My other sites, Hamilton Family History and Mums Finance, are well up and running now. Trying to maintain three blogs can be time consuming but I particularly am enjoying working on the genealogy blog. It was an ambition of mine to publish my family history at some stage so being able to document it all on the blog is very satisfying. Talk about a lot of work though!.

I started doing family research some years back; the trick is to talk to as many older relatives as soon as you can and write everything down as you go along. It is amazing the kinds of things that our older family members hang onto over the years and often, sadly, the valuable things they tend to chuck out.

For instance, my Mums auntie had a stash of photo’s that were taken during the first world war and yet when my grandmother died they got thrown out in the ‘clear out’. Lost forever those particular pictures but fortunately Mums sister managed to save even more items.

My advice is to ask your grandparents for any old photo’s and make copies of them. Even get them restored as the process these days can restore them to almost an almost new condition. Just remember; don’t throw anything out!.

To all those who have dropped by here for the subject of genealogy, I now have a new site for you to visit and link to: If you are researching the name of Hamilton(Co Donegal Ireland) then click on the link where it will take you to my new site.

If you are looking to research  the Stewart name relating to the family of County Tyrone then follow the same link or visit Stewart Family History. There you will find, on both sites, info relating to the Hamilton’s of Brownhall Co. Donegal Ireland, and also the Stewarts of Killymoon, Co. Tyrone. Both families are linked by marriage.

One major aspect of my new soon-to-come site will the focus on the establishment of the branch of the Hamilton ‘clan’ that arrived in Co Donegal Ireland from Scotland back in the 16th century – mid to late 16th century actually.

This particular branch of the family were not plantationists but landowners – the land being granted to the original John Hamilton via King James in appreciation of the family’s loyalty to the crown.  Original settlement was Murvagh.

The family established themselves at this place before relocating to another nearby location where the family seat still stands today. Unfortunately no trace at all remains of the original dwelling, and in fact it’s exact location is not known. But having visited the area I can see that the elements have obviously played a part in that.

I will be focusing on Ballintra Co Donegal (Donegal Town pictured above) from the years of 1690 and onwards. Some of the surnames also associated with this branch of the Hamiltons are: Stewart, Pakenham, Creighton and Blackwood.

Pictured above: Donegal Town, Ireland.