How to further one's research

I've searched on here for a thread in which to put my outcomings but am quite in awe of the "Members offer their top tips" Forum.

So here we - I hope it can nevertheless be placed usefully.

I went through my tree, as I do from time to time, trying to tie up loose ends. I re-read my great aunt's probate entry and studied the names of the beneficaries. Two males, one an insurance agent and the other a fishmonger. Her husband and sons had died but there was one daughter for whom I had only the birth date.

I checked out the fishmonger and found out that he was her daughter's husband. Many parents left their money to the husband of their female offspring.

Now I have been able to add their offspring to my ancestors' list and, I have made an "awesome jump".

 

Marguerite

Are you sure that the money was left to the daughter's husband? This may have been a common practice but you would need to see the will to see the names of the beneficiaries. I assume that you have only seen the probate record. This usually gives the name(s) of the executor(s) of a will. Regardless it's great that you have been able to use information from the probate record to find more 'lost cousins'.

 

Miranda

Now you have started me thinking! The entry just says probate to so-and-so and Frederick Wilson, Fishmonger, who married my great aunt's daughter. I attached this document that I found on Ancestry, quite a while back but only lately decided to forage!

I have often found that probate has been given to the husbands of my female ancestors?

I have also, thanks to the Probate Agenda, naming a brother as executor, recently managed to connect a whole family from Germany who emigrated to Sunderland, Durham and I know someone who is researching this Family. They maybe, Generations back, related to my family but I hold no hope of finding out such,

I started a separate thread as I didn't think my "offerings" were worthy of "Tips to Success". I am not modest, just realistic!

 

I, too, have found probate is often to the daughter's husband.