London's East End My grandparents were born in London's East End, an area rich in history. One focus of my research has been Spitalfields, Bethnal Green & Whitechapel, particularly in the 18th century. I have traced the lives of the inhabitants of this area with special interest in the Weaving community & migrants from the UK & Ireland and from Europe: Huguenots from France, Walloons and other religious migrants from the Netherlands, Belgium & Germany. Where possible I have traced these refugees back to their homelands often via Canterbury, the Kent & Sussex coast, Southampton, Norwich or Bristol. I have identified over 1,400 Weavers in my tree, and there are many more to uncover

Histories and media One excellent aspect of this software is the ability to contextualise the lives of my ancestors with articles, stories and media. Click on histories, photos, documents etc on the left to explore

DNA connections In ancestry.com DNA connections with living contributors are made and how that link has been created through a common ancestor. DNA connections provide evidence of expected ancestor chains, as well as new chains. A joint ancestor may be absent but a common ancestry suggested by the DNA match. For example I may have Packer ancestors before my oldest identified ancestors linking my ancestry to those who emigrated early in the 17th century to the new world

Silk Cutters of Spitalfields In a separate tree from my main research is a project to explore the lives of those men & women who were involved in the Silk Cutter insurrections of the 1760s. This is a work in progress but seeks to understand the family backgrounds of those involved. There are some interesting trial transcripts included within 'histories'

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