I’m Andy Hawes and live on the outskirts of Plymouth in the beautiful county of Devon.
I’ve studied and researched family history for more than twenty years and use my knowledge and experience to help others discover their family past.
I grew up in Looe. My father was sent to Cornwall as an evacuee during the second world war and married a local girl (my mum).
However, as my own research found, my Great Grandfather, who was in the Royal Army Medical Corps, moved from barrack to barrack, but finally settled in Bodmin, Cornwall with his large family. Through my research, I learned that he had had 14 children!
Researching my own ancestors started my life-long interest in genealogy. The catalyst turned out to be our dusty and almost-forgotten Family Bible. The middle pages were full of names, birth dates and deaths.
Looking at our family bible, I really wanted to know who these people were. This book kickstarted my love of ancestral detective work.
Read more about what I learned about my family in The Family Past blog.