Earliest Dates

[tab11]

I would be interested to know how far back people have managed to get with
their ancestry and how difficult it eventually becomes.

My earliest date is about 1754 but I am sure some genealogists have done a
lot better than that.  Would love to hear their news.

Look forward to hearing from you

tab11

[Linda_J]

Hi Tab11

I have only got back as far as about 1800 to 1830 and constantly hitting brick walls in all directions.

Parents who in the Census have changed their mind where they where born, as well as their ages. Children with ages swapped around together with their place of birth. Not surprising with big families!

Others who started to use their middle name because a cousin lived next door with the same name.

Very little found in the way of birth/baptism/marriage records.

On the plus side I have found clues from elderly widowed mothers living with family and in other cases an assortment of other children farmed out around relatives.

I am guessing that with most being agricultural labourers and having large families, they where more concerned with working and feeding hungry mouths than worrying to much about records.

Linda

[suttontrust]

I got back to the mid 17th century on a couple of lines, but only because somebody local had already done the research.  It does depend a lot on whether you live in the area where your research is, and on whether the records actually exist.  If one's ancestors were humble folk it's often more difficult.  There's a lot of luck involved!

[janan]

I have back to 1625 on one line  mainly due to  my ggrandfather, grandfather and uncle on my father's side doing earlier research. That  and the fortuitousness of them coming from Wirksworth, Derbyshire which has a fantastic website. So I agree with suttontrust, lot of luck involved. Regards  Jan 

[Ticker]

Hi Tab11

I'm back to the 1600s on a few lines (1603 my best) but on some others I haven't got far back at all.  My main line (the Tymon family) I have only just got into the 18th Century.

Good luck in your searches.

Best wishes

Ticker

[Manchester Rambler]

My earliest date on my mother's side is a marriage in Bridgnorth in 1591 - their parish records are great, and this line were considerate enough to stay in one place for generations!  On my father's side, I've nothing reliable before the early 1800's.  But my husband's Swiss ancestors go back to 1400 on several lines - sickening, isn't it?
 

MR

[Ticker]

Wow! 

[familysearcher]

thanks to the wonderful Dorset OPC site I managed to go back from 1906 to 1729 yesterday on my grandmother's mother's side, but have hit a brick wall with my 9g grandparents and 10g grandparents - either both men, both named samuel, both married a Mary or there is something a bit odd!

My husband is related to the Wedgewoods of pottery fame, and their tree has been researched and goes back to the Norman conquest (although i haven't checked it for sources etc to see how objectively and accurately its been researched!)

I must say i felt pretty chuffed yesterday - but as i say its all thanks to that wonderful website.  If only all counties were as well served.

Sue

[Little Nell]

This smacks of boasting, but  "pour encourager les autres":
cir 1550 on one line that I have researched myself and therefore pretty convincing as far as I am concerned.

cir 1560 on my husband's paternal line, researched by someone else, but so far it all seems to fit together very well.

cir 1100 on my paternal grandmother's line, but only because it links to several armigerous Sussex families who are well documented.

Others are resolutely stuck in the 18th century!

So keep going everyone!  They are all interesting in their own way. 

Nell