It has been said that 'ignorance is bliss'

Sometimes having common-sense and a good education, make reading on-line posts a tad annoying. Social media has 'a lot to answer for'. Some folk would rather post a question to a group and sit back waiting for the answer to appear like magic, than do research themselves. This was the downside of belonging to an unofficial group. 

I'm grateful to the OU and to their library in particular for helping me to hone my research skills.

Starting with T171, You, your computer and the Internet, I learnt that basically, a computer is a glorified typewriter that talks back.

I've been reading some posts concerning genealogy in the loosest sense. Someone asking about emigration to North America in the mid 1800s couldn't understand folk leaving from the port of Liverpool. As the Americans might say a 'no-brainer'. Checking the Liverpool maritime Museum site, soon backed up what I thought was the answer.

Liverpool was in a favourable geographical position for trade with the 'New World'. Bristol had lost its position in the hierarchy of ports. People flocked to Liverpool to head West. From 1840-1940 some 9 million souls headed west. Between 1845 and 1851, Some 1,250,000 Irish left to escape the Potato Famine.