RootsChat.Com

Like so many others I would find it hard to choose just one person. However my 3x great grandfather Thomas Mellish would certainly be a likely candidate as I would love to talk to him about his life and career as a Hairdresser/Perfumer and Master Wig Maker from the end of the 18th century up to the 1850s. I would love to see him demonstrate his skills and tell me how he learned his trades and I would really like to know what he looked like.

How fantastic that you have your proof! My "Finally I have found proof" moment was also due to obtaining a will. My search, which was long and complicated, had gone on for the best part of 10 years and involved a child registered under his mother's first married name, that lady not marrying the father and that lady then going on to marry someone else. The someone else's will was the key to the proof. I wonderful moment!

Viktoria's comments brought back memories. Yes we had tripe just as it came from the shop with vinegar and salad. I was always told that tripe was very good for people in poor health and those whose stomach was a bit delicate. I had an aunt who used to make cow heel stew though, happily, I never had to eat it. I couldn't eat anything like tripe now - it looks disgusting and I'm not a great meat eater anyway so the thought of it is not pleasant.

I have one little comment to make here: do keep in mind the possibility that the name may have been mistranscribed as McTighe at some point. I have spent many years trying to find the marriage of one of my Tighe ancestors and it turned out he had been listed in the PRs as Tigue.

I have an interesting example of this in my family. Two full brothers whose biological father (Mr M) had died. One brother was brought up by his maternal grandmother and her second husband, Mr E  (he was unofficially given the step grandfather's surname). The other brother was brought up by the biological mother and her second husband Mr A (he took the step father's name). The boys attended school and grew up with different surnames. In 1914 they enlisted both using their "acquired" names. Later the older one was told he could "claim" his younger brother so they might serve together. Of course that was when the name difference came to light. It was decided they could only serve together if they used their correct surname so they both reverted to that name from that point onwards. I was told that it was only on their wedding day that my grandmother was informed that she would be Mrs M and not Mrs E. I am not sure that part could be true - what about the banns? Certainly though throughout their courtship my grandfather was E and not M. This does not answer the original question and I too would be interested to know if there was a requirement to produce official documentation. I guess there would be a great many who did not have such a thing. So far I too have not been able to find my grandfather's records under either of his names.