Genealogy Chat

Sometimes people ask if they should bother to include siblings, cousins, married relatives etc or just concentrate on direct lines...

Well I say, find everyone you can. Whilst following up some siblings of my gt gt gt grandfather, recently found in Norfolk records office & Norwich library, I was looking for a distant uncle in 1841. I found him - with several sisters, brothers in law, aunts AND my gt X5 grandfather, who I wouldn't have found otherwise as a) his name is mispelt and b) he is in a different county from the one I expected to find him in!! This distant relative is jolly useful as on every census he has a sister, aunt, niece or other family member with him, helping confirm I have the right people. nell

Somebody ought to collect all these pearls of wisdom and put them in a book. You never find his sort of advice in genealogy publications but it makes such good sense.

You are so right Nell! I found my 5xgreat aunt (she was quite an important person to find for me) because her grandson was living with her on one census. It turned out the great aunt had married again (to a Williams!!) and I had no idea if she was alive or dead. It was such a thrill to find her. I bet it was an even greater thrill for you to find your direct rellie, Nell! Anne

You're right Nell - I have a several x great uncle who was with a different branch of the family on every census and helped me connect up several bits I don't think I would have managed otherwise. I always work on the more distant ones when I'm stuck on direct ancestors or a bit bored:)

I only found my 2x gt gran in 1901 once I'd worked out her sister's married name... they had both been recently widowed, so having them together in the same household was the only way to confirm an otherwise 'ordinary' name was the right family. Another one - following my 2x gt grandfather - his mother had had an illegitimate daughter before she married - this daughter brought up 3 of her half-brothers after their mother died. She was an incredibly useful link over 30 years of censuses, linking 3 generations of this family.

I'm thrilled. John Gray/Grey was born 1750ish - I only know that because I found him on 1841 census. Also with him are his sons Samuel and James (this is the only reference to James I can find apart from his baptism entry) Bonus ball is Samuel & James' niece Sarah who is with her two children there - one of whom I didn't know existed! Sarah's other child is with John Grey's son (and Samuel's brother) William's wife Mary. Mary is a serial grannie - on 1851 and 1861 she also has grandchildren - all from different children, staying with her. The Grays seem to make a habit of staying with grandparents, siblings and in-laws which has been very useful. Well done on your finds too - only another family tree enthusiast can really understand!!! nell

Totally agree - I have the only Lewis Frederick Nurse ever to have been born (please don't find another one) and he keeps popping up as a witness on certificates. Only thing I haven't connected is Lewis Fred'k (a baker) and his brother in law Gustav Adolf Krafft (journeyman confectioner) - I am sure the latter worked for the former but I can't find when or where. Peter

Hi Nell, I couldn't agree more - I've just had a good find - my gt,gt,gt grandma was widow in 1861 (age 40) and I found she married Joseph in 1871 taking some of her children with her - I then traced them on to 1901 (end of story I thought). However, I was having difficulty finding her son's marriage so revisited this again. I searched for marriages and checked the other name (only 2 were given as possibles) and found her in 1861 living with her family. When I checked her father in1871 to see if she was no longer with her family (she was with gt gt grandad by this time) guess what, it came up with Joseph and the record of 1871 ie., gt gt grandad's mother married gt gt grandma's father! Moral is, go backwards as well as forwards - I do like happy endings.

Most of my mother's ancestors came from small villages and by following all the siblings and their marriages etc - I have found many cousins married to cousins. Quiet often a couple of siblings from one family have married a couple of siblings from another family. The further you go back, the more this seemed to happen - presumably because there wasnt a lot of choice in partners in small villages. I now wonder if the men left their villages not to find work, but to find a woman who wasnt related to them in one way or another. lol

This is about the only hard piece of advice that I offer to new researchers that I come across.Don't simply concentrate on the 'Direct Line'.I myself have found important links to Direct Ancestors simply by spotting second cousins etc.I have also been held up,even though there may well be a link,by someone who has simply concentrated on their Direct Line. Regards William Russell Jones Cefn Mawr Wrexham.

I have always added as many as possible and because of that had many contacts, to trade info with .

Can I add that it is not much good checking those other rellies if you don't write it up? I was about to add my mite to this discussion, only to discover that my example: a will in the 1870s which helped with a marriage in the 1820s, only to discover that the details are stuck in a notebook, whose whereabouts is currently unknown. Aaargh.

oh Phoenix I often do that find some info scribble it down and then promptly lose it , must get more organised.

Not only check the other rellies, but also check the other occupants in the house.... I had been searching for ages for my gg-grandfather Charles Henry Richards in the 1851 and 1841 census. I had him in 1861 and later, but no trace of him before that, other than his baptism in 1829. Tried 1st name searches, but a Charles in Battersea is not easy, and nothing likely came up. Eventually I went back to the 1861 census entry, where there were several others in the household - a couple of lodgers and a ''visitor'' by the name of Harriet Norris. Anyway, I found Harriet in 1841, and lo and behold she had a brother Charles R Norris of the right age to be my Charles. Not only that, but the mother was Eleanor - the same name as on Charles' baptism! So yes, seems obvious now - Charles' father (George) had died and his mother remarried. Even found a likely marriage on the IGI - Helen Richards to Joseph Norris, 1833. But it got even better - Harriet was born after 1837, so I was able to send for her birth cert. This arrived last week, and the mother was ''Eleanor Norris, late Richards, formerly Wright''. The importance of keeping good notes then came into play, as I remembered that some kind person on here had done a lookup a couple of years ago for me, of likely marriages for George Richards & Eleanor c1820's in Surrey... and yes, on re-checking, the marriage that they found was ''George Richards and Ellen Wright, Battersea, 1827''!! Also then found Eleanor in 1851-71 (she wasn't living with Joseph by then). This told me her place and year of birth, and thus was able to find her likely baptism, along with parent's names, on the IGI. Also found her death, in 1873. So ... from following up on a seemingly unrelated individual, I am now able to prove that my ggg-grandmother was Eleanor Wright, who married George Richards in 1827 and died in 1873. Also, that George died sometime between 1829 and 1833, and Eleanor remarried in 1833, to Joseph Norris. Also found several more descendants of Eleanor & Joseph, as well as a good possibility for Eleanor's parents. Not bad from one single ''visitor'' at the Richards household in 1861 !!! Richard

I always check out the witnesses too. Recently followed a witness on my husbands Grandmothers marriage certificate. He had quite an unusual name. Yesterday had a telephone conversation with his Grandson, who lives about 5 miles from us. We are meeting up soon. Mind you this has taken the best part of a year. Look at everybody, you never know!! Linda