Myths debunked when doing family histroy.

[coombs]

Another myth is that the ages on census records and birthplaces should be accurate. Not so I am afraid, as we well know, people may not have known exactly how old they were or where they were born, often giving where a younger sibling was born, or where they grew up. I found out my 2xgreat gran was born in Sussex but her parents moved to London in 1864 and she always gave that first part of London they lived in as her birthplace in 1871-1921 census. I wonder if she ever found out the truth, the way I myself, her 2xgreat grandson did in 2004. She was still a Londoner though as she lived there from early infancy to her 1943 death and lived in Stoke Newington, Bow, Lambeth, Walworth, Holborn and Islington and Camden.

[DianaCanada]

Most of the popular names of the Middle Ages show up in English surnames (patronymics), and George does, although not that common (the only one I can think of is simply as the surname George), so it really got a boost with the kings.

[ChrisAllonby]

Another myth is that the ages on census records and birthplaces should be accurate. Not so I am afraid, as we well know, people may not have known exactly how old they were or where they were born, often giving where a younger sibling was born, or where they grew up. I found out my 2xgreat gran was born in Sussex but her parents moved to London in 1864 and she always gave that first part of London they lived in as her birthplace in 1871-1921 census. I wonder if she ever found out the truth, the way I myself, her 2xgreat grandson did in 2004. She was still a Londoner though as she lived there from early infancy to her 1943 death and lived in Stoke Newington, Bow, Lambeth, Walworth, Holborn and Islington and Camden.

Precisely! However, in my current line of research it was giving the PoB of an elder sister. The sister was born in Tidenham, just 11 months before the brother was born in Chepstow. In 1921 he gave his PoB as Tidenham (Tidenham Parish and Chepstow are adjacent settlements, separated by the River Wye, which forms the Wales-England border).

[Josephine]

My maternal grandfather (born in Canada to English parents) was fond of saying, "I'm not English, I'm Irish!" As a result, my mother and her sisters grew up believing they were part Irish.

I know now (through my research) that I'm part Irish through my father's side of the family, but I've really struggled to find the Irish connection on my mother's side.

After a lot of determined digging, I discovered that one of my maternal grandfather's g-g-grandfathers was Jewish, but that can't be what he meant. Jewish/Irish... po-tay-to/po-tah-to... naaaaah.

Since then, I've found potential g-g-grandparents for him that might have an Irish connection or descent but I've been unable to prove it. The relevant church records (for England) weren't online the last time I checked, and I've purchased documentation on siblings, etc., looking for witnesses to events, all to no avail. (None of them had money or status, they moved around, they don't seem to have run afoul of the law, they died young, they left no wills.)

The potential g-g-grandfather was born in Oxfordshire but went to Dublin to enlist in 1802. Was there a familial reason why? His surname might have been Irish at some point. His wife had an Irish surname but I can't figure out where she was born (because of course I can't find them in the 1841 census and she died before the 1851 census was taken). They were married in England.

Anyway. Even if one of his g-g-grandmothers was Irish, or if both g-g-grandparents were of Irish descent, my grandfather was still mostly English, but I'll never be able to convince my aunts of that, LOL. (Not that I'd actually try, given that they are so firm in their belief.)

[shume]

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the stories on this thread, nodding and smiling in agreement!
Have been a family history buff for 40 years and my experience is similar as I help others sort out the fact from fiction.
My father had conniptions when he was sure an ancestor was illegitimate (wrong family) and my mother in law was adamant our Hume family was descended from Hamilton Hume the famous Australian explorer (same surname so why not!)
My favourites are "they must have been married" (not necessarily), they lived in a castle ??, definitely descended from convicts (very desirable) and on it goes.
Stephanie Hume  australia

[aghadowey]

My grandmother's were from the Isle of Skye so they were Scottish, right? Well, yes and no! I noticed that in census records some of the McLeods said they were Scottish and some said they were Irish which seemed strange since it was well-known they were from the Isle of Skye in Scotland. A very old family Bible finally cleared up the confusion. My branch left Scotland and lived in Ulster for several generations before coming to Nova Scotia. Not sure my grandmother ever knew that her ancestors actually lived only about twelve miles from where her husband's family lived since the 1600s!

[farmeroman]

One myth I've seen so many times is "So-and-so had a ticket to sail on the Titanic, but they didn't go because of x reason".

I've seen it so many times, it's a wonder anyone actually made it on board. 

I don't think I had many myths handed down in my own family, as there wasn't much knowledge about the family really at all. The big 'myths' have been the illegitimacies, which were usually open knowledge although hidden in at least one case. That required some debunking.

Speaking of the Titanic, my favourite family myth (or is it?) is of a small doll that my mother swore was handed to her (or her mother) by someone (or a family member of) a local girl who survived the sinking (along with the doll). I'm 99.999% sure it was nonsense, but the doll is certainly of age. I still have it, but the chances of proving it one way or the other are of course zero.

[RonaldWilliams]

Owing to an old family letter, there are members of my family convinced that we are "castle breed" and can be traced to William the Conqueror.  So far...all unproven.

[DianaCanada]

I have a tenuous connection to the Titanic event - two lots of my cousins were related to Philip Pont who married Annie Jessie Harper.  She survived the sinking as a baby, although her father died.  Philip was Sussex born and bred but ended up in Scotland as a clergyman.  His wife was Scottish.
Philip's mother was the sister of my great-great aunt's husband.  The other connection is even more removed. No blood relation to me (that I know of, but you never know with these small rural communities).
I won't tell anyone in my family or I can see four or five generations down someone claiming they are related to a Titanic survivor!