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My family history research was greatly aided by my great grandfather's notebook, where he recorded spending holidays with his relatives, sometimes accompanied by his son, my grandfather.

It is nice to think of the family connections, but also - I think - it was how he had a holiday without spending any money on accommodation.  Very common in those days (the 1920's), I'm sure!

Another myth debunked is when people say "the census will give which cottage our ancestors lived in then". Maybe more likely in later census records but not so much in earlier records, and even for later records you still have to do a bit of digging to find where in the village or hamlet the cottage/house/farm was. In cities it was easier as houses were numbered more often and streets named.

You’re right - but then the street numbering of houses/dwellings in cities also changed over time as new buildings erected.

Could never find the correct entry for my house in Oxford in the 1939 Register though it was built before that date - it was built on a road which eventually joined two parallel roads and the numbering changed on both.

“Walking” with the Register round the locale was very discombobulating even though I knew it well

  I can't think of any myths in my family, but I am developing a theory that the Pay family originated in France. Apart from a couple of outposts in the North of the country, they have always been along the South coast, and I discovered a while ago that the name exists in France, mainly in the North-west. Some of the family like to think there is a connection to a rogue called Harry Pay in the Middle Ages. He was based in Poole, so the South coast/France link is there as well.

My bit of the Pay family (my cousin Ian) always claimed 'we came over with the Conqueror' but then he also claimed to be the first son of the first son of the first son of the first son of the first son of the family, and was offended as well as disappointed when my research conclusively demonstrated he was the first son of the first son of the first son of the first son of the third son of an illegitimate son, and so you could actually say we weren't Pays at all.

To be very fair to him, I think the primogeniture theory had come from his own father, passing on some theory or other from our grandfather, who had been a Metropolitan Policeman evidently not very familiar with the truth of the situation.

I had to do a bit of counting on my fingers for that story 

Good morning all

I’m doing a very interesting bit of research for my brother and sister in law on their house in Oxford, which was built in c 1875, to describe its various inhabitants over the years.

As you might guess this was inspired by David Olusoga’s A House Through Time which I’ve been rewatching.

I’ve created an Ancestry tree to research not only the various inhabitants but their families and addresses both before and after their occupation of the house and ensure I’ve got all the sources attached.

This is quite complicated - so that I can quickly highlight the separate families into their years of connection to the house, has anyone any suggestions about making a note on their entry?

I know some people have trees with “John Smith GGF” for example as the profile name header, but is there a better way?

I need to be able to show, for instance, that a person is the sister of the 1881 wife, and it would be very helpful to have a note of the fact somewhere visible on the Ancestry profile page.

If only there were colour highlight options or similar!

Any suggestions very welcome.

Ps I hasten to add I will be “writing up” my research to clarify it all and not just sharing the tree.

I was thinking if he didn't speak French then a rendition of  what he thought he heard might have ended up as "monseaum".  If he wasn't a fabric expert (who is?) he had a shot of what he'd been told?

Anyhow, no easy solution!  However, it made me look up "directoire" knickers, which I'd come across in various early writings, and had never investigated before!!