNA data that was seemingly linking people to my main ancestor tree, but who weren’t apparently associated by the various records. To say it’s a minefield would be a massive understatement; there are hundreds of new people, a barn-load of new images, and the DNA is still looking like a rat’s nest. But, I have a plan, which is probably more than I actually began with. I would suggest that you watch this space, but I’m not sure there’s enough time for that. I’m sure it will be worth it when I finally get to the end. Probably.
We now have a new granddaughter, Alice, who is just as adorable as her sister. Look out world!!!
Congratulations to Paul Close on the publication of his new book, Child Labour in the Global Human Rights Regime: A Political Economy Perspective, available from Emerald Publishing Limited.
Many thanks once again to everyone who has contacted me over the year with various things. I try to answer everyone, so keep these coming. I’m always happy to hear about your research and offer advice wherever I can, and I promise I will get around to publishing everything that’s been sent to me. Honest.
It’s also nice to see the subscriber count for these emails slowly increasing. Maybe when I manage more than one issue every 3 years, you’ll finally get some benefit from them! Sorry! Bear with me.
Also, many thanks to everyone who has sent a donation. It’s very much appreciated, and it all goes to the upkeep of the site. With over 20,000 people and 68,000 images, it’s turned into a bit of a monster since the early days, and it all needs money to feed it. So, if you do feel an overwhelming urge to support a worthy cause, then pop along to the site and help us out with a few quid.
Finally, here’s to a prosperous, productive and above all healthy 2026.
Have fun, be happy and stay safe.
Andy
And now for a bit of housekeeping
See the wood and the trees
We publish everything we have in our fabulous trees, so basically if you can’t find it, we don’t have it. With over 20,000 people, 5,000 families, 12,000 sources, and 69,000 image references currently sat in our database, you’ll appreciate the amount of work that has gone into this over the years.
You can see more in the Close Ancestry Trees.
Donations
We know that everyone in the world is after your hard-earned cash, but if you do feel a donation coming on as a result of your visit here, then please feel free to send it our way. It all goes towards the upkeep of the site, for which we charge absolutely nothing. So, please help us to keep the site free to use. Thanks.
Contacting us
If you find anything that you think may be of interest to us, then drop us an email at stuff@closeancestry.com
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