Any genealogists on Breedia, and if not - what is your hobby? General Chat

Oh Janet.........have you found any blatant liars in your tree?!! I was researching for someone else once (my lot of course were impeccable!!) and one lady consistently gave her age as being five years younger than her husband.............when I sent off for her birth certificate the truth was apparent. She was actually ten years older!!

One marriage certificate showed the groom living at one address and the bride at another, but other evidence suggests they were already living together. But at that time, I suppose, it was important to be seen as respectable to the Registrar!

The variation in ages for my London lot is a major problem in identifying which certificate to send away for because of the number of people with the same names. I'm trying to find my great grandmother's maiden name - all I know from the census records is that she was Mary Ann. I found a likely marriage of Charles Shepherd to a Mary Ann, but when the certificate came it was wrong - this Charles Shepherd was a respectable Cheesemonger, my Charles Shepherd was a Brickmaker (a rough lot, I believe!). I'm trying to decide which of their many children I should choose to try and get a birth certificate to find her maiden name - once again, the problem is that they have common names and the ages on the census returns vary. My grandmother Ellen would be the logical one to get, but I just can't pin down the most likely one. I know I'll probably end up spending a lot of money till I get the right one!

It can be such a minefield can't it. I take it that none of the children have a slightly unusual name, or combination of names? Isn't there an option when ordering certs to add extra information, which if not there on the cert alerts them and they contact you to see if you want to go ahead. I seem to remember having a couple of those and they were very good and vigilant. Mind you, I also have a file with some wrong certs and the money that they represent is horrifying!!!

I did wonder if that was possible - I shall definitely check it out. I suppose what I need them to check is that the father on whichever birth certificate I order is Charles Shepherd, Brickmaker. Oh, and to add to the confusion, on some of the census forms he is shown as being born in London, and in some ' Not known'!

No, not a single unusual name, and none of them have second names either! They should have thought ahead and made it easier for their descendents!

Janet, I will go and check shortly, but at the very bottom of the GRO order form there should be an option for extra checks............

Yes indeedy to the thinking ahead thing......they were sooooo selfish!!

I was very lucky because my lot have an unusual surname which was largely confined to the Notts/Derbys border. And very connveniently one son in every generation was named Joseph. Through GR I met another of my clan who's great grandfather was my ggrandfather's eldest brother whose name was John.. As he still lives in the same area he was able to do a lot of "footwork" on my behalf and he visited cemeteries and looked up church records which living so far away I was unable to do.

My most exciting find was my mother's grandfather's and foster father's military records as it helped unlock the mystery surrounding her birth. Together with her birth certificate I was able to piece together how she came to be passed from one family to another. The house she was born in is now a hotel in Scarborough and on the website its shows some of the bedrooms ..... I'd love to know which one she was born in!

Bitkin said ....I bet your coal mining lot were a great deal nicer than the PMs etc.

Unfortunately my lot always seemed to be having family vendettas, which went on for decades. When I was younger I used to call my relatives "the UK branch of the Mafia" because I never knew who was talking to who. I remember once when out shopping with my parents, my mother stopped to talk to a woman. When she finished my father asked her "Who was that you were talking to!? To which she replied "That was your sister you fool"! Nuf said????

I love the story about your father not recognizing his sister!

The only research I've done has been online - I'd love to be able to visit churchyards to try and find graves.

Sometimes it's just luck that gets you started. My grandfather was a George Palmer - well there were numerous George Palmers in London so there was no way I could guess which one to research. Then I had a brainwave and contact the London Fire Brigade (he was a Fireman obviously!) and they were able to send me his records, which gave me his date and place of birth and the fact that he had been in the Royal Navy. But if he had been a labourer or something, I doubt I'd have ever been able to find the right family to research.