RootsChat.Com

As I am the main family historian in the family I sometimes get people asking me if I can view recent death certs online, or for a birth in London in 1756 they say "You can get the birth certificate, it will give their parents names, mothers maiden name and occupations". If only civil reg had began that far back. The best will be a possible baptism which rarely gave mmn. Or they say the same about a 1750 marriage thinking there will be a cert with all their fathers names etc, when they are 87 years previous to that.  The occasional license may give the father of the bride or groom though.

WDYTYA celebs are probably new to this FH and many may not follow it up once their episode has aired.

I am a distant cousin of the Krays, someone else had researched their tree and said so on another FH forum and said they had a distinctive surname that I had in my tree, and I checked and it was also my ancestors from Shoreditch in the 1700s. I am quite pleased, and would rather be related to Ron and Reg than Danny Dyer.

Maybe they need a WDYTYA for deceased famous people, or infamous people such as the Krays. 

I watched the Diane Morgan episode last night and she says she often gets stuck when doing the family tree. I think with many lines you probably have gone back as far as you can go. We can become determined to get back further but if there are too many people to choose from, not enough records we know how it gets harder the further back you go. Hence why it can be a good idea to go sideways for a change, or find out any more on the ancestors you already have found. Some lines you can get back a long way, others you may never get back further than 1800 or more recent, especially with Irish records.

Thanks for the 1841 heads up.

The boundaries of London has always been up for debate, even today, some consider Croydon as London but others say Surrey, or Romford as London but others say Essex. However both are in the current London 1965 created county.

In the past when I have typed in Middlesex or London I occasionally get just London City for London and when I typed Middlesex I got the historic county which had places such as Chiswick, Hendon and Twickenham etc.

It is good that you could break down the King brickwall via the DNA method. Yes it will be common that many with family/ancestors from Gt Yarmouth will descend from Suffolk people due to being so near. One of my Suffolk ancestors was friends with an Edmund Coleman, a GY innholder in the 1780s as they both signed an admin for someone who died intestate.