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General => The Common Room => The Lighter Side => Topic started by: diplodicus on Tuesday 23 July 13 17:08 BST (UK)
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A cautionary tale!
I really started delving into my family history about six years ago. My cousin had told me that "my" Vincent family originated in Dorset and sure enough I found the trail through my paternal grandfather into the Dorset Vincents.
Oh, how wonderful a find was Dorset OPC. How lucky was I to be looking into the records of possibly the most "online" county in England? Oh, the joys of finding the Govers of Milborne St Andrew, the Vachers of Milton Abbas and the Bishops of Fordington.
How wonderful to visit the church where my grand-great-grandfather was married and is buried. I loved reading "Under the Greenwood Tree" based on my Chamberlain ancestors' church in Stinsford
My new year's resolution was to revisit each ancestor and verify the accuracy of the supporting evidence for the connection. Why didn't I notice the discrepancy revealed by the 1911 census and my Ancestor profile that showed my grandfather living in two places?
Guess what! :-[
My grandfather is the other one :'(
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It's not wasted - it was practice for this time around when you are going to research the correct family!
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Don't feel bad. I spent lots of time the other day tracing what I thought was a relative and descendants before I realised that there were 2 cousins with the same unusual first name born about a year apart, both married women named Ethel Mary and giveing their children similar names! If I hadn't found 2 death certificates (1939 and 1951) I'm still be tracing the wrong family.
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We all do it sometimes, I thought I'd found my g.gran and her parents and siblings and was happily researching them, when it occurred to me that the place of births shown on the census were wrong. Same county, different town, but the "wrong" parents and siblings all had the same names as my g.gran and her parents and siblings. How weird is that.
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If only my paternal great grandfather had put his first name Thomas, instead of his middle name William on my grandmother's marriage cert. I wouldn't have wasted 4 years worth of research.
A William with the same surname lived only 4 doors away and I assumed [sigh] that he was the one
In the 1901 census he even had a daughter with the same forename as my grandmother. It wasn't until the 1911 census when she had been married to my grandfather for 3 years did I realise my mistake. A completely different birthplace to what I was expecting,. It only took a couple of hours to trace back to my GGG grandfather, I then contacted someone who had the tree already back 6 generations. A learning curve, and I always urge caution and check,check,check to any beginners.
Tiger BTT
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I have a few lines that I know so well, I consider them to be family even though they turned out to be incorrect. I still think of them from time to time. If their actual descendants would post on rootschat I'd have a ton of information for them ;D
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A cautionary tale!
Guess what! :-[
My grandfather is the other one :'(
AH!! .......... you have gained by this circumstance ...... remember 'The Process of Elimination' via which you can apply the 'Diagnosis of exclusion'.
We all need to do this in family history.
Joe
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Sympathies. I too have been there >:(
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It only took a couple of hours to trace back to my GGG grandfather, I then contacted someone who had the tree already back 6 generations. A learning curve, and I always urge caution and check,check,check to any beginners.
Tiger BTT
Couldn't agree more.
Including checking every single one of the assertions made by the person who already had a further 6 generations for you, and satisfying yourself that their evidence stacks up!!
(Necessary corollary - when you supply information to somebody else who comes asking, don't be offended when they ask you for your evidence!!)
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Sympathies. I too have been there >:(
And me :'( I'm pretty sure most folks have taken a wrong turning at some point; not everyone likes to own up to it ;D
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Sympathies. I too have been there >:(
And me :'( I'm pretty sure most folks have taken a wrong turning at some point; not everyone likes to own up to it ;D
I've been there too... ::) ::) ::)
And I bet that lots of other folk on here have too!
Prior to the 1911 Census I was convinced that my Grandfather was the William James Wilson born 1860 Kirkby Ireleth, Lancs. I went ahead ordering BMD Certs left right and centre... and sent out family tree charts to family members. (I even visited up there, - to check out the addresses given on the Censuses).
Needless to say, - when the 1911 Census came out... my Grandfather William James Wilson (1860-1937) was living in Swansea/Married to my Grandmother/at home with his 6 sons, - (one of whom was my late father) & running his own company, 'Wilson & Co'.
William James Wilson in Kirkby Ireleth was unmarried/living at home/no children/working as an unskilled labourer at the slate quarry...
I had followed the wrong William James Wilson!!!
Romilly ::) ::) ::)
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I've also wasted time going down the wrong route, in my case it was two Ernest Thomas Davey Jewells ::), and so I'm also very familiar with generations of a completely unrelated family! :-[. Why did so many people in the nineteenth century have the same names? Sometimes an unusual name, or particular combination of names can be really helpful, but there's always the red herring or two to look out for! ??? In my immediate family, my great great great grandfather John married Francis Oliver, and they named one of their sons John Oliver, and we've had John Olivers in every generation since, which is quite cool, and a way of keeping great great great grandmothers maiden name in the family. It also helped support possible family links which could then be investigated further.
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Holding up my hand to this one too! ::) I've done it on more than one occasion. With families of 10 and up, often with a narrow selection of first names in the same time span, it's an inevitable trap withing for the unwary - and even for the wary at times.
I'm always "gobsmacked" as well when duplication appears so often in married couples' first names: two (at least) sets of Edwards ad Mary, John and Fanny, Benjamin and Sarah.....sigh all of the same generation, and within a mile or so of each other. It must have been a confusing time for the gossips!
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My 2 x g.grandmother Alice had 6 brothers (11 siblings in all) and they all used the same pool of names, Hannah, Elizabeth, Margaret, Peter, Mary Ann, Alice, John, Samuel, Thomas, Frederick and William. It was quite a job sorting out which child belonged to which brother. Fortunately, I contacted and was contacted by 3rd cousins descended from each brother and between us we managed to find which child belonged to which brother. Without that input, it would have meant buying lots of birth certificates, or ignoring my 2 x g.grandmother's siblings and their families.
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According to my grandmother's marriage certificate, her father was an Albert Edward. I duly noted this and applied my research accordingly, leading me for several months up a complete blind alley. Eventually, I realised something was wrong and started looking for her side of the family using her mother's name. Hey presto, all was revealed! I found my grandmother on the 1911 census aged 3 in exactly the place she said she was born (and lived until her early twenties). Yes, her father was an Albert all right, but with no middle name of Edward. I've no idea why she seemed to think he had one! ::)
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Think of all the fun you will have, starting all over again.
I have been there and it better second time round.
Rob
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:D Cheer up...I've lost 30 years, mostly searching hard copies in London all before computers and am now running out of time. :-\
Ken
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"A cautionary tale"
Why worry. Post it on Ancestry, see how many copy it, and have the last laugh ::) ::) ::) ;D
Regards
Malky
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Flattybasher's advice would amuse many of us. But we have all been there. Prior to easier on-line access I thought for years that a greatgrandfather and ggmother lived on one street, and wondered about children of theirs I'd never heard of, based on family information.
Online, I probed further because there were bits that puzzled me. There were two men with the same first names and surnames, the same name for the wife, and three names of children in common. They lived in the same town, close together. All ages were close enough to be relevant, but THE RIGHT ONE WAS THE OTHER ONE, not the railwayman that I'd been provided with, but the joiner a few streets away!! I'd been chasing the wrong family for the wife, ( I've only recently got her pinned down, but beautifully) having the wrong surname from the wrong marriage ... thank goodness something rang an alarm bell, and I took it all apart, and found the right reference material in the end. It taught me not to take ANYTHING on trust without checking, checking, checking, - and I do usually chart out the "elimination by comparison over the years" to help me keep it all clearly in my mind. Thank heavens for A2 sheets of paper, and l-o-n-g rulers!
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Why worry. Post it on Ancestry, see how many copy it, and have the last laugh ::) ::) ::) ;D
In the immortal words of Dick Emery, Malky: "Ooooh you are awful - but I like you!" ;D
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Despite nearly 40yrs of searching, - I am still completely unable to find my late Grandfather, William James Wilson, Born (Apparantly) Manchester 1860 - Died Hendon 1937, - anywhere prior to his Marriage in Swansea in June 1893.
I have followed the wrong path so many times! (Common names(((
I know how you feel...
Romilly.
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Why worry. Post it on Ancestry, see how many copy it, and have the last laugh ::) ::) ::) ;D
In the immortal words of Dick Emery, Malky: "Ooooh you are awful - but I like you!" ;D
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!....... I was going to quote that!!
Joe
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Think of all the fun you will have, starting all over again.
I have been there and it better second time round.
Rob
This. While I feel so terribly for you, I am sure what took you four years the first time round will take you a year or less the second time round, and you're highly skilled and wont miss a thing for your actual family tree. AND you brought to 'life' a whole family who otherwise lay dormant. You thought of them.
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I bet there are not many researchers out who haven't climbed the wrong tree at some point and created a hybrid ;D ;D ;D
Carol
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At least you have noticed your error, many are still climbing the wrong tree, totally oblivious. :)
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...and passing it on ::)
Carol
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I fail to see how a researcher can follow the wrong tree when the old procedures are carried out.
When a “name” is found the first thing to do is to check if there are alternative candidates. Look at other available records for the area to determine how common the name may have been in that place.
If there are any then a process to exclude each candidate should be started, if any candidate cannot be excluded it is dangerous to proceed further.
Only when the candidates have been pruned in this way should you look for other evidence to corroborate the information you have discovered. Try to find three or four other records to substantiate the theory before moving on.
Evaluate the sources holding the information, ask what does this source record, why was it recorded, is it a primary source or a secondary source.
When using official records as sources ask yourself if they are original records or official transcripts.
Question everything, re-evaluate frequently and note your reasoning to allow it to be evaluated later.
Don’t ignore any conflicts of evidence that contradict each other they could be the very points that show your theory is false.
It is all to easy to take short-cuts and take things at face value but that is when mistakes occur.
Cheers
Guy
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very early in your research, if you don't check out one key person closely enough, and is soon forgotten and assumed to be correct, then everyone else who is the basis of that key person - WILL check out - but still wont be your family. So it can seem like all the puzzle pieces are falling together. its just you were building the wrong puzzle from the start.
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My heartache was with a great uncle in South Africa, till I found out differently this year as getting information was very hard. With the information I was able to get, everything matched so well until I got the full name of the person I thought was the correct one and all my work went down the drain!
As you can see you have the sympathy of people who have gone down the same road as yourself, but now you can get on getting all the details of the right one.
Bev
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A few weeks ago I wasted a whole week trying to track down Mr BM's grandad and eventually discovered I was following the wrong man. I was gutted.
If I'd be at it for four years I'd be beside myself. :-\
Although he is not my only "mistake". I doubt there are many people out there who havent done this.
Mind you, it would help significantly if my ancestors didnt fib quite so much......... :P
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Been there too!!
My maternal grandfather died before I was born, and gran marries again, so I had very little information to go on - and even less experience!
So, how was I to know that there were 2 Sydney Sims born in Wiltshire around the same time?! ::)
So, I spent some time chasing Sidney George Sims, rather than Sidney Llewellyn Sims - but not 4 years, fortunately!!
But sometimes it is understandable?
Another line I have are the Vanstone family from North Devon.
On the 1851 census, 44% of them share just 7 forenames!
And multiple occurrences of husband and wife having the same names!!
It's a nightmare trying to figure who belongs to who, and I'm not sure I have it all figured out yet! ::) ;D
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My grandmother, Ada Smith, was supposedly born about 1880 in Linton, Kent. Her 2 marriage certificates give a father's name, Albert John Oscar Smith. Her children have been told that she was an orphan and was brought up by others. The earliest I can find a record for my grandmother is in the 1901 Census. I have purchased many Ada Smith birth certificates and at one stage managed to solve a very complex family situation for an Ada Green/Smith. I even purchased the Will of this Ada's mother as I believed the Ada being investigated could be my grandmother. Unfortunately not. Every so often I relook at my research and go back to searching for an Albert John Oscar Smith with a daughter Ada born 1880.
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And sometimes, what seems to be wasted research, isn't!
There are four Miles Breslins lurking at the same time, and I followed up all four, just in case, knowing that three were "wasted". Doing this, I almost had a one-name-study!
Eventually, I found which one was correct, but kept the other stuff handy - good idea, one of the other Miles was a distant cousin, leading to vast numbers of 3rd and 4th cousins.
And a third Miles is a direct ancestor of a neighbour round the corner!
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The research might not have turned up the person you wanted to find, but if it disproves a hypothesis then it is not wasted.
I put a "brick-wall" search aside for a few years and when I tried a fresh look I found it very useful to know what I had discounted and on what evidence. I still haven't found my relative, but at least I am not repeating a search for the red herring!
All the best
Philip
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I just think it's remarkable that however unusual a name may be, there is always someone else born with the same name within a year or two.
I spent a long time going down the wrong path with my great grandma Florence Mabel Elmer. Not the commonest of names.
I found her born in Tendring Essex and spent hours researching her family.
Thank goodness she had the courtesy to get married in Edinburgh. The Scottish marriage cert proved without doubt that there was another Florence out there, born one year earlier in London.
Bev
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While what Guy has said is true, it is also true that most (if not all) of us have fallen into the trap of "finding" the wrong ancestor. Possibly a by-product of having so much at our fingertips online?
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I've just read this and I'm going to have to check everything, aren't I - and I bet I'm not the only one!
Oldfeller