This site is not a finished thing and will continue to develop as time allows 
and information comes to light. I somehow get the feeling that it will never be 
finished. Research started in 2003 following the death of my father, Clifford, 
the previous year although I had toyed with genealogy research before, using pen 
and paper and for various reasons did not get very far. However, those notes 
made at the time were the starting point for what has become an almost totally 
absorbing interest taking up most of my spare time. I am indebted to those 
people whom I have been in contact with through various other genealogy sites 
and who have supplied much of the data included here. I trust that they will 
not mind too much that I have usurped some of their hard labour.

I am also grateful to all those people who have given and continue to give 
their time and energy to transcribing records and placing data on the internet, 
even though I sometimes wish they, or their checkers would be a little more 
diligent. Many are the frustrating hours spent pouring over census indices and 
images only to eventually find the name wrongly transcribed.

It would appear that the Houseman family came to Nidderdale in the early 
1700's, but where from? Through various marriages and their own efforts they
became leading and influential members of the community. There are still 
Houseman's in the dale today. 

I have managed to establish a direct link to George Houseman, born about 1700 in 
Holme, Yorkshire, who is shown as the patriarch of this tree and I am his fifth great-
grandson.

Our family has spread far beyond the confines of Nidderdale and I am in contact 
with relatives from Australia, Canada, Spain, United States of America as well 
as throughout the United Kingdom. Fortunately, through the 2008 Family Day mailshot 
and this website, I have been able to contact a relative from South Africa and now 
have information about my grand-uncle Joseph who emigrated there with his wife, two 
sons and three daughters in the early 1900's.

If you find errors on this site, or have information which you feel would be of 
interest to me and others who view the site please contact me. Also contact me if you 
are happy for your name to appear in the public section of this site. You can specify 
what details I will include. Generally I have refrained from placing details, other 
than the name, of living people on this website and to protect their privacy further 
you will need to enter a password to view the names of those deemed to be living 
persons. If you require the password please contact me and I will consider your 
application and grant access if you have a proven link to the tree or given permission 
for your details to appear. Please do not pass the password to other people.

Where an exact date for a birth, marriage or death is not known I have used the 
convention of entering the last month of the relevant quarter. This does mean that 
occassionally a date of birth will appear to be after the date of christening. For 
example Jane Coates (1838-1910) was born in the third quarter which is shown as abt 
Sep 1838. She was christened on 12th August 1838, so was obviously born prior to that 
date.

You are urged to check any quoted sources for yourself and no liability whatsoever is 
accepted for any loss or damage caused by the use of information or data I have 
included.