Indexes are not always correct:
I was looking for the marriage of Lorraine Strathman, and only found an "Elizabeth E". However, her birth entry is for "Elizabeth L" and she obviously was known by her middle name. |  |
People change their names and reinvent themselves:
Married in a London church in 1908 were Nathaniel George Cowan, son of Moss Cowan, and Jessie Elizabeth Sherry. |  |
| Lots of digging later, we find the family of Moss Cohen and young Nathan in 1891. |  |
The Colonies gave people a fresh start in life:
Lots of people in Australia have convict ancestors - imagine getting sent to the other side of the world for stealing a pair of boots. Thomas Castle was convicted in The Old Bailey in London in 1849, and was transported to Australia in 1853. In 1903 he is a respectable farmer living in Western Australia with his wife and son. |  |
Good idea to make contact with distant cousins:
I researched the ancestry of my neighbour who only had one photo of his grandparents. I made contact with his previously unknown relations and it turned out that his second cousin lives nearby. The cousin came to visit bringing with him many old papers and photos, includung the same one that my neighbour has! | |
DNA
A great tool for finding new information, breaking down brick walls, and also creating more mysteries to be solved!
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