Just one more thing ...

[Mike Morrell (NL)]

I just wanted to share my experience that simply drafting a 'cry for help' to Rootschat has helped me more than once in finding new approaches to research challenges. It's what I've come to know as the 'just one more thing ..." experience.

A couple of times recently, I've been frustrated, exasperated, exhausted and been on the point of posting a 'cry for help/tips/advice'. When I've summarised what and where I've already researched in a draft post, I've suddenly realised that there's just "just more one thing" I need to check before posting. And that "just more one thing" has up until now turned up something new. If it hadn't, I would have posted .

Just an example, I could not for the life of me understand why I could find no birth record of my GGF on the GRO index, FreeBMD, Ancestry, FindMyPast, etc., when all census info clearly pointed to his birth year and location.

Puzzled by the lack of info, my post to Rootschat for help/tips/advice was ready to post. The only 'one more thing' (=is there really anything I haven't considered?) was whether civil registration would have been usual/compulsory in his birth year (1861). Although civil registration started in 1837, I discovered that it wasn't compulsory until 1875. This branch of my family, Irish immigrants, living in an area of Swansea known as 'Little Ireland' and Roman Catholics would in all probability have considered baptism into the RC Church as being far more important than civil registration of births. Sufficient too.

So I realised that my next step was not to ask Rootschat for help but to contact the local RC church to find out whether and how I can get a copy of baptism records.

I've often heard the expression that 'the best way to understand something is to explain it to someone else'. This applies to research too

Mike

[stanmapstone]

I discovered that it wasn't compulsory until 1875.

You might be interested in my post http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=755898.msg6055186#msg6055186

Stan

[Mike Morrell (NL)]

Thanks, Stan. I see what you mean.

As far as I understand things (from quickly reading up on internet), the Roman Catholic church until very recently found it important to respect the privacy and confidentiality of personal sacrosanct religious events (baptism, marriage, etc.). Things are very gradually changing, especially in the US with just a few inroads into the UK.

In response to your post (via your link), my guess is that most local RC churches in the 1800's would have refused to provide information requested by a registrar on religious grounds and paid any fines as a consequence. I have no evidence for this 

As I understand it, in order to access the local RC church records I need to provide a) proof of identity and b) a legitimate (family) connection to the records.

Thanks for your response,

Mike

I discovered that it wasn't compulsory until 1875.

You might be interested in my post http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=755898.msg6055186#msg6055186

Stan

[JenB]

As I understand it, in order to access the local RC church records I need to provide a) proof of identity and b) a legitimate (family) connection to the records.

It depends on the Roman Catholic Diocese concerned, but in many places the records have been deposited and are freely available at local Record Offices. I myself have viewed several at Tyne & Wear Archives.

In response to your post (via your link), my guess is that most local RC churches in the 1800's would have refused to provide information requested by a registrar on religious grounds and paid any fines as a consequence. I have no evidence for this 

You have misunderstood the information on Stan's link. The church had no input at all to Civil Registration.

[andrewalston]

It seems to be the "straightening out" of information so as to explain it so someone else which prompts the brain into working out what is wrong or missing.

Many times I have been explaining a complex computer programming problem to someone else when I have spotted my error(s).

The person concerned need not know anything about the subject concerned. Like Mike, the "person" being explained to can be imaginary.

Many times I too have drafted a RootsChat post only to realise that I could make progress without help.

Quite good, this brain thingy, isn't it?