My name is Russ Pottinger and I was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, in the 
middle of the last century - that sounds really old, doesn't it?

In the main this website traces my ancestry through my parents' and grandparents' 
family names (Pottinger, Wilson, Russell and Burdon) although it does, necessarily, 
branch out in all manner of other directions.

My interest in genealogy came from my paternal Grandma, Esther Russell (1887-1987) 
who was in her 90s when she wrote me a few pages of notes about her and her late 
husband's family roots, particularly those of her husband James, his brothers 
and their mother and father who all came down from the Shetland Isles to settle in 
South Shields in the late 19th century. I filed away those papers with the aim of 
taking up more detailed research when time permitted. I've attached scanned copies of 
Esther's original note papers on her family record page. 

Some time later - following a few years of keeping paper records, hand-drawing 
outline family tree charts and contacting people by snail mail - a copy of Family 
Tree Maker software and access to the Internet allowed my research to take off in a 
big way. I now have some 3,700 records in this database. Special thanks must go to 
Tony Gott and the Shetland Family History Society who provided, and continue to 
provide, a great deal of information on my Shetland roots.

If you see a name in the index that rings a bell, or you have family or friends 
called Pottinger, Wilson, Russell or Burdon who hail from the north east of England 
please contact me - we may be able to exchange useful research information. And, if 
you spot any errors or omissions please let me know.