Maybe it would list a Tilbrook or two who had fallen in one of the world wars. The gravestones were far too modern to help in my researches, and none were engraved with my surname.ĭriving out of the village, I spotted a war memorial in a side road and my hopes rose again. But the village churchyard was a disappointment. I recently travelled to a small village on the Suffolk-Cambridgeshire border, full of optimism that I might find clues to the lives of family members from the 18th century or perhaps earlier. But even if you feel your research has led you into a cul-de-sac, it can pay to keep your eyes open.

In the Tilbrook family, that person is me. There tends to be one person in every family who slowly becomes obsessed with tracing the roots of the family tree. Searching for your ancestors can be rewarding and frustrating in equal measure.

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.