RootsChat.Com
General => The Common Room => Topic started by: jillynetter on Wednesday 01 August 07 23:18 BST (UK)
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I'm interested in hearing your stories for some much needed motivation or advice from what I've typed below.
:)
After months or constant searching for an ancestor and with help from a couple of people on here I haven't found him.
Problem is he is down as born in a different County (Northumberland) and I just can't find any link to where I find him married with children later (Carlisle).
Just wondering if you've had a difficult person to trace and did you find him or her?
I could painstakingly go through each person with that same name (which I've started doing) and narrow it down a little by tracing each person through the censuses but find no proof or be absolutely certain I end up with the right man, do you think I'm wasting my time or should I soldier on? :)
I'm wondering if I've missed something, or should I try searching on different sites,
I've used IGI
Freebmd
Ancestry
GenesReunited, would another pay per view or subscription site possibly come up with something different do you think?
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Who in Northumberland are you looking for and have you any idea where they were living in Northumberland
also give some dates of the person you are looking for
Elizabeth
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Aw thankyou for asking, I've already had some help but there's just so many maybes'. The thread is in the Northumberland forum asking for help here
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,246801.0.html
Actually the link above isn't really up to date so I'll include dates here etc. below
Please don't feel obliged to search, I'm just looking for motivation and advice on what to do next. I tried to put this down and have a break but I really want to follow this line if I can :)
Thomas Cowen
Born around 1855-1860, Hexham, Northumberland
Married Rachel Lewis (1876)and I find him in later censuses from 1881 onwards living in Carlisle, Cumberland.
Hia marriage certificate says his father was William and profession was a Carrier.
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I've been looking for my g.grandfather for over a year now, but can't find him before he shows up on my gran's birth certificate in 1884. He has a common name and was born in Middlesex, around 1857, going on ages on census and his death certificate.
I will find him, I'm not giving up until I do.
Liz
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Liz good for you I hope you find him, kind of makes me feel like I'm not on my own.
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Had a look at your thread and I see what you mean
I queried a certificate once as I thought the register office had made a mistake
I sent for a marriage and when it came back both fathers were entered as John I had found one father Selby and one John this was the marriage of Robert Douglas to Elizabeth Bell at Warkworth I'm like you stuck there
Elizabeth
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I've been looking for someone for 20 years now so yes I carry on. He was born about 1780 and married before 1821 and died before 1841 so you can see my problem.
When I get stuck on a person I usually have a break from that person and turn to the other side of the family or another line. Then after a few months I come back refreshed to start again.
Keep searching.
Sylviaann
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That's good advice thanks Sylviaan. 20 years is a long time, I hope you get a surprise one day and just find the details your looking for. Possibly almost like winning the lottery :)
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Hi there!
I have the same problem with my ggg grandfather, his wife and his sons. Seems the whole family was forgotten on the 1841 Devon census. When the frustration level gets too high, I do what Sylviaann does and concentrate on another branch of the tree for a while.
Having said that, however, I searched for months for an ancestor of mine in the 1891 census on Ancestry. I tried all sorts of spellings etc. I paid for a small subscription on Findmypast and lo and behold there he was! When I went back on Ancestry with this info, the spelling of his last name was so farfetched I would never have guessed it in a million years. You can also narrow your search by entering his occupation on Findmypast. Then if something looks promising, pay for a small subscription.
I will never give up with ggg grandfather though. I do believe his family was missed on the 1841 census though!
Best of luck in your search! :)
Liz
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It's almost understandable to get "stuck" pre 1837 or when you need to rely on PR's which only give the father's name in a birth register.
It's more frustrating when you get stuck in the 1860's when there should be records to be found and trails to be followed. I'm stuck with my partner's great grandfather bc1860. I return to this now and again but seem to be going around in circles.
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I have been trying to track down my gg grandfather for 17 years now. First definite "sighting" is him being baptized 4 days before he got married in New Jersey. I have him on the 1880 and 1900 census in New Jersey. His wife died in 1905 and is buried in Orange, NJ. Death cert says she is married. And that's that. He says in his baptismal and marriage records that he was born in Princeton, NJ. My cousin paid for a three-county search of birth records with no luck. He is not buried with his wife, so we have no idea what happened to him. My mother, who spent the first 18 years of her life with her grandfather never even heard this man's name spoken.
But I keep searching. Give up? NEVER!!!
Kath
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I have spent years trying to find the birth, marriage or death of Samuel Clulo. He was in the 1861 census aged 10 in Birmingham, with his parents Samuel and Ann nee Bryan.
see :- England (Counties as in 1851-1901) / Warwickshire / Re: Samuel Clulo - where did he go?
I had lots of help, especially from Valda. Still no sign of him!
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I'm interested in hearing your stories for some much needed motivation or advice from what I've typed below.
:)
After months or constant searching for an ancestor and with help from a couple of people on here I haven't found him.[snip]
Only months of trying? :-) Some i've still found very little after 30 years.... but still i search because one day the last piece will fall in to place like a jigsaw as it has on my other lines :-) [helps having a website... i've had people contact me via that who are directly related]
Cheers and happy hunting!
Sarndra
www.sarndra.com
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Who am I stuck on?
-Grandfather's grandfather who appears from nowhere, gets married (a year or so before records start), does not appear in valuation records (although I know where he was living), and then dies with obituary in paper before date on death certificate.
-man listed in 1930 U.S. census as my great-grandfather's son- no living relatives had ever heard of him, can't find birth certificate, name of mother, etc.
-Judith Gilmore who lived in U.S. and used to send parcels at Easter and Christmas to 2 orphaned relatives in Ireland. Don't know if she was aunt, half-sister, cousin, etc. One of the boys is still alive, named his daughter Judith after her and it would be wonderful to finally be able to tell him something about Judith.
-the identity of a man called 'Timaru' by relatives in Ireland because he lived there in N.Z. (I haven't even tried to look for him as I am not sure of surname).
The list is endless. Like many others if I get stuck I turn to another branch of the family to research but keep an eye out for other information.
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Keep going, jillynetter! Never, never give up!
I have found information about ancestors in Ireland - very hard to search for from Australia - through the kindness of Rootschatters. Just today, I have a message that has given me the year of death of my gggrandmother in Ireland! I've been looking for that for a long time. Distant cousins have found my webpage and given me more information about family lines. A woman in England who is no relation at all, but is interested in researching one of my surnames, has been unbelievably helpful with that line, and even another! I have horrible brick walls that I may never breach, but at least I have recently found, in an online source, the reason for the disaster that befell one of these families in the 1850s. Like others, I go away and do other research and come back to the difficult ones from time to time.
Keep putting your names on any website you can find, keep googling them, and one day something will happen. You may never crack all your brick walls, but you WILL make progress!
MarieC
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15 years, and haven't given up :)
My grandfather told my mam and uncle that he was in the Coldstream Guards, and received the MM and DCM, even signing his name with the initials. They believed him of course.
Only when I started searching for info on him, did I come to the conclusion that he either changed his name, or made it all up. He definitely received an army pension, and was injured in the war, even died through his injuried years later. But there are no records on Ancestry pensions, Coldstream Guards, or any other regiment who might fit him.
Also there is no record of him and my grandmother being married, I've checked everywhere. Making me think that he was probably already married. My uncle wasn't baptised until he was 5, just before he started school.
Maybe one day I'll get to the bottom of it. His medals have conveniently disappeared as well. My mam remembers him getting them through the post, after a nurse sent them on to him, but they had been in the post for years, finally finding him.
Don't give up, one of these days, I'm hoping something will turn up
Rosemary
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Quote Jilly
After months or constant searching for an ancestor
As you can see Jilly some of us have been searching a lot longer than that.The earliest one of my tree's goes back to is the late 1700.The others all got stuck there ;D,but as it only a hobby for me I don't bother after after a couple of years looking for them.I know they are out there somewhere.My problem for about five years was working back down my tree.After 1901,very hard,no records or mention anywhere.Then recently a rootschatter found all my lost ones,in places i never thought to look.So working up or down don't give up,just give it rest if you cant find someone.I found if you concentrate to much on one person you actually loose the consentration.Weird ;)
Celia
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No - never give up! Maybe take a rest or just try approaching it from different angles. I havent read your thread yet, will do, and see if I can come up with any ideas.
but based on, hmmmmm, must be over 20 years of researching, you just never know where the breakthrough will pop up from, so it is worth trying every lead possible! And then it will still probably take you by surprise when you are looking for someone else!
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Hi,
I dont know if you uses these sites:
FreeCen and familyrelatives.com
Freecen is free and familyrelatives costs £37. per year, i subscribe to this and they are beta testing the census at the moment but other than that they offer:
PARISH RECORDS (Phillimore Marriages)
Parish Record Index
Berkshire (2 vols)
Buckinghamshire (9 vols)
Cambridgeshire (9 vols)
Cornwall (26 Volumes)
Cumberland (2 vols)
Derbyshire (15 Vols)
Devon (2 Vols)
Dorset (7 Vols)
Essex (4 vols)
Gloucestershire (17 Vols)
Hampshire (16 vols)
Huntingdonshire (1 vol)
Kent (2 vols)
Leicestershire (12 vols)
Lincolnshire (11 vols)
London
Middlesex (9 vols)
Norfolk (12 vols)
Northamptonshire (2 vols)
Nottinghamshire (22 vols)
Oxfordshire (2 vols)
Somersetshire (15 vols)
Suffolk (4 vols)
Warwickshire (3 vols)
Wiltshire (14 vols)
Worcestershire (2 vols)
Yorkshire (4 vols)
The full BMD index to 2005
1866-1920 & 1984-2005 are searchable like FreeBMD the other years are like ancestry but the full index is there.
Census transcripts (still in Beta test but will be available soon) and you can also search this by 'Borwse Counties'
Military Records WW1 (Deaths), Army (1913-1921) Royal Navy (do.) & soldiers who died in the Great War (1914-1918)
Military Records WW2 (Deaths) Army (1935-1950) Navy (do.) RAF (do.)
WW1 National Role : The National Roll of the Great War is a unique series of 14 volumes. The volumes were published by the National Publishing Company and are extremely rare. Each regional volume contains a brief biography of men and women who largely survived the Great War.
Overseas Records 1761 - 1981
i was looking for my great grandfather for ages he has a very common name and he leftthe family when my nan was 8ish anyway i eventually found someone on Genes who had his sister in her tree. which was very lucky, as my great grandfather had 7 siblings but i only knew of 2 and one of these 2 was the sister.
Don't give up someone who knows something will just pop up!
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I've been trying to find details of my g grandfather for about 7 years. I could find details from his marriage in 1871 up until his death 1895 but I couldn't find anything prior to that. Every few months or so I'd start looking again. Finally a couple of months ago I was able to find him on the 1851 census living with his mother and grandmother, I now believe he was illegitimate.
The point is, don't give up, maybe give it a break for a while then start looking again and you never know what you might find :)
Fiona
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Toni
I have just subscribed to Familyrelatives.com and am very disappointed. I joined primarily because of the WWI deaths and the WWI national role. Although I have full details of my 2 g.uncles, one who died and one who survived WWI, neither is listed. I sent them an e-mail to ask if their records are complete and haven't even had a reply. Also I tried to look at a census record and is was totally illegible.
I should have stuck with Ancestry and Findmypast. :'( :'(
Liz
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Toni
I have just subscribed to Familyrelatives.com and am very disappointed. I joined primarily because of the WWI deaths and the WWI national role. Although I have full details of my 2 g.uncles, one who died and one who survived WWI, neither is listed. I sent them an e-mail to ask if their records are complete and haven't even had a reply. Also I tried to look at a census record and is was totally illegible.
I should have stuck with Ancestry and Findmypast. :'( :'(
Liz
oh dear
i find them very useful esp. for the parish records marriages, i know these are not complete but it does list what counties are on there.
and also the BMD look ups are quicker - for me.
the census are still in beta test and will be available fully soon - i know you can browse the counties now.
perhaps you can contact them again and ask for your money back then as it was not what it appeared to be. (or stop the money going from your account)
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Toni
Must have given too much info, I've just searched again with surname only and lo and behold, found the g.uncle who was killed. Now to find the one who survived.
Liz
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Toni
Must have given too much info, I've just searched again with surname only and lo and behold, found the g.uncle who was killed. Now to find the one who survived.
Liz
good
it took me a while to get used to it,
i must admit on the military records it doesnt say deaths, but that is all they list.
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It was actually the WWI national roll I was interested in. (Sorry I spelt it wrong previously). Their website states:
"The National Roll of the Great War is a unique series of 14 volumes. The volumes were published by the National Publishing Company and are extremely rare. Each regional volume contains a brief biography of men and women who largely survived the Great War.
The volumes are a valuable resource in finding out about individuals who served in the First World War and help to give a sense of who each individual was".
I was probably very optimistic to think that any relative of mine would be listed, although many of those who are, were Privates etc. so not just the officers.
Liz
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Just wondering if you've had a difficult person to trace and did you find him or her?
Hi Jillynetter - to reiterate many others: Don't ever give up!
My mystery woman is the first wife of my great grandfather
She was Margaret Sarah Close, born in Rotherhithe, Surrey in 1837 (but not entered in the Register!). I've found her on the 1841 and 1851 censuses, living with her family in Rotherhithe.
Then in 1854 she married my great grandfather Francis Atkinson at St Paul's Church, Shadwell. Francis was 22 and Margaret Sarah was 17 years old. After the marriage she seemingly drops off the edge of the world!
In 1877 Francis Atkinson married my ggm Mary Ann Nunney at St Dunstan's Church, Stepney. The marriage certificate tells me that he was a widower aged 44 and Mary Ann was a spinster aged 33.
Now, Francis and Mary Ann had a child, Charlotte Annie Atkinson born in 1871- that is, 6 years before her parents' marriage - eeek! A son, Francis Philip Atkinson was born in 1874.
When she registered the births Mary Ann Nunney described herself as the wife of Francis - this was a porkie-pie methinks......
So to return to my mystery woman. It appears obvious that the reason Francis did not marry Mary Ann before 1877 was that he could not because his wife was still living. But where on earth was she???
I can only think that poor Margaret Sarah Close became incapacitated, either physically or (more likely) mentally, and was 'put away' somewhere.
Given that Francis remarried in 1877 Margaret Sarah must have died around this time. But I cannot find a death cert for her. Nor can I find her in any census after 1851. If anyone can come up with any suggestions as to where I might look I'd be very grateful - although I seem to have looked everywhere.
So that is my tale of woe - sorry to have wittered on - but I will find her one day I just know I will. I've only been looking for ten years so....... ::)
As others have said, I turn my attentions to other names and places when I think the mystery of Margaret Sarah will drive me barmy - but I always come back to her. The daft thing is she's just a step-ancestor but even so I should like to know what happened to her.
Oh - one final thing just to add to the mystery: I have a copy of an old family document - it's an early passport dated 1853 and shows that Francis Atkinson was working as a carpenter in Brussels. Perhaps he came home the following year to marry and then perhaps they both returned to Brussels and maybe Margaret Sarah died there - but that would not explain why he did not marry my ggm until 1877, would it?
Aaaagh - it's driving me batty! Pat. :o
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Blimey you all I'm only new to searching really, only for 2 1/2 years.
I feel so much better not because you're all struggling with someone but because I'm not the only one who is finding someone hard to find and it's normal, no-one else I know is doing their family tree.
I feel a bit selfish too for moaning so thanks you all for being so friendly. I've enjoyed reading what you've been busy with and I find it all very interesting with the twists and turns of peoples' lives.
Pat no wonder you feel like yours is driving you batty there's loads of twists and turns there :) Very interesting though.
I'll look forward to hearing you're all getting on and will look on other areas of the board for general chat about it.
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Pat no wonder you feel like yours is driving you batty there's loads of twists and turns there :) Very interesting though.
I'll say! :o If I don't find out any more about my girl's fate I think I'm going to invent it! Not to cheat you understand, but to write an intriguing story. Cos I have no doubt but what there is an intriguing story there, if only I could discover what it is...anyway, thanks for reading my great long screed of nonsense. Pat. ;)
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I spent several years looking for 1 particular person. I had her only from the 1851 census after she was married and still cannot find a find a marriage yet, but I obtained her maiden name from the children's birth certificates.
No sign of her anywhere in London,so I decided to do a pebble search from her address in 1851. I found her baptism and siblings baptisms in about 4th Church I searched.
So never give up.
Daisy :)
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No sign of her anywhere in London,so I decided to do a pebble search from her address in 1851. I found her baptism and siblings baptisms in about 4th Church I searched.
Daisy, please forgive my ignorance but what's a pebble search? Pat. :-[
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There are, sadly, some you have to just 'shelve'. :(
My second gt grandfather is irrevocably lost until DNA ancestry tracing becomes affordable.
My gt grandmother Diana Turner had two children. Both birth certificates are blank in the 'father' box. The children were named William and Thomas Turner. I have found her in every census she was alive. I have found both her birth and her death.
But what if I find an old document, perhaps the transcripts of a court case. :o I live in hope. :)
This 'Pebble Search' sounds interesting.
Paul
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It can be worthwhile asking someone to earch findmypast for you. I had a lucky break from a kind rootschatter who searched there for the same Thomas I mentioned earlier and found him. He'd been mistranscribed on Ancestry as 'Fred' :)
Paul
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Sorry Pat.
A pebble search, is when you take a starting point eg parish where they were at a particular time, in my case the 1851 census and draw a circle around it representing say a mile, search all churches (or other sources)in that area, if you dont have any luck, move your search about to say 2 miles around the area and so on. That way you are searching evenly, quite often the ancestors would only move into a neighbouring parish. Its still a bit hit and miss though.
I dont think I have explained very clearly, but hope you get the idea, I found it has worked for me a few times.
Daisy
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p.s. called pebble search I suppose because when you throw a pebble in water it sends ripples out in a circle. Maybe it should be called ripple search. I read about it in a magazine ages ago.
Daisy
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Thanks Daisy, that's a useful thing to know. I'll give it a whirl. Cheers, Pat.
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A great tip thanks Daisy.
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I would say don't give up I have some people in my tree who are on hold if you like, meaning that every now and then I start to try and trace them.
I recently had a problem which has just been solved where a woman in my tree died and married but wasn't born. it took a while and contact with another realtion before what had occured became clear. It seems she just took her step fathers name. But her mother used two different first names and four different surnames not necessarily when she was married or not, of which she married twice. But she also used her birth name and Step fathers name. On top of this she reverted to her first husbands name after her second husband died. We have yet to find the name that was used when she died and when that was, perhaps we will never know.
I was contacted from putting a message on ancestry, TBH I didn't really expect a reply, but it was wonderful when one came a few weeks later.
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Amanda It's so suprising you got a reply with all of those names :)
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Sometimes you just have to let them slip quietly away, without too much fuss. :'( :'( :'(
Our Grandmother Dorothy Dacey born about 1903 (according to her death certificate & marriage certificate) Can her birth be found, not in 15years of searching.
We have thought we should try a medium :P apparently she was all into that sort of thing :-X
I think we have given up, which is a shame because being so modern a period 1900's our tree looks a bit lobsided :o
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Gwerninion
That's a shame. Perhaps you'll get a clue when the 1911 census is on-line. Then again she could have changed her name for some reason.
Liz
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Our Grandmother Dorothy Dacey born about 1903
What part of the country did she hail from?
Have you ruled out:
Ap/MAy/Jun 1899 Dorothy D'Arcy - Bury
Jul/Aug/Sep 1901 Dorothy Eileen J Darcy - Stepney
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I keep hoping that one day I'll discover something new about my 2xG-Grandfather and man of mystery - Archibald Meyers (and any other spelling variation you care to think of!)
I'm almost convinced he was beamed up by aliens - there are rumours of his birth c.1815 in "Scotland" (from 1841 and 1851 census); marriage record from PR for Wetheral in 1835; parentage of several children up to March 1851 - then.......zip! He disappears off the face of the earth.
His wife remarries in 1857, but was she divorced, widowed or abandoned - who knows! In desperation I even had a quick look on Ancestry to see if he appears in the convict lists.....
....one day I hope to discover his last resting place!
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Or - Dace Dorothy Phoebe
Downham 4b 326
June 1902
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Thanks for your messages, Lizdb & Kooky, have about 7 birth certificates including those mentioned.
Don't know anything about her family other than her fathers name (Thomas Dacey, Master Mariner merchant service, on marriage certificate), checked overseas births, Irish births, Scottish, just about everything we can think of.
She never had any pictures of her wedding or family Dad remembers her never talking about her family (he's a famous close up magician, we knw were he gets it from ;D
Had thought of the 1911 Census, but I would put a good wager on her not being with her family :'( :'(
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I had an seemingly impossible task, finding a birth, and had been looking for 5 years. I asked here ages ago, but no-one could help. :-\
Then a week ago a Rootschtter found it! ;D
Never give up!
meles
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GWERNINION,
where in the country was she married?
Do you have her parents' marriage?
Do you have Thomas's death?
Do you have any info. about siblings?
If you put a possible location on here, there are lots of people who would try to help you find Dorothy's birth.
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Hi Kooky,
As I said we have no details of her parents other than her fathers name.
She married 23 Aug 1930 in West Derby Register Office. Lancashire. (witneses were grooms family)
She died 30 Aug 1967, Newsham General Hospital, Liverpool.
She was born 1903 (going by her age at marriage & death which both agree on).
Other than that it's a complete Blank, and I would be very suprised :o if we ever find out any more
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There are several Thomas Dacey's om 1901. Have you been through each one to see if any are Mariners?
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Hi Lizdb
Been through all the Census, none stand out as a possible candidate, but without, brothers sisters or Mother it would be a bad guess at best.
Even employed a researcher some years ago, without luck.
I think it's time to let her go :'( :'( (for now anyway ::))
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I wasnt thinking of 'guessing' at one and taking him as being the next generation and hurtling off down his ancestors. I was thinknig of narrowing down the Thomas Dacey's in 1901 to 'possibles' and then finding out more about each one - like where they lived, where they were having their children christenend etc. Then following through to see if there was anything for another child around 1903.
Perhaps finding the deaths of the various Thomas Daceys, seeing if any were Mariners, finding a will for them, seeing if any mention a daughter Dorothy.
Just all sorts of roundabout ways of finding out more about Dorothy.
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Isn't it interesting that it appears to be the "newer" ancestors that some of us have trouble with? Shouldn't they be the easier ones? My "problem" would have died after 1905. Wasn't record keeping supposed to be better? Oh so frustrating. My cousin/research partner is going through a hard time right now and I would love to be able to find him, just to give her a little happiness in this very bleak time.
Fifteen years and still searching.
Kath
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I wasnt thinking of 'guessing' at one and taking him as being the next generation and hurtling off down his ancestors.
Sorry lizdb I didn't mean to suggest, that was what you were thinking. But I've done all the things you suggest. I've been a genealogist for about 30 years now. I have a photo of this old lady & she smiles down from the frame on the wall - if only it could talk.
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If only.........
sounds like you really have left no stone unturned.
One day something may suddenly turn up and take you by surprise.
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I found the marriage of a rellie purely by chance. She had at last been put on Free BMD .
I'm going to recheck all my "losts" and try to remember to do the same at regular intervals!!!
As for the "newer" family...My G/uncle and wife were brought to my wedding in 1954 by their eldest son. I had met 3 of their 4 children . No sign of them since !!! So Frustrating!
Spring
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Hi everyone
I bet there are loads of us out here who can identify with all these stories. Like Gwerninion I've been researching my tree for many years - a personal quest as I never knew my father, and wanted to know why I had a foreign surname. Well, I got as far back as great-grandfather who appeared, married and died between two censuses, with no details of his 'roots' on the marriage or death certificates. As his wife died within months my grandfather was orphaned and brought up by step-grandparents.
Over the years I've spent hours on the internet and at Kew, and written hundreds of letters and emails, looking for clues. I've traced the trees of all the adoptive grandparents and contacted anyone who might have just a snippet of information.
The twist to my tale is that I did find another descendant of this foreign-sounding great-grandfather. At first he was so enthusiastic, and I sent him my one photo of my grandfather and his children, and details of all the certificates. Then the reply came back - things were difficult and he couldn't help me. And despite a couple of gentle requests, I never heard another word.
So just how frustrating is that - the one person left in the world who could help (the only descendant of my grandfather that I know of), and he doesn't want to know.
I fill my time by tracing more distant relatives, from my mother's side. I also trace the families of my children's partners and my husband. And one or two inlaws, as a favour. And always keeping my fingers crossed that one day . . .
So Gwerninion I know just how you feel, and share your frustration. As KathMc says, it's so maddening that I have relatives on my tree going back to the 1600s yet cannot find out who my great-grandfather was!
However, a friend who was adopted (before the days when adoptive parents were easily traceable) and she envies the fact that I can trace even one side of my family - so I tell myself to count my blessings!
Good luck to you all. I wish you all success.
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lesleyhannah, that is so sad! I do hope that one day you'll find your answers, especially hard too when you find everyone elses for them x
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My goodness lesleyhannah - what a story! They say that truth is stranger than fiction don't they? I do wish you all the very best of success in your continuing researches and hope that one of these fine days 'someone' will pop up out of the records to provide a solution for you. In the meantime I shall try not to think of my elusive missing step-great grandmother as such a very big deal! But I suppose it's all relative innit? ??? Sorry, I'm a sucker for a bad pun..... :-[
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I empathise with you all as I have similar brick walls which seem unsurmountable.
I have my gr gr grandparents on the 1891 census and their death certificates, gr gr grandad was called William Williams and born in Wales (no town mentioned on census), I can't find him anywhere else, he died in 1895 in Teeside. Gr gr gran died in 1902 but I cannot find her in 1901, neither can I find 2 of her 3 children. 1 child was with her aunt and uncle. This family were a complete mystery to begin with as my gran (daughter of the child with aunt and uncle on 1901) knew nothing about them as her mother died when she was 6mths old and she was brought up by her paternal grandparents, everything about her maternal family was kept secret, all gran knew was her mother had died and she had an Aunt Pattie in the USA who sent her gifts as a child. Pattie turned out to actually be called Martha Jane! She is still missing from the 1901 like her mother Jane, and sister Rachel.
However, on the flip side I thought I'd never find Martha, I have her on census' after her marriage to Thomas Taylor with children born in London, York, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Bradford and Oldham, all of which had really common names. She stated she was born in Northamptonshire but no specific town. I managed to trace her by searching for Thomas Taylor marriages in London, (where the first two children were born) to a Martha and then searching the 1841 census for the Martha's to see if they were in Northants. Only 1 was found to be born and living in Northants. Since, I have located some of the children's births, her parents (who were matron and govenor of Northants borough prison gaol and house of correction).
Another mystery is that of Mary Amelia Gledhill, on some census' she is Mary, on others Amelia, her marriage cert states Mary Amelia, father James but can I find her prior to her marriage, as a child with her father or any trace of her father...NO!
But don't give up, keep plugging away and you never know you might have a break through one day.
Good Luck
Legs
xxxx
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It's my grandmother Charlotte Ellen Sear I can't find! My Dad says she was born 1905, my aunt says 1904 (they were brought up by their Dad after their Mum left , so facts are hard to come by). I can find no trace of her birth from those dates. Got my grandparents marriage cert, from her age on that we had a different year of birth. Have checked that and all the dates in between and either side. I'm wondering now if she was ever registered? She was apparently one of 17and the youngest! Perhaps they had no time do do it! I have been able to trace (I think) her parents from the details on her marriage cert, and have traced about 4 siblings.....a few to go! I'm hoping the 1911 census will throw up some clues to her birth. Give up? Never!
Beverley
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To those who are frustrated by someone who doesnt seem to exsist but you know did.
I spent ages looking for a ancestor on my husbands tree. I have since located her. She married and died but was not born.The maiden name on her marriage cert was not the name she was born with, she had assumed the surname of one of her mother's husbands. Which at the time was a stumbling block as I had no idea who her mother was. It was only by posting a message on a genealogy board that someone who was related to her saw it and I found out who she was etc. They had been looking for what had happened to this lady for a long time so I filled in some blanks for them too.
Another incident was my great grandmother was born in Newfoundland in the 1880's and we had lost touch with the descendants of her siblings. In this case I found an old address for her niece and then searched the white pages (USA) and found a man who was possibly a connection. I wrote to him and he passed the letter on to a member of the famly who was doing the tree and yes it was a hit.
But both took me ages and at time I thought I would never discover who they were and who their parents were etc.
I hope that gives you a bit of encouragement not to give up but every now and then keep on trying :)
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Amanda
Thanks for your encouragement. I see I posted on this thread on 1 August 2007 to say I was looking for my g.grandfather and I wasn't going to give up until I found him (before his name appears on my gran's birth certificate).
I've still not found his origins and I'm still not giving up. I think I will find out who he was eventually ???
Lizzie
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I wonder - many of us are having these problems not with ancestors from hundreds of years ago, but great-grandfathers etc. Did any of you make any progress with the help of the 1911 census? My own foreign great-grandfather had died long since, but I did have a little breakthrough. My grandfather and his brother were adopted separately as babies after they were orphaned. I'd assumed they lost contact, as they moved to different parts of the country, but in 1911 my great-uncle was lodging with my grandparents. It doesn't help me in my search for my 'roots' but it gave me another little window into their lives.
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1911 census hasn't helped so far with my g.grandfather as he lived in Yorkshire and that is one of the counties not transcribed yet. My only hope is that it gives more information about his birth place, but I doubt it, or that his mother is living with him or nearby. As no-one can find a marriage between g.grandad and g.grandmother, I don't even have a father's name for him, the only possible name I have is for his mother but then it is only a surname, which is not the same as his. ::)
Lizzie
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Never give up! For 3 months I've been continuously looking for my gt gt grandfather's family which disappeared after the 1851 census. Then, on Ancestry, whilst scrolling through 100s of pages of their surname, I came across a census 1861 entry with just the surname. The original entry had both sides missing, but his father's surname and place of birth with a granddaughter unknown to me solved the puzzle. I was able to find that her mother had died aged 44 when she was 2, followed by her father when she was 6. She had been taken in by her grandfather and her 2 brothers 6 and 8 were sent to boarding school. I've sent for death certs. which should complete the story - albeit a very sad one.
Eileen
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Eileen, that's just the sort of find that makes all the searching worthwhile! Good luck with the rest of the research.
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Hi
I've just noticed my post on here going back to August 07, when I was still looking for a trace of my grandfather after 15 years. Well nearly a year ago, I found him ;D
He wasn't where he was supposed to have been, and I still haven't told my mam about it - it's a long story.
To cut a long story short - My mam thinks he was born in Ireland, was in the Coldstream guards, and married her mam.
What actually happened was - He was born in Warwickshire, with Irish parents and family. He married, had three children, joined up for WW1, walking out on his first family. He was in the hospital with shell-shock, met my grandmother (didn't marry her) and had my mam and uncle. He was actually in the Coldstream guards, then the Yorks and Lancs regt. His Boer war records survived, which is where I found out family info.
This all came about because my uncle gave me an old book that my grandfather had given him. It was signed by him, and gave his army number and regt. He did actually receive the MM, but not the DCM.
It was all a bit of a shock, I even have a photo of him now. So never give up hope.
Rosemary
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I spent ages trying to find my GGG Grandfather William Scholey who was on the 1871 census. He married in 1866 and died in 1879 so this was all I had to go on. His wife's father's name on the marriage was wrong so I wasn't sure if his father's was too. He said he was born in Leeds on the 1841.
I asked for help a few times here and people did their best, but couldn't find him. Then out of the blue after asking again (I just searched for the thread but sadly I think it must have been deleted as I can't find it), a Rootschat member found him: It turned out he was illegitimate and was born in Wakefield. On the 1861 census his mother has adopted her boyfriend's surname (claims to have married but there's no record) and William is listed under this surname. His father's first name and occupation match up with those given on his marriage certificate. Going further back, the family is listed under various spellings - Schorey, Scorey, Schorah, Scorah etc.
Don't give up hope.
What kept me going was KNOWING that the answers ARE out there. They WERE alive, and there ARE almost certainly records on them that would solve the riddle. The problem (and challenge) is to find them. I also think it's these brick walls that keep us going because we want to know more and you feel amazing after finally solving something that has puzzled you for years.
Andrew