Great oaks from tiny acorns...
Welcome to the new HowesFamilies.com. After three months, I had to redesign it to reflect the reality that this site has already outgrown its roots. This is just a guess at this point but I reckon that non-Norfolk-born individuals already form about a third of the site and are growing much more strongly.
Without really promoting the site, interest has been strong and worldwide. We’ve almost doubled the total number of people in the database in only three months. We can’t keep that rate up, but we are already one of the larger sites devoted to a single name anywhere. What seems to makes this site particularly interesting and useful to new people is that we have built family groups as we have grown. This isn’t just about collecting ancestors' names much like some people would collect stamps, but about connecting people, literally.
On the links page there is a link to a global surname distribution site. What that shows is that the area around Norwich remains the single biggest concentration of the Howes name anywhere in the world. So in the long-run we should expect the single biggest concentration of individuals in the site to come from this area. But we can expect the total from the rest of the world to swamp little old Norfolk. I see no reason at all why we cannot grow to at least ten times our current size over the long run.
There are now almost 15,000 individuals named on the site, though you can't see living people unless you register for a user account and provide living data yourself.
I welcome all suggestions for changes and improvements, and especially more data! And if you'd like to join me and collaborate on making this site absolutely THE resource for all HOWES worldwide, please use the contact button. Use it too even if you just have suggestions for improvement.
Paul Howes
Paul, I want to help. What can I do?
Thanks for asking. Four things, please:
- register on the site so we can stay in touch - bottom left on this page
- send your own tree - GEDCOMs are best, but anything will do
- consider whether you can help. Go to November's newsletter here and look at the kinds of thing we need. What gives you energy?
- tell your Howes relatives!
Thank you
