« Reply #15 on: Tuesday 01 September 20 20:36 BST (UK) »
I can see how deflating it can be when you find the witnesses to your elusive ancestor's marriages were regular ones such as church workers. At first you may think that a John Hammond wedding and a Thomas Hammond wedding 5 years apart in the same parish being witnessed by the same people that there must be a connection if, say Thomas was your ancestor and you are hoping to find relatives, until further inspection finds the witnesses were regular ones. John and Thomas could have been related but you'd need to find other documents to try and find a link.
I probably did what many others did and that was to do a chart for the James Scott that witnessed many of my family weddings, then also tried to link his successor to my family aswell I would probably have got extremely creative if one of my older cousins hadn't casually mentioned it was common for a local church warden, sexton, etc. to act as a witness.
Either that or the witnesses were just mates of the bride/groom as opposed to relatives. Many times the couple eloped and married in secret so obvs the witnesses would be 2 strangers. Even people off the street may have been asked to witness a marriage.
Researching:
LONDON, Coombs, Roberts, Auber, Helsdon, Fradine, Morin, Goodacre
DORSET Coombs, Munday
NORFOLK Helsdon, Riches, Harbord, Budery
KENT Roberts, Goodacre
SUSSEX Walder, Boniface, Dinnage, Standen, Lee, Botten, Wickham, Jupp
SUFFOLK Titshall, Frost, Fairweather, Mayhew, Archer, Eade, Scarfe
DURHAM Stewart, Musgrave, Wilson, Forster
SCOTLAND Stewart in Selkirk
USA Musgrave, Saix
ESSEX Cornwell, Stock, Quilter, Lawrence, Whale, Clift
OXON Edgington, Smith, Inkpen, Snell, Batten, Brain