Wikitree

A surprise in your research

Miss W. Davey, Wikitree

My answer:

One surprise was when researching John Davey born in Devon around 1834.

I had travelled in England in 1990 and stayed in a bed and breakfast in Clyst Honiton near Exeter in Devon while doing that research. I began with over 50 John Davey born around 1834 in Devon. By the end of three days research, I had him down to one of seven possibilities by using 1851 and 1861 censuses using microfilms.

Little did I know then that 30 years later, I would make contact with a Davey relative through a DNA match. The match said John Dav(e)y and his parents and siblings lived in Clyst Honiton back in the 1830s.

Social media from the ancestors

Miss W. Wikitree , ,

My answer:

Here in Australia we are so lucky to have lots of digitized newspapers where we can actually see what our ancestors posted on their social media of the day. My parents always used to check the hatch, match and dispatch as they called the births, marriages and deaths columns of the local paper. But nowadays less and less of these records are now found in the papers.

But my ancestors also had their divorces reported in the paper. If they were caught up in a court appearance, what they said was reported word for word. If they bought or sold land, it would often appear in the papers. Of course, after an ancestor passed there could also be an obituary telling their life story, often as they had told their children so not necessarily accurate especially if they had been a convict in the early years of our country.

Readers: What exciting news might your ancestors have posted on their social media?

Time Travelling

Miss W. Bryant, Chandler, Wikitree , ,

 

My answer

I would head to Enfield in London in the early 1850’s to chat with my great great grandfather William Chandler. I would ask him about his parents and where they lived, any siblings he had and why he decided to become a gardener.

I would also ask him whether he already knew his future wife Caroline Bryant before he came to Van Diemen’s Land in 1855.

Readers: Where and when would you go?