Poll: Have you discovered an ancestral home?
Census records are a fantastic tool.
However, the details in the records leave much to the imagination. That is - of course - until you investigate the address listed on the census entry.
It's the part of the puzzle that brings context to the lives of our ancestors. The type of house, the bedroom-to-inhabitant ratio, the local area and surrounding industry - these are all fascinating elements that help us visualise our ancestors' lives.
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit a not-too-distant home that was shared among a few generations on my maternal side. Lavish, it wasn't; however, the insight into their lifestyle was a humbling experience.
Let us know in the poll below if you've visited any ancestral homes. Alternatively, please leave a comment below.

January 31st, 2012 - 10:28
January 31st, 2012 - 11:02
January 31st, 2012 - 12:49
I do have a nice photo of a terraced house in Manchester where his son, John Bott lived.
January 31st, 2012 - 14:18
January 31st, 2012 - 14:27
January 31st, 2012 - 17:35
January 31st, 2012 - 20:28
Aristides de Sousa Mendes had big family with 14 children. It would be very interesting to hear about their family tree. His descendants were former refugees, since the Portuguese regime (Salazar) already during the 1941 dishonored and disgraced the diplomat Sousa Mendes. His grandsons, along with friends from all around the world, continue honouring the memory of this great humanitarian and try to preserve his home working as the Fundação Aristides de Sousa Mendes, which owns this edifice.
See about the diplomate: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristides_de_Sousa_Mendes
and about the status of his home "RuinArt":
http://ruinarte.blogspot.com/2010/07/casa-do-passal-cabanas-de-viriato.html
February 4th, 2012 - 13:02
February 11th, 2012 - 20:56
March 19th, 2012 - 03:00
January 9th, 2013 - 10:21