BritInParis

It would also depend where they were born. Some records are not publicly available.

BuckinghamshireBoy

In both cases I got back several pages of scanned (appeared to be typewritten) pages, showing various names, but no relevant hits. I went forwards a few days/weeks to see if these entries were for date of registration rather than date of birth, to no avail.

I'm not that bothered tbh, I've got enough other stuff that needs doing/sorting out these days. Just wondered if anyone had had more success.

BritInParis

I’ve managed to go back about 200 years on each branch, sometimes a bit further. Put me in touch with some distant cousins, discovered some forgotten relatives who died in WWI and helped confirm my African-American ancestry so pretty successful.

lansbury

Yes she was able to trace her mothers' family back to England and her fathers' family back to Germany. Both going back to about the 1600s. She got further back than that but wasn't sure of the accuracy of the records and her understanding of them. But she has her family tree printed out back to 1200 and something.

My family on my mothers side seem to disappear in the bogs of Ireland about the middle of the 1800s. Which was why I was surprised when my DNA had so little Irish in it. Mothers verbal history had her side of the family just about all coming from County Cork around my great grandparents time. My fathers family come to London at some time via Suffolk and Buckinghamshire and that was supported by the DNA testing which shows most of my DNA associated with South and SE England. Its very interesting as the DNA results can be mapped on a regional basis and I can see which parts of England the family came from.

You can choose to make your DNA public or not. You get a list of those who have made it public whose DNA in some way matches yours. Not thinking I can be wanted for anything serious I made mine public, and got a number of matches nothing closer than 4th cousins none of whom I knew of any connection too.

scrubbedexpat097

Suffolk!!!! You're 10% Tractor Boy

BuckinghamshireBoy

Did you see the next link in the chain...

I've seen some other stuff linking Buckinghamshire and Suffolk, with suggestions that it was en route to the West country, wonder why the shift to London? Maybe the sales were on?

lansbury

Very true, from what I was told the family were farm laborers around that time. My great and great great grandfathers both named William. My grandson, who is 6 months old is named William, a pure coincidence.

Gordon Barlow

She must have been royalty of some kind to get her tree back to 1200! In England the earliest Parish Registers are from about 1500, and there are only a few of those. I doubt if Germany would have any earlier than England, unless they were big landowners. The easiest ancestors to trace are those who were either landowners or ag labs. The latter (mine were from Herefordshire) tended to marry within a fairly narrow circle of parishes. I got my lot back to 1683 - which was the earliest date from the local PR.

BEVS

There are manorial records as well. They may go back to c1250. These can list tenants.
Very tricky though to ensure you follow the exact true line the further back you go

I had one once that was convinced they were related to Cromwell via the Poley family . A handed down myth and rumour . I was happy enough to trace the tree but the thing was that someone had jumped to a conclusion. Yes she was a Poley and yes she was from the relevant small area , however she was not of the landed gentry . It was a village family no more.

I've managed some UK trees back to mid 1600's where a family has stayed virtually in situ or had an unusual name or line i.e. the Dutch in Norfolk.

I love this stuff.

Gordon Barlow

A distant cousin of mine had traced his/our ancestry back to a Pole family in Chester, descended from John of Gaunt. My training as a professional auditor led me to check the actual Parish Register, where I found the marriage-entry at the foot of the correct page, but in a different handwriting... I think my Margaret Pole/Poole was from a village family, like Bevs. The same distant cousin left a wonderfully authentic-looking parchment pedigree evidencing the link to John of Gaunt, son of one of the Plantagenet Kings of England - and, even better, to just about every earlier notable king of England, Ireland, and other places in Europe, and eventually to Adam and Eve. Beat that, you peasants! I'm rather surprised - and a wee bit disappointed - that he didn't take it one step further, to God himself. I mean, could there be any doubt?

lansbury

That's why we are dubious as to the accuracy of what she found prior to around 1600. It threw up what we think are probably some unlikely links which need more verification. Some of the German stuff is a bit tenuous too, Not sure just how authentic some of the documents are.

Lion in Winter

Pole/Powell - ancestors of the House of Tudor.

Also, we are related although my Poles/Powells are Welsh.


Actually, most people are related I think.

BuckinghamshireBoy

Just as well your Poles are from Wales and not Scotland, 'cos then they'd be North Poles, and there's only three of those, I believe.

Lion in Winter

Don't quit your day job

BEVS

Good work. Always double check and check again.


The saying is that 'everyone is related to John of Gaunt & Richard III . It is just a matter of the degree "