Bloodlines - Touch Not The Cat - Traces - A Scottish - American Genealogy Mystery Novel Series by Thomas McKerley and Ingrid Schippers

An introduction to genealogy: Workshops and Skype calls

“ Scotland is rubbish at football, but if Genealogy had a World Cup; Scotland would be in the final”.

Iain Ferguson, Director of The National Archives of Scotland.

Genealogy: Facts & Numbers.

Genealogy is BIG in Scotland. Historically the Scots are travelers, with their offspring often retracing the ways and steps of their ancestors.

According to ‘Visit Scotland’ * about 10 million people worldwide are interested in finding out more about their Scottish heritage; it is estimated more than 50 million people globally can claim Scottish forebears.  Around 4 million are considering to travel to Scotland in the coming two years, to find out more about where they come from. **

* Visit Scotland: Scotland’s National Tourism Organisation Source:
** Article: “The Herald” of January 5th 2013.

Fact Can Be Stranger Than Fiction

While writing the genealogy mystery novel Bloodlines-Touch Not the Cat; authors McKerley & Schippers used their own specialties in family tree research and personal development, bringing the different aspects of family history and heritage to light.

Finding out where you come from, can lead to life changing experiences, as Cathy Stewart, the main character of the Bloodlines series discovers.  Decisions made generations ago can still influence the present day course of life.

We All Have Our Own Story

We all know that upbringing and cultural conditioning influence who we are and how we behave.
The fact we also carry with us the remnants of what has been instigated even before we were born, is less often realized.
Becoming aware of these facts can bring solutions or closure in ways we wouldn’t think of without researching our past.

Be Careful What You Wish For

The mere thought of family research however can be overwhelming with the present day abundance in genealogy websites, archives and records.
Where do I start? What sort of template do I use? What exactly do I look for? Where do I look?

Also, be careful what you wish for!
What if I discover my ancestor spent time in prison? Or… my great-grand-mother had children out of wedlock before she married my great-grand-father?
The key question basically being: How can I change what happened? How can I heal my past?

Workshops & Support Skype calls

In answer to these questions Tom McKerley has put together a program presenting source information on the most used genealogy tools and terminology; while Ingrid Schippers highlights some of the personal development aspects of family research and how understanding your past can lead to re-creating your present path.

Workshop Schedule & Information

The workshops are presented on request and pre-scheduled in The Netherlands and UK.

For those unable to attend the workshops the authors also offer support using Skype calls.

Workshop schedule

To stay updated on the workshop agenda, sign on to the newsletter: info@touchnotthecat.com or check the events section on this website.

The pilot workshop will take place Thursday January 24th from 7-10 p.m. in The Hague. For details click here: https://www.touchnotthecat.com/agenda/genealogy-workshop-with-a-personal-development-touch/

Skype calls

To schedule a call and for more information, send an e-mail outlining your reason for contacting either Tom (genealogy guidance) or Ingrid (personal development) with a maximum of 100 words and send it to info@touchnotthecat.com.

Related articles and events

• The First Steps Toward Family Tree Research
• Genealogy Workshop with a Personal Development Touch