Myths debunked when doing family histroy.

[shellyesq]

My mother insisted that my paternal grandfather told her that he remembered seeing the Statue of Liberty when he came to the US.  He must have had very good vision, because his family sailed into Boston twice (once for the original arrival when my grandfather was a year old and once when he was 4 after a return visit to the homeland, which must have been the sailing he actually remembered.)

[sylvia (canada)]

I was told that my gt grandfather on my father's side had died after falling out of a train somewhere close to the Pennines in England. He was considered a hero because he had saved a child when the carriage door opened, but fell out himself.

Er, no

He did fall out of a train carriage, but at a station in the town where he was working when he opened the window of the door on the side away from the platform, then leant out to see where he was. The door had not been securely locked, and he fell out and hit his head on the rails. He was taken on a trolley to the station in the centre of the town, where he died. There was an inquest, and the Coroner determined that it was accidental but there could well be a case for suing the company. I've never found any record of any such case, I doubt they had any money to sue.

[Nanna52]

My mother thought both sides of her family were from Wales.  Not really.  Some that stayed in England on one side moved to Wales after my great grandparents came out to Australia. 
When you look at Ancestry’s interpretation of my DNA they include Keynsham, Somerset as part of Wales, hence I have a larger DNA sample attributed to Wales than is true. 
Her other grandparents did come from Wales

[andrewalston]

When you look at Ancestry’s interpretation of my DNA they include Keynsham, Somerset as part of Wales, hence I have a larger DNA sample attributed to Wales than is true. 
Her other grandparents did come from Wales

I have recently researched a couple of families in South Wales who actually originate in Somerset, so there might be a link. It would be enough to confuse Ancestry, who have little knowledge of UK geography, and no incentive to improve.

Those of us in the UK "of a certain age" are unable to come across the place name Keynsham without thinking of Horace Batchelor, who advertised on Radio Luxembourg.

[coombs]

Another myth debunked is "Until about 1900, 99.9% of people never travelled more than 10 miles or so from their birthplace". While many families in rural areas in the 1700s and 1800s stayed local, many of them did travel around the country for work, or move to cities, and even moved from various villages in the county to another.

I grew up in Rollesby, Norfolk, to Essex parents but both had some Norfolk blood, and one ancestor from Norwich, which, as the crow flies is only about 11 or 12 miles from Rollesby. So it may means several people whose family had mainly lived in Rollesby were likely distant relatives, as the 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881 etc Rollesby censuses lists some residents born nearer to Norwich such as Wroxham, Brundall, Blofield or Acle, living in Rollesby. And my Norwich ancestors had some ancestors from near Brundall, Wroxham, Ludham etc.

The most westerly Flegg area village is Thurne and Clippesby which, as the crow flies is just 8 miles from the Carrow Road football ground area of Norwich. So more or less the same area ATEOTD, especially when you know people travelled thousands of miles/were sent thousands of miles to live and work in Australia, US, Canada, NZ, India, South Africa, South America etc.

[KGarrad]

My Great-grandfather born Braintree, Essex in 1843, and  having lived in Essex and Suffolk until 1872 or so, upped sticks and moved to Dorset by 1876.

He worked on the Somerset & Dorset Railway!

[DianaCanada]

Looking at surnames that derived from place names, we can be fairly sure there was movement over the centuries, as some of them ended up quite a distance from the original place.  Just working on a Newington family in Seaford, Sussex - quite possibly the name originated from the place that is now part of greater London.  Not a huge distance by today's terms but it would have been quite a trip back in the day.

[Top-of-the-hill]

  There are at least 2 Newingtons in Kent, one of them near Folkestone, and probably others around the country.
  I have just done a check and it is definitely a Kent and Sussex name!

[DianaCanada]

Am not sure of my distances but quite possibly they are fairly equal in terms of travel.
Another relative married a Newington, they were in Burwash, Sussex.