It began with my father wondering out loud where his own grandfather was buried. I thought it a question I should be able to readily answer. I'd not yet realised how many blind alleys awaited me on this search; it was fully 3 years before I had an answer for Dad. And then, when I'd located my great-grandfather's grave, I found he'd been buried in a family plot with a dozen others, with only one of their names having been previously known to us. With these new, early family names to explore, a new "hobby" began.

Now, over 30 years later, I'm not sure if the simple word "hobby" fully describes what might be better called my obsession.

It began with my father wondering out loud where his own grandfather was buried. I thought it a question I should be able to readily answer. I'd not yet realised how many blind alleys awaited me on this search; it was fully 3 years before I had an answer for Dad. And then, when I'd located my great-grandfather's grave, I found he'd been buried in a family plot with a dozen others, with only one of their names having been previously known to us. With these new, early family names to explore, a new "hobby" began.

Now, over 30 years later, I'm not sure if the simple word "hobby" fully describes what might be better called my obsession.