Genealogy Chat

Ive found loads of rellies who are definates but also lots more with same surname born and living in same town,im losing track of them,Ive written names down but cant find out if there relations as they are born around 1830s.Is there any way of finding out,also how do I put my findings in some sort of order,cant see my desk for paper,hubby thinks Ive finally lost the plot! Carole xx

Carol 1. Get organised. Get a huge piece of scrap paper (big envelope, old wallpaper roll) and draw a rough family tree putting various people on it that you KNOW. Bung some dates underneath. Now look at the people you have left - where are they likely to fit? Now you have a rough idea. Get a sheet of paper for each person and put details on it (you can download various forms, design your own or buy a set in a pack available for £10 from TNA). Put down what you know in ink and what you guess or haven't proved in pencil. To get info on how these people fit together see what you can find on the 1841 census. This doesn't list relationships, but you can get an idea of who was head of the household etc. Pre-1837 registration information will be in parish registers. Children's baptisms will give their parents' names. You may find some on www.familysearch.org After 1837 you can use info on certificates to find relationships. nell

Thanks for the advice Nell, it'll take me a month of sundays to organise this lot!

When you find the answer, Carol, please let me know! I have one particular family that I have never succeeded in sorting out and I doubt I ever will. Records which might help you: Wills - usually in the county records office, but possibly on Documents Online. Land tax assessments - similar to today's rates. These are taken annually, so if a man dies and the ownership, or the occupancy, passes to his heir, this is reflected in the records. Also in the local RO. Settlement examinations. If your people were likely to be a charge on the parish, they would be asked questions to find out which parish had to look after them. Questions would include names and ages of the children. This is parish chest material, but again is usually in the RO. There is no guarantee that your relatives will appear in any of the above records, but it's always worth looking. By the way, whether people are related or not does depend on the surname. A friend of mine, Henry Hawkins (no relation) found another two families with the same surname, living in the same street as he did. Again, they were no relation.

Jenny Swap you some for a couple of Edwards and a William! Lou

Thanks to everyone for advice. Im not the most organised of ppl! I too have loads of Williams and Mary Anns thank goodness we dont name our children after parents so much these days, it will probably help them in their search for us in the next century.

I might add that my g grandad was called Lazarus, well he may as well have been Joe Bloggs with trying to track him down, and his age has ranged about ten years, the older he got the younger he was if you get my drift. I sent of for his marriage cert and it just said 'of full age'. If I meet him in the next life he'll certainly get a telling off!