General Chat

Hi all, this heir hunters programme has been spurring me back to some of my treeing. The finding of half siblings on the programme pushed me back to look for other marriages for my grandfather who was in his 40s when he supposedly married for the first time (to my nanna).

The trouble is the period I'm looking at is when they were using middle initials rather than full names on the index. The name is a common one in the North East (where he's meant to come from), "John E Robson" brings up over 6 possibles just on the partial index. There's one that I just have a feeling about, for no logical reason. I'm tempted to buy it, but cash is tight at the morning and I really can't afford to buy lots of certs just on a feeling.

So, I was wondering if others bought certificates in that way and if they tended to pay off?

Hi SS

It's a great series isn't it? I'm hooked on it and want a job with them lol.

I've only had one where I just "had a feeling" and it was correct. I was searching for a death for a Thirza and there was only one in the right time frame and place but the name was Theresa, bought it and it was the right one! Registered by her daughter so I guess the registrar misheard?

Mary

Yes I did buy a cert just recently on a feeling .To Explain, my FIL was in a children's home in Birmingham and knew nothing about his parents other than the names on his birth cert .he had vague memories of a sister. Just when the 1901 first came online my SIL decided she would like to trace dads family tree and see if any contact could be made with any of dads family,maybe a decendant of the sister . I found his mum and two sisters on the 1901 .dad wouldn't have been on there because he was born July 1901. lots of research later we came to a standstill cos couldn't find a marriage for his parents or his dad on any census ,he was a commercial traveller so managed to evade!! all the census. The only marriage that kept coming up, and being ignored ,was one in Liverpool in the mid 1880,s We put the family on ice for about three years and I then decided to do my family.
Well about six weeks ago i was talking to SIL and said do you know I think I WILL get that marriage and see what the occupation was on the groom. BINGO it was him and explains why we never found a marriage cert cos he was already married. Dads mum was a chambermaid at a Station Hotel in Knowle warwickshire on the 1891 census and aged 21. She must have met him there when he was on his travels and they set up home . the first child was born 1896 .He didn't have any children with his wife and she died in 1898 but he still didn't marry dads mum. The other sister on the 1901 was born in mar 1900 and died two days before dad was born in July 1901 His dad registered both events.
Still not found the other sister though!!.

So better late than never .some 3 years later we made a little chink in the wall .

Interesting stories and I'm glad that it paid off. But noticeable that they were pretty much the only options remaining. This one has no real rhyme or reason to it. All we know is that he was probably born in Hartlepool, possibly had a sister and possibly born in 1899 (according to death cert). So with a common name for the area it's quite difficult.

There's just something that drew me to that particular entry.

I would go with your instincts on this one..............they often turn out to be the right choice to make