SPOTLIGHT ON... THE NORTH LIVERPOOL ACADEMY
Genealogist Ian Mooney has recruited a team of enthusiastic young researchers. Read about their impressive findings
Despite being in existence for less than a year, the North Liverpool Academy family history club has seen its members make discoveries that many long-standing family historians would wish were on their family trees The club was established as a summer school in 2020 by genealogist and member of staff at the Academy, Ian Mooney. Overcoming the challenges of Covid lockdowns, a considerable number of students nevertheless joined the club and began to trace their family trees. Now, nearly one year on, these students, currently studying in year 7 (therefore typically aged 11-12 years) have made impressive progress. Genealogy discoveries
One such student was Jacob, who, over the past 10 months has traced an extensive family tree back to 1712. His research spans three centuries and includes connections to a Prussian sailor and soldier, and to Bishop Joseph Bernard Cotter, who established a school in Winona, Minnesota. Recently Jacob has presented his research online, into the life of his family member Bishop Cotter, to the students of Cotter High School. They were very interested to learn more about the founder of their school and his origins back in Victorian England.
Intriguingly Jacob isn’t the only student to find notable family ties. His fellow club member Jack has also traced his tree back to the early 18th century, and is proud to include Sir
Richard Starkey MBE (better known as The Beatles’ drummer Ringo Starr) as his first cousin three times removed. Adam has managed to include an impressive 275 people on his family tree, while Kieran has the intriguing claim to fame of being related to the last witch to be hanged in Scotland. Interestingly this tale was a story
Carly: ‘I am working on the principal’s family tree and have found some watchmakers. She also has an ancestor who was in the workhouse’.
Kieran: ‘I am related to the last witch to be hanged in Scotland’.
that had been handed down through the generations in Kieran’s family, and – on Kieran’s researching it – it proved to be true. So this is a lesson to us all to take note of those family stories that we’re told. Genealogists are renowned for their generous spirit and this is represented too in club member Carly who has been undertaking research on someone’s else’s family tree – that of the busy North Liverpool Academy’s principal, whose ancestors include an inmate of the workhouse and a number of watchmakers.
Starting point
Jacob has wise advice for anyone wishing to begin tracing their family tree: ‘I would say start with who you know, with who’s alive, maybe your great-grandmother or even your grandmother. You can ask them if they have information and build up on that.’ This is advice that Jacob has put into practice himself and his great-grandmother has been a mine of useful family history information, as have many other family members.
Club meetings
The club meets once a week and students research family history in their own time too, interviewing relations, asking about memories, gathering stories and photographs too where possible, as well as searching online. Their core hunting grounds for information are Ancestry and web search engines. The club has a very collaborative vibe, and club mentor Mr Mooney says that the students all take an interest in one another’s discoveries. Mr Mooney has been bowled over by how many discoveries the students have made and how talented they are at seeking out family history clues and stories. He says,
‘I am immensely proud of all the students in the club.’
It is both exciting and encouraging to hear of the work of these up and coming genealogists and we look forward to hearing further about their discoveries in the future.
Note: Mr Mooney is himself a student, having recently completed the Post Graduate Diploma in Genealogy and is looking forward to embarking on an MSC in the autumn. We wish Mr Mooney and the excellent and enthusiastic members of the North Liverpool Academy Family History Club all the best for their future genealogy discoveries.
Adam: 'I have 275 people in my family tree so far. Most of them are from Scotland'. Jack: 'I am related to Ringo Starr and have also traced my family back to 1713 so far'.