Whites in Essex

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My husbands White family William White and Mary Coates seemed have shifted back and forth through all the Walthams in Essex.

 All except the oldest daughter a Hannah that married a Joseph Hiorns appear to have traveled with them to Australia and settled there.
Family members no longer seem to live in that area.

Do you think it would be a worthwhile exercise to actually try to follow the descendents of Mary Coates parents and William Whites parents to see where they ended up to get more of a handle on the family and their culture, perhaps see whether they emigrated overseas or stayed at home in other parts of England.

Has anyone else done this sort of exercise with their family and found it a satisfactory way to get information.