Happy New Year - Blog Update for 2008

Happy New Year to all of you, and may you find all of your missing ancestors in 2009!

As per this time last year, this is a quick update on how the Saddington One Name Study and its associated blog has fared.

During 2008, a number of people have contacted me in relation to their Saddington ancestry or their knowledge of Saddington data. As a result, I have not only been able to assist people with further information about their families, but also I have been able to update previous posts on the blog with additional information. Throughout the year, I have continued to collect Saddington data, including making several trips to Archives and Record Offices in relevant counties. The information collected is slowly making its way into my database, and connections have already been made between families living in different counties.

For me personally, I have been contacted by two further descendants of my own Great Bowden Saddingtons as a result of the blog, and have had the great pleasure of meeting one of them and her family.

I have, however, failed in my resolution to write four posts a month on this blog. In fact, my monthly average was 2.67. This is due to work, study, the arrival of my second niece, and losing internet access for three weeks at the beginning of the year. I will try to do better in 2009, although I am still studying, but distance learning this time, which requires more self discipline. My New Year's resolution is to attempt to write three posts a month during 2009.

2008 has been the first full calendar year of the Saddington Family History blog. Comparing the Statcounter figures for 2008 to the figures for the first actual year of the blog (16 May 2007 to 16 May 2008), there has been a significant increase in traffic on the blog.

Between 1 January and 31 December 2008, there were 4015 page loads, an average of 335 per month. There were 2398 unique visitors, an average of 200 per month. Of these, 2097 were first time visitors, an average of 175 per month. There were also 301 returning visitors, an average of 25 per month. These figures, apart from the returning visitors, are all almost double the figures for May 2007 to May 2008. The number of returning visitors has increased by two thirds.

November 2008 was the month with the most page loads (532) and the most unique visitors (300). The month with the most returning visitors was July 2008 with 36.

Of the last 500 visitors to the blog, 56.26% (256) were from the UK, 14.73% (67) were from the USA, 9.01% (67) were from Australia, and 6.81% (31) were from Canada. Other recent visitors were from Ireland, South Africa, France, the Netherlands, Finland, the Philippines, New Zealand, Pakistan and Belgium.

But some things remain the same. The most popular post on the blog is still Saddingtons who died in World War One, originally posted on 31 July 2007. Not far behind is British Army World War One Pension Records 1914 - 1920, originally posted on 20 February 2008.

Unfortunately, the Saddington DNA Project has not progressed since my update post of 5 March 2008. We still only have two participants, one each from the Appleby Magna and Great Bowden branches of the Saddington family. For 2009, it would be very nice if more people would come forward to participate in this project.

So, onwards and upwards for 2009. Any comments on the contents of the blog, or what you would like to see included in the blog, would be very gratefully received. If I don't know what you want, I can't post it.