Genealogy Chat

My mother's great aunt took the local parish magazine every month and also paid to have it bound into annual volumes. These were on display in her parlour, but she could neither read nor write. I have 3 of the volumes - bit tatty but nice to have as a souvenir, along with a cutting from a cutting of gt-grandma's aspidistra (my Real family tree) Jay

I'll have to try that christine....If you can't beat 'em, join 'em !! Jean

that's strange Jane..someone so bright. The rest of my branches were so easy......I'm beginning to wonder how the heck she got mixed up with a husband who couldn't write his name on his marriage cert and a mother who couldn't even spell his name or her own....must have been love

glad it's not only me. Mine are about the same as yours OC. Got a cert yesterday.....the right one...but I still don't know if it's the right family!!

Ah, that's not quite true - lots of working class people COULD read and write, but chose to hide the fact, because their 'betters' felt that education wasnt a good thing for the working classes. As for spelling their names, well, there was no standardised spelling in this country until 1875, so a misspelled name is not a sign of illiteracy, it is a sign that it didnt matter to anyone. OC

could be the original writers Sue, or even the accents of the people, but the ages and names change all over the place. Even children vanish. I ve sent for certs in different names but if the names different,you still don't know if you're on the right tree, do you.?

Jean You get used to it after a bit, and know that when you see Thomas Boggins its really James Spicer! OC

oh yes I have the same problem. It's shocking when you realise how few working class people could read. I have been told by several people that my great grandmother was incredibly bright - was a committed feminist by the end of WW1 and that her family were all smart. Nobody bothered teaching them to read though.

Are you sure it's not the transcribers that have them wrong, or have you got documents written by your rellies?

It's a heck of a job trying to find people who don't know how to spell their name, don't know how old they are or where they were born. I suppose they had more important things to think about....like survival !! Jean