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Biography of Malcolm Archbald SMITH
[Ref. S.1]
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Section D : Family History
This subject of family history did not interest Malcolm until he was well into his thirties. His mother had inherited a midshipman's chest belonging to her sailor ancestor Samuel Folker. In this chest she had placed a variety of keepsakes from both her own family and that of Malcolm's father. Included was a pedigree chart of the Folker family which Malcolm studied and decided to try to add to the known detail. In that respect, he joined the Society of Genealogists and also set up the Folker One-Name Study which he registered with the Guild of One-Name Studies. His field of interest widened to include his father's family then quickly expanded to include all valid family connections, be they by descendency or marriage.
Malcolm's work required him to travel widely around the country and he was able to use this to advantage in visiting places that had a connection with his family. This would include cemeteries, places of residence or work and local archives. He started to collate the information that he had gathered and kept a series of binders in which he held full details of each member of his immediate family, generation by generation. To support this he developed a comprehensive filing system in which to store photographs and written information. The amount of collected memorabilia soon became too much for the midshipman's chest so separate storage boxes were brought into use.
The necessity of making the information available to other family members encouraged Malcolm to create a Family History website detailing his research. This had several advantages in that the information could be updated as required, also other interested people who had a connection could compare and make contact to exchange information. Beyond that, he published a series of books on the more immediate branches of his family. He has also contributed to various family history periodicals, given presentations at society meetings and assisted with other genealogical websites.