FOR some time, I had been meaning to start on my Family Tree. I finally got the inspiration I needed when the BBC showed their series, "Who Do You Think You Are?"

After contacting my auntie she informed me of all the family history she was aware of and told me that the Walmsleys hailed from Samlesbury. She told me that our ancestors were buried there.

So, imagine how I felt on a sunny Bank Holiday afternoon when my friend took me and my father on a drive to Samlesbury.

I was astounded when we finally found the churches of St Leonard the Less and St Leonard's at Walton-le-Dale and located three graves within close proximity of each other, with multiple burials within them in the former as well one in the latter.

These were my Victorian ancestors, some of which were born in the 1700s.

Parents and children were all buried together and although the parents lived to a decent old age they were unfortunate to lose their children, either in infancy, pre-adolescence or early adulthood. None of them seemed to live past 23.

Do any of you readers have any ideas as to which direction I should take next? I know these people are almost certainly my ancestors but how do I find out more about these individuals?

I have a feeling that illness or even an epidemic killed the youngsters because in one family in particular the children died within a short time of each other -- Alice Walmsley died aged seven on May 27, 1858, whilst her older sibling, Enoch, died aged 12, two days later.

Their older brothers, Alexander and William, died on December 30, 1854, aged 23 and August 23, 1857 age 15.

One grave in particular caught my eye, it contained three people. The eldest was William, who died aged 80 in 1877. Buried with him was six-day-old Benjamin, who died in 1884.

Although these were Walmsleys they were buried with a lady called Catherine Rigby, who died on May 1, 1920 aged 76. Who was she? Was she related?

I do hope that someone out there can help me.

KARA WALMSLEY, 74 Shorrock Lane, Mill Hill, Blackburn. BB2 4PS.