About
Select Surnames

Hi, this is Colin Shelley of selectsurnames.com.  I’m 78 years old and presently resident in the UK, an ex-consultant from around the world in a completely different line of work.  My age – well I am in Biden and Trump territory.  But we live longer lives these days and there is plenty of time still to be creative.  The brain lasts longer than the body.

My interest in genealogy dates back to the early 1980’s when I lost both of my parents and wanted to recapture some of my own family history. At that time family genealogy was very much a local affair full of enthusiasts and private researchers.  And it necessitated writing off for BMD records and for trips to family history centers to pore over original documents.

Of course the internet has changed this world.  The online resources for family genealogy have exploded in number since that time and they are available at a touch of a button.  I, and no doubt most of you, do my family research from the comfort of my own home.