Admitting defeat on some ancestors.

[DianaCanada]

My Great Grandfather supposedly born in Montreal 1844...He was in London1864,married in stoke on trent 1868..Then goes to Canada  1886, dies in Kamloops 1903...I can't find a birth for him or why he came to London,or Stoke on Trent for that matter.

You won’t find a birth record in Montreal in 1844, but you might find a baptism.  Have you checked the Drouin collection on Ancestry?

[g eli]

My 2ggrandfather married in 1836 and had two daughters the youngest born 1840 and was probably alive in1843 when his mother-in-law made her will making sure he could not get any of her money.
The only thing i know about him is the name he was known by and his profession. Neither of which has helpedm

[martin hooper]

Several times I have found answers to long outstanding questions when I was looking for something else. Just this morning it happened. I found a newspaper report about a man found dead in 1834, and it referred to his relationship with one of my relatives. Which meant I was able to identify the father of the illegitimate relative.

The usual advice is never to give up. I would add that you need to be familiar enough with all the gaps in your family to be able to recognise the clues when they appear unexpectedly.

Martin

[hepburn]

My Great Grandfather supposedly born in Montreal 1844...He was in London1864,married in stoke on trent 1868..Then goes to Canada  1886, dies in Kamloops 1903...I can't find a birth for him or why he came to London,or Stoke on Trent for that matter.

You won’t find a birth record in Montreal in 1844, but you might find a baptism.  Have you checked the Drouin collection on Ancestry?

Ive checked Parish records on Family Search..I don't have a sub for Ancestry

[Rena]

My Great Grandfather supposedly born in Montreal 1844...He was in London1864,married in stoke on trent 1868..Then goes to Canada  1886, dies in Kamloops 1903...I can't find a birth for him or why he came to London,or Stoke on Trent for that matter.

You won’t find a birth record in Montreal in 1844, but you might find a baptism.  Have you checked the Drouin collection on Ancestry?

Ive checked Parish records on Family Search..I don't have a sub for Ancestry

Ancestry are giving free access up to 8th May 2023.

The shrunk url link

http://www.rootschat.com/links/01s9z/

[coombs]

Several times I have found answers to long outstanding questions when I was looking for something else. Just this morning it happened. I found a newspaper report about a man found dead in 1834, and it referred to his relationship with one of my relatives. Which meant I was able to identify the father of the illegitimate relative.

The usual advice is never to give up. I would add that you need to be familiar enough with all the gaps in your family to be able to recognise the clues when they appear unexpectedly.

Martin

Newspapers are a godsend I agree. FindMyPast Fridays are good with their newspaper releases. I think they are in conjunction with the British Newspaper Archives.

[Caw1]

Interesting to hear about folk from Suffolk migrating to Essex… one of my gt grandfathers moved… I’ve had trouble trying to trace him further back though with a surname of Lloyd I’m wondering if there’s a Welsh connection but so far not found one.

My other name with London connections is Guy… I think I’ve traced it back to late 1700’s by sheer process of elimination and working through several lines but having difficulties finding any records. I have taken an Ancestry DNA test and with that there are connections to the line I thought was correct but now stuck!

I’d say never say never either as there’s often something that pops up to spur you to take another look!

Caroline

[coombs]

Interesting to hear about folk from Suffolk migrating to Essex… one of my gt grandfathers moved… I’ve had trouble trying to trace him further back though with a surname of Lloyd I’m wondering if there’s a Welsh connection but so far not found one.

My other name with London connections is Guy… I think I’ve traced it back to late 1700’s by sheer process of elimination and working through several lines but having difficulties finding any records. I have taken an Ancestry DNA test and with that there are connections to the line I thought was correct but now stuck!

I’d say never say never either as there’s often something that pops up to spur you to take another look!

Caroline

Yes, many of my Suffolk lot moved to South Essex, must have been more work nearer the Thames and closer to London. Most came from the Sudbury and Bury St Edmunds area but one did move from near Woodbridge to Rochford, Essex, in about 1905.

[Rena]

My grandfather was born in the 1880s.  His parents moved to Cambridgeshire when work dried up in their home county of Norfolk.

Similarly my grandfather and his brothers moved from Cambridgeshire looking for seasonal work in the Yorkshire Port of Kingston Upon Hull.  A couple of the brothers returned to Norfolk but my grandfather met and married a local girl.  It wasn't until I started researching my family that I realised why my grandparents always had their annual summer holiday in Gt Yarmouth, Norfolk.

The reason I have given up on this part of my history is that due to the bombing in  WWII, a local vicar thought it would be best if he buried the church's parish books.  When peace eventually arrived, the congregation tried to find their records but  when they were eventually dug up, it was discovered the  books had been destroyed by water due to being in a canvas holdall that was not waterproof .