Like most people I realised how little I knew about my own Ridgway family history. At  first it was my intention just to find out about my great-grandparents (Hollands) but  once you start you cannot stop.

The Ridgways today are a large family based mainly in Stretford Manchester and I have  more cousins than I can count and numerous nephews and nieces.

The early Ridgways lived in Runcorn and were water people. The Bridgewater Canal  played a large part in their lives.   As they moved towards Manchester they settled  mainly in the Hulme area of  Chorlton On Medlock and in Manchester.

I was brought up by my grandmother who was always known as Nin. Nin told me many  stories about the family and I so wish that I had listened more carefully. Stories  such as her sister Kate taking her to work in the Cotton Mill when they were  teenagers. They would both have lunch wrapped up except Kates was empty - just  wrapping. Kate only pretended to have food as there was not enough for  both of them. Nin remembered her mother using a piece of bread to wipe out the  cooking pan and that was her tea. Such hard times.

Going through the online documents brings all these families back to life again. It  also brings up secrets. There may not have been many divorces in the 1800s but you  could still work your way through three husbands. Children born in a family when  there is no wife and only a housekeeper.

My brickwall has always been my grandfather William Holland. It has taken me a long time to find  him and he is proving to be such an interesting character. I am in the process of trying to show  that his wife was originally married to a bigamist - and so it goes on.  In the meantime my family  tree is expanding.

Helen