A surfeit of Mary Anns'

Memory is an amazing thing it’s just a shame it escapes me so often these days. Nothing better illustrates this than to find myself caught out over a problem of researching a Mary Ann (the surname is not important at this point) and becoming suspicious of the veracity of a Family Tree entry made at least 3 years ago. Alarmingly I realised I had likely taken a wrong turning, and perhaps two!

After perhaps half an hour something kicked in and I decided to check out the page of the family member in my Tribal Pages (TP) where over the years it is my practice to make copious notes. These to serve as an aide memoire for the future (including those who come after me). After only a cursory read of the data it dawned upon me that I had unearthed the same mystery that had taxed me previously (the proverbial Brick Wall). The answer was in front of me and I was pleased to discover the facts were correct after all. To put a little meat on the bones rather than just leave it there, here briefly are the facts.

It centres on two brothers John Witts (1797) and Henry Witts (1814) the latter being my direct ancestor Great x 3 Grandfather. He married Mary Ann Witts born 1817 and they had a daughter also named Mary Ann Witts born 1842 (my Great x 2 Aunt). John (1797) married an Emma and they named one of their daughters Mary Ann Witts also born 1842 (1st cousin x 4 removed). Henry 1814 & Mary had a son John Witts 1844 (great grand x2 nephew) who married a (plain) Mary 1844 and named one of their daughters Mary Ann Witts born 1865 (1st cousin x 3 removed)

Remember all lived in Worcester and part of a large family of Master Builders and most even lived in the same yard which would you believe was known (at that time at least) as ‘Witts’ yard.

Having forgotten my previous research I met the same doubt as before: had I assigned the right Mary Ann to the right spouse? One was a Cox the other a Reeves. There were two marriages enacted in the same year, the same town and same parish and same church. I had selected Harvey Reeves all that time ago, but now I had doubts. So referring back to my notes in TP I found the very information I needed. I suddenly recalled connecting with a lady researcher named Pat who provided chapter and verse on her Reeves family. This included documentation to show that the Mary that married Harvey Reeves was indeed Henry & Mary’s daughter and she passed on to me a mine of information about the Reeves, as I was able to do for her on the Witts side of the family. So I could relax the information had been verified long ago.

Out of all this I recall the most interesting thing I learned was that in due time Harvey Reeves & Mary Ann’s son –Harvie Martyn Reeves – would end up marrying his first cousin Mary Ann Witts 1865 (John & Mary’s daughter) so making both of them my 1st cousins 3 x removed, and Pat (I forget how many times removed ) nephew & niece.

Of course I will in time forget all this and so if future research takes me back into the Witts/Reeves sides as it recently did, I shall have my Ground hog day all over again.

 

Not quite the same as Bob's conundrum, but I have something similar to research. My great grandfather, Esau GODBOLD and his twin brother Jacob (what else?) both married women named Mary CRISP! They lived in Dennington, Suffolk and I have found their marriages in the Parish Records. G.grandmother Mary was the daughter of James CRISP, g.g.aunt Mary was the daughter of Samuel CRISP. Bob, you have spurred me on to try and identify the relationship between these two gentlemen. I might add that here is a surfiet of "Samuels" in the CRISP family.

 

Yes keep at it Margery and when you hit the brick wall, as we all do, leave it and go back to it later, and sometime a different approach -and sometimes a little luck -helps . And keep copious notes as you go.

In the original event I mentioned I found the other lady researcher after asking as a member of the BMSGH (Birmingham & Midland Society for Genealogy & Heraldry) if anyone could help with knowledge of 'old' Worcester (I was trying to locate Witts Yard as per the story). I was put in touch with a Worcester local historian (who is also a Cathedral Guide in Worcester) and keen amateur genealogist. She sent me in the post scanned copies of old Worcester maps and archive pictures. She was a real treasure and I learned about Harvey Reeves her celebrated Bell ringer ancestor(subject of another story). I don't remember who first put two and two together that the 'Reeves' of my research was one and the same as her Great 'Uncle Harvey' but it was one of those epiphany moments. Even so in just a few short years I forgot this and so was grateful for the fact I had recorded the information in my Tribal Pages database. Hence the advice (which I doubt you need anyway), keep copious notes (and remember where you store the notes) Good luck

 

Bob, that is a lot of my problems. I am going back to square one with this family, I am probably a little more experienced now. Thanks for the advice.

 

Whilst 'on a search', I tend to jot things down (pencil on paper). At a later date I'll look at my scrawls on paper and am not sure whether
I've entered the details or they are just research aids...to be looked into at a later date for instance. I should put a line through the note to signify it has been dealt with.

I think Bob and others have two screens on the go which is probably a good system.

 

Yes absolutely right -and sometimes 3 but who's counting (and that is not bragging by the way, it's the way I work). But I must empathise with your 'scrawls on paper' I am notorious for keeping jotting books (I would say cheap Woolworth ones but as Woolworth no longer exists (in the UK at least) its 'pound shop' equivalent) and being unable to read what I have written, even when only a few pages further advanced and looking back. My wife writes copperplate (even her so called scrawls) and I write tin plate! I still carry on with my books and whilst the jottings are live (of the moment) its Ok, but after that it if not transferred to a data base the same day, then the information will be lost.

In my case I have Tribal Pages which permits copious notes on the ancestor(s) pages as well as photographs or ' jpg' scans of documents (found in Ancestry or FMP) and I also write 'stories' (similar to Forum postings) where I need to enlarge upon a detail. I can truthfully say that with poor memory (never brilliant but diminished over time) I could never have grown my Tree with the details I have without my data base notes and even my cheap note books.

 

Thanks Bob, not just me then. But as I look through my 'notes', I feel reluctant to shred them although I should because I will only re-research anyway.

 

Yes I know the feeling and every now and again have a 'batch' throwaway. So by now, for instance, I have stored 2013 onwards (mustn't be too hasty). Yes I know none of it will make any sense but you never know? That's my excuse anyway.

 

When I first started to research my family I used Genes Reunited as my 'base tree'. It's rather basic but useful for me to add any ideas or questions or musings I have at the time of adding a person. It's come in very useful quite a few times when I have gone back over my research. A classic example was in November when I found my Grandfather's first world war army number after years of searching. Looking at my notes it showed that I had written down something which my aunt had mentioned....namely my grandfather possibly had served in the army for some years after WW1. The notes I had written were one extra detail that helped me to clarify I had the correct army number. I use the note area like a journal of my thoughts.

 

As I work I write notes on a sheaf of loose leave paper, and then usually one of two things will happen.
Either I will find so much information that the space I've allocated on the page is not enough, so I start another page and forget to number it.
Or I get sidetracked onto another branch of the family and forget to use a different sheet for those notes.
Every now and then I go through the sheets and highlight the surnames and staple together the ones that are about the same family, and put the heap of paper on the end of my desk.
This has served me for a few years but now we have a young cat. Horrors, she likes shredding paper and I have found my notes on the floor in various states of chew.

So now I am trying to mend my ways by writing up my notes in my tree database as soon as I make them.....

 

There but for the grace of God go I or as the rather trite saying would have it -been there and bought the 'T' shirt.

 

Me too.....I have 4 cats. Enough said.