Who have you given up on :)

[jaybelnz]

As a first generation Kiwi, naturally I have had very little research to do in NZ, as I knew who my NZ Relatives were, and where they lived, and that was within about 5 Sq. miles from where I lived with my parents!  I only visited Wellington Archives once, when I was trying to find some passenger lists for my parents and their parents, who both came with their respective families when they were children, (couldn't actually find them there, in fact I only just found those records about 3 years ago on FindMyPast)! 😄

I only have 1 Kiwi record to find now, and that's a Passenger List entry for my Early Settler relative, who came to Oamaru NZ during the days of the Gold Rush.  The rest of the info about him I have found on various websites, including our great NZ Paper's Past, Family Search, Ancestry.com and Find My Past - and of course the wonderful team on the New Zealand Forum on here!

The rest of my research has been done online, early days on the old IGI, Rootsweb Message Boards, and at our local LDS Family History Centre.  In more recent years, of course, Rootschat, who else!.

The biggest hurdle overseas has been of course, and continues to be, with my 1800's paternal Irish families - before Civil Registration - that's where my big brick wall is, as are so many others, in Ireland! 

So still a few hurdles to go - but not yet totally conceded defeat on anyone!

[Isobell21]

They are the family Scottish family has been easy.

The Irish Protestants are impossible the Catholics are better because the catholic church has great records,so they can be traced back to 1800 before that in Ireland I haven't tried.

The one member who came to Quebec city from England in 1850.

[coombs]

I shall never give up entirely on finding the place of origin of Sarah Coombs, by 4xgreat grandmother, maiden name as yet unknown, later Bradford. She died in Feb 1851 and in 1841 she gave the dreaded "N" to whether born in county of residence which was London, Middlesex. At least I know her first hubby was George Coombs, my 4xgreat grandfather and I think he originated from Dorset. They met when in their early 20s. Sarah may have been from down Dorset way unless they met in London, which was a honeypot for people from other areas of England.

[clairec666]

Sadly I have dead end that I have to accept will go no further. My 3x great grandfather was called Charles Chapman born 1811. Sadly the parish records for 1810 to 1813 were destroyed by water damage. It was a very small parish. They were illiterate farm labourers so no othe records exist for the area or his birth. The surname is too common as well as his first name. I will never be able to find out who his parents were with any certainty. Shame as this is a direct line ancestor. But I have lots of other who I concentrate on.
Regards panda

I refuse to give up on anyone, but admittedly in your case it may be impossible to find out for sure who Charles's parents are.

You could guess at likely siblings from the same village, and may be able to guess at his parents' names based on marriages and burials in the same village. There may be sources other than parish records that you haven't discovered yet, so you may eventually find out who your ancestors are.

I shall never give up entirely on finding the place of origin of Sarah Coombs, by 4xgreat grandmother, maiden name as yet unknown, later Bradford. She died in Feb 1851 and in 1841 she gave the dreaded "N" to whether born in county of residence which was London, Middlesex. At least I know her first hubby was George Coombs, my 4xgreat grandfather and I think he originated from Dorset. They met when in their early 20s. Sarah may have been from down Dorset way unless they met in London, which was a honeypot for people from other areas of England.

Ah, the dreaded "N"! I've got a similar problem with a lady on my tree - I can't be sure where she was born, and I haven't found a baptism in the village that she married. I refuse to give up on her though...

[Romilly]

Just noticed this Thread...

I think that we have to give up on people from time to time, - just to preserve our sanity!!

I've been chipping away at my Missing Grandfather, William James Wilson (1860 - 1937), apparantly Born Manchester, Lancs. for more years than I like to admit to now...

I've had lots of fantastic help from on here, and I've found lots of peripheral info... but I'm no nearer to finding a Birth/Baptism/Early Census Entry for him, than I was when I first joined RC in 2005.

Romilly

[coombs]

My 3xgreat aunt Eliza Edgington was last seen in Brighton in 1891, aged 25, born Oxford, a single servant. She just seemed to vanish after that, cannot find any marriage, death or anything, again she may have emigrated which would be easier to tell if she went to America or Canada unless she married by their 1900 and 1901 census respectively. I leave them on a backburner at times but never will give up totally, never quit.

[pinefamily]

Another brickwall that I come back every now and then is my 3x great grandmother. Mary Ann Blake c1772 was a widow when she married my 3x great grandfather in 1805.
I have looked for marriages to a Mister Blake and I have looked for baptisms for a Mary Ann Blake. Trouble is it happened in London.

[clairec666]

I have a 3xgreat-aunt who "disappears"... last seen in 1881, in her 60s, with her husband. I can't find either of them in the death index, or burials in their home village or surrounding villages. They had no children. Unlikely to have emigrated, given their age.

I won't "give up" on them completely, but I've put them to one side for now.... after all, there are plenty of other people to research!

[LizzieW]

clairec666 - Have you tried searching for them with their first names only?  That's how I found some of my husband's ancestors.  One lot had changed their surname to the wife's mother's maiden name  for a few years, before going back to the husband's surname.  Another one had moved to a different town, but with a different man.  I found her because she'd taken her daughter with her so I searched for the daughter, first name only, year and place of birth.