CECIL confusion

[shawneeb502]

Family Search has my ancestor descended from one Henry Smyth 1560-1610 married to Margaret Cecil 1542-1611.  Margaret was sister of William Cecil, Lord Burleigh. 

Find My Past has my ancestor descended from Henry Smyth 1560-1610 married to Margaret de Cave 1562-?., granddaughter of William Cecil, Lord Burleigh. This Henry was beheaded at the Tower in 1610

My line goes from Brill, via Goodson to Sarah Smyth 1625-?, to Henry Smyth jnr (wife maybe Alice ? or Frances Sanford) then Henry Smyth.

Does anyone have any advice on how to find out which is the right one?

I'm not able to get to the Mainland to access any archives myself.

[rosie99]

If you are working from online trees I would proceed with caution  . We really need to start with what you know to be accurate.

My line goes from Brill, via Goodson to Sarah Smyth 1625-?, to Henry Smyth jnr (wife maybe Alice ? or Frances Sanford) then Henry Smyth.

I presume you mean Brill in Buckinghamshire  .   Could you please give a bit more information on 'Goodson to Sarah Smyth' - dates and places

[QueenoftheWest]

Hi,

I probably sound like a bit of a broken record on here right now, but I strongly, strongly recommend you do not use user-generated family trees as evidence when researching your ancestry, especially when tracing your line so far back in history.

In my opinion, best practice is to use primary sources, which - in England - include but are not limited to: birth, marriage and burial entries in parish registers (some of which begin in the 1500s), civil records (post-1837) of birth, marriage and death, wills, land records, court records and so on.

[I was just about to post this when rosie99 echoed my thoughts. Could you please provide the details of your earliest ancestor on this line whose existence you can prove with primary sources.]

Queenie 

[rosie99]

Red message but I will post this anyway  .   

Is this the marriage at Aston Clinton 14th September 1654
Sarah Smyth - abode Aston Clinton - Father Henry Smyth junr - occ Husbandsman
William Goodson - abode Weston - Father John Goodson occ Husbandsman

[rosie99]

We are not doubting your research but so many online trees go searching in the wrong direction in order to link with the nobility.  It always sends alarm bells ringing when I see them   

Are you able to tell us where this line of yours are in 1841/51 and who they are as that should help us track backwards easier.

Thanks,
Rosie 

[Vance Mead]

According to the visitation of Leicestershire, Margaret, the sister of William Cecil, Lord Burley, married Erasmus Smith. One of their children was Henry Smith, a priest, who died without heirs. There are other Henry Smiths in that chart.

https://archive.org/details/visitationcount09britgoog/page/n85/mode/2up

The Visitations are far from perfect but they are better than trees on Ancestry or Family Search or whatever.

There are lots of people named Henry Smith, Smyth, Smythe, etc.

[shawneeb502]

My father was Henry George Brill born 1915 in Lambeth, London.  His great grandfather was William Brill born 1823 in Weston Turville, Bucks.  I have William's death certificate, but not his birth certificate. 

From him from Free BMD I have his line back to George Brill in Weston Turville (1711-1800).  I don't have evidence of his marriage to Elizabeth Goodson in Weston Turville but the family appear to have been Quakers and living in the house, now called Bryalls in W Turville, used as a meeting house for local Quakers.  I did see mentions of the family in an online record of Quakers in the village.

From there, I only have family history site recommendations back from Elizabeth Goodson to William Goodson 1625-1723, married to Sarah Smythe born 1625 in Aston Clinton 1654.  Sarah appears to have been the daughter of Henry Smyth jnr from Cheddington, Bucks 1586-1647.

I have tried to get help from the Buckinghamshire FHS, but never received a reply from them.

[Vance Mead]

There is a will of George Brill of Weston Turville, yeoman, 1732

https://shop.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/s4s/WhereILive/Council?pageId=2347&pid=36803787-1a6a-4c46-bbfb-a5ad00f89b6b&supId=c988f85e-be98-4bf3-b184-a5ad00efd350&bcgId=fcea1611-2a26-4a1d-a4a6-b480f7423e14

[KGarrad]

My father was Henry George Brill born 1915 in Lambeth, London.  His great grandfather was William Brill born 1823 in Weston Turville, Bucks.  I have William's death certificate, but not his birth certificate. 

From him from Free BMD I have his line back to George Brill in Weston Turville (1711-1800).

There were no Birth, Marriage or Death Certificates before 1st July 1837