So, here we are again, at the end of what has been a pretty crap year for most people around the world. Still, at least (hopefully) we made it through to try and assume some semblance of normality in 2021. I doubt we’ll ever get back to “old normal” as we knew it but, on the whole, change is good and so I for one will be defining my “new normal” and trying it out for size next year.
Anyhoo. 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.
I’ve managed to get a couple of major releases published this year, with well over 200o new people, countless images and a whole regiment of Hall of Fame entries. As usual, not as many smaller updates as I’d like, but when you look at the sheer volume of Closes out there sometimes I feel as though whatever I’m investigating I’m always merely scratching the surface.
At the moment I’m running two “digs” simultaneously, which I’ve not done before, and I’m finding the process … interesting. So, we have the continuation of the Somerset Closes, following up on the small(ish) tree for Toni Close. At the time it wasn’t clear where her branch came from, but it now appears that the Somerset Closes are actually a thing, in the same way as the Yorkshire and Gloucestershire trees. In other words, there are hundreds dating back into the mists of the 1600’s and maybe earlier. I also had a bit of a furtle around the Closes of Guatemala after swapping emails with Guicela Close … no, I wasn’t aware of them either! They appear as Close De Leon in Guatemala before the ancestral trail heads back into London, again into the 1600’s, so that should be interesting as well. As usual I’ve no idea when these will be completed and published, so bear with me.
Many thanks once again to everyone who has contacted me over the past 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 will get around to publishing everything that’s been sent to me. Honest.
Also, many thanks to everyone who has sent a donation towards the upkeep of the website. It’s very much appreciated.
Finally, have a great Christmas and here’s to a prosperous, productive and above all healthy 2021. Stay happy and 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.
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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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