Genealogy Chat

I am doing a tree for a friend as a favour, and trying to keep cost as low as possible for them. I have a William Hennessey married age 25 in 1905- his father James- therefore William born c 1879/80 I have found the family in 1871 and 1881- I have managed to prove it is them via witnesses etc. James is a pensioner in 1871 suggesting he was in Navy or Army - Their first John appears to have been born 1867, Liverpool. James was married to Mary- I found a marriage in Parish registers St Nicholas Liverpool (known to be Sailors Church)- Their marriage, James Hennessy to Mary Cosgrove, in April 1866, has James as a Pensioner. There only appears to be one birth that fits for son William in 1877- I feel certain that I have the right maiden name now for Mary, but wondering if I should still try that birth cert for William. What do you think? Thanks Simone

It's difficult isn't it........ I did a tree for a friend. His mum was born in 1919. I looked up her birth reg in the index. Unusual surname and even more unusual maiden surname for her mum. Found the marriage of the parents in 1899......so an older couple, I thought. Found the couple on the 1901 census and went racing back to about 1820 for both parties. THEN........I was browsing the GRO indexes AFTER 1901 and found.....AGHHHHHHHH!! the supposed father of the baby born in 1919 had died in 1910!! lol So..........we bought the 1919 birth cert which showed that the widow had been the mother of the baby, but the father was ''unknown''........So I had half a tree that was no connection!! So........beware not getting the certs! Merry

Thanks Merry- that's what I thought really- just concerned about bill for friend, although whenever I mention anything he says 'just order what you need to' - not sure his wife agrees though!! Simone x