Just out of curiosity

[jeune-romantique]

Not a Smith or a Jones amongst them yet (unless you count the surname JOHNS as a Jones) - mind you I still have my share of brickwalls and untraceables.  In fact sometimes the less common names are worse because there are so many different ways they could be spelt and/or transcribed.

I agree. Especially the strangely spelt/sounded ones.

[kooky]

3. My maternal grandfather's sister married John Smith 1907. Fortunately I had found the grandaughter of his other sister and she helped by telling me about the family, including a photograph!

4. My maternal grandmother's mother was Matilda Jones. I know very little about her, other than her father's name, on her marriage cert. and her place of birth, from censuses - Enniskillen!
Kooky

[devongirl]

1)  1762 - man
2) 1890's  - woman
3) I am unlucky enough to have found Smiths on 2 sides of my family. Both families in London. Very difficult.  Smith family 1. earliest definite 1797.  Smith family 2. earliest definite 1776.  Lived not too far from each other but not related, so far.  Perhaps we all eventually go back to Smiths.
3) No Jones at all (yet) I don't think I could cope with those as well>

Daisy

[tufty62]

I found a Smith in my ancestry. I'm afraid it put me off trying to trace any further back for that particular person. However I did find her first husband and children!
Earliest ancestor Ive found was born in 1788. I'm a bit stuck on how to get any further!

[hilbury]

1. The earliest for me is a marriage cert. from the GRO, so I haven't seen the original paperwork.
Dated 1840 both bride and groom and two witnesses all signed.

2. I have a 1909 mariage cert. where one of the witnesses (Groom's Mum) signs with an X.

3. GGG grandmother Eliza Smith born in 1840, I'm not sure if you count her daughter, my GG grandmother also Eliza born before the marriage, I still haven't found her birth cert. so I don't know if she is a Smith or not.

4. may have a Jones at 4x great grandmother but haven't confirmed it yet.

[lilirose03]

Interesting questions.  I've just sat and gone through my overstuffed lever-arch folder full of certificates and documents for my ancestors and was surprised to discover very few x's marked on certificates since 1837, just a couple early on in the 1840s by ancestors who were in rural areas.  I'm wondering if this is because most of my family were in and around London and had more access to education - enough, at least, to sign their names.

I was pleased to note that both my 3xgreat-grandparents (who were both 'deaf and dumb from birth' according to census returns) signed their names on their marriage certificate in 1842.  I know that my 3xg-grandmother attended a deaf school (I have the school record) and suspect that's where she met my 3xg-grandfather (the school were unable to find a record for him, but the records are incomplete).

The earliest signature I have is on a copy of a will signed by my 5xg-grandfather who was born c.1719 and died in 1807. 

My earliest Jones is my grandmother, and I've been lucky to be able to trace her line back as far as my 3xg-grandfather born c.1801, with my earliest certificate being his marriage in 1841.  I remember when I phoned the GRO to order that particular certificate, the woman I spoke to on the phone was very impressed that I had managed to get that far on a Jones line, she actually said "well done"!  And, my g-grandfather Jones, his father and his father were all called Thomas just to make things nice and simple for me

I haven't yet found any Smiths in my tree.