Why Simply Ancestory
We have been researching family history for over 30 years. It always concerned us that the cost of research can put it out of the reach of many people, so we came up with the idea of charging £1 per person found.
About Us
Our Beliefs
We believe that everyone has a family story and everyone has contributed to making that story. Family history has a huge part to play on many levels.
It could be working with young people to give them an understanding of the part their family has played in a community.
It could be someone with Alzheimer’s to give them a bit of respite.
We have done projects with communities and it works!
How Can We Help
£1 Per Person
We all know that researching Family history can be very time-consuming. You would never employ anyone to do anything for you without justifying time or an outcome. we thought carefully about this as we have expenses for time, travel, subscriptions, office, and stationery that need to be covered. Our model of £1 per person has worked great, all we ask for is a £50 deposit which is non-refundable but goes towards the printing and posting expenditure.
explore your family story
Community Work
Over the last few years, we have been doing lots of work with partners.
We have worked with local authorities on many projects with the community at the centre of it all.
On going projects
The Man Who Lived in the Park
We are working with a local authority to research a park and its history. It will provide the park users with a heritage walk for residents the story of an area that has been taken for granted and hopefully something that will be protected for generations to come.
Sense of Place
Working with schools in the area to give the students a connection to the area in which they live through history.
Doing family history in a class setting with students to show them with census data the part their family played in history also the hard times they lived in compared to now.
It also gives the student a timeline of a family member who lived at the time of world events.
News
The Man Who Lived in the Park.
Abraham Lincoln Rhodes was an electrical engineer who was born in Bradford in 1875. His Father George Rhodes was a wool trader (Rag and Bone man) Abraham moved from Bradford to Armthorpe Doncaster, running his business in Marshgate Doncaster making electric motors (Rhodes Motor Works)
Abraham moved from Armthorpe with his young family to Wheatley Hills Doncaster where he purchased a parcel of land with a sand quarry attached. We don’t know if the quarry was still working when he purchased it. What we do know is Abraham gifted the parcel of land to the Authority in 1935 to mark the Silver Jubilee of King George. The Authority didn’t have the funds to landscape the land, so Abraham gave them £500 to do the work which is equivalent to approx. £41.000.00 today.
Abraham had another endeavour which was a Cinema on High Street Doncaster, his cinema was the first in Doncaster to run talking films as can be seen in the link below. The building still stands in Doncaster Centre.
Abraham died in Norfolk in 1941 during an air raid. He is one of many people who played a part in the development of communities that very little is known about. He his mark on Doncaster in a well-loved green space used by many and a building that still stands. Ask yourself if Abraham hadn’t gifted the land and paid for it to be landscaped would it be a park that many people enjoy? If Abraham hadn’t built the cinema how many people wouldn’t have spoken to each other even now as hairdressers people still make connections.
Contact us
We aim to help as many people as possible Please contact us for more info.
Simply Ancestory 