I get very frustrated trying to find ancestors. I look in the obvious records but the further back you go the harder it becomes. How do you find information other than a marriage not enough information on the records. Baptisms difficult when so many names the same. Deaths impossible. I tried looking at apprenticeships ie trade was a carpenter did he learn from his father, he could write signed his name on a marriage where did he learn. I can understand a woman getting married in her place of birth but she probably met her husband where she worked could have been miles away. Then to live in the village she was born and have 3 children before moving did that mean her husband worked where they lived or still worked miles away wouldn't it be lovely if you could find how people lived not just from BMD records. Is this too much to hope for. Does anyone else feel like this. I give up then go back and try again. Thank you for any thoughts, ideas and help. Sue.
Keep in mind that these records were intended only for their purpose e g tax collection, church records and censuses and not particularly for future generation genealogists. Many records have been lost through fire, water penetration, pest infestations and human neglect such as disposing of records. Anyone researching getting beyond 1837 and relying just on parish records is doing remarkably well especially if there is a single forename where guesswork rather than accuracy takes over. I have come across many family trees where imagination and guesswork proves to have no real evidence to substantiate the research. I think that you should be very grateful that any research goes back beyond 1700 and apart from parish records existing since 1538, Visitations [records of nobility claiming a title] and Wills [sadly Devon lost many in WWII] there is no magic source to lighten the search by a family historian. I always use the adage it is better to have a short accurate tree rather than a long spindly tree full of guesses and inaccuracies.
Thank you John I agree a tree is better to be accurate and I only put in names backed up by certificates and records it is hard to not try to find the whys though and sometimes you get little glimpses sadly no proof I did research Wills nothing conclusive guess my lot were too poor also looked at Visitations very informative but that was when I thought my ancestors came from Cornwall but then found they probably came from Devon when I found the earliest marr record when you get the bug it is hard not to try to go back further thanks again. SUE
