From an early age, Harry has always been interested in his well-researched and documented family tree, which can be traced back to the late fifteenth century.

During the Spanish expulsion of Jews in 1492, his ancestors fled and finally established themselves in Amsterdam after settling in Italy for about one hundred years. Harry's great-grandparents moved to England in the early part of the nineteenth century where their family grew extensively.

Having always enjoyed recounting the tales of his ancestors, Harry and his family decided that, for his eightieth birthday, these tales should be documented as a permanent record of his family's struggles and successes.

The video we made included location filming in Amsterdam where Harry found more records and discovered family gravestones. You can see some of his family artifacts on the home page.

Here's what Harry said about his experience of making the video:

"I hope that in future years my grandchildren and great-grandchildren will look at this video and have as much pleasure from their family history as I have had. It's so much more personal having a video".

Pearl's Story

Pearl's story starts with her grandparents leaving Lithuania at the end of the nineteenth century when a large fire engulfed the town of Krattingen where they had lived.

Arriving in Sunderland with her father, her grandparents declared him to be two years older than he really was, in order that he would be able to start work earlier!

After this headstart, Pearl's father married and had four children before he was conscripted to India during the first world war. Whilst in India, he was admired by a young girl from a wealthy, local family. To ward off her advances, he had to show her this photo, to prove that he was a happily married family man!

Pearl was born after this photo was taken. After meeting her husband, Pearl moved to Manchester where they raised their family. She now lives in London where she is close to her children and grandchildren who have loved seeing their grandma on video!

"I was always sad that I didn't ask my grandparents about their lives or even my own father about his early life. ... it will be a wonderful thing for the grandchildren and their children to see in years to come".

Pearl 2002

Should you be interested in creating a feature documentary for your family, contact us with your requirements or any questions via the Contact page, and provide a few brief details.