I wonder why?

[joette]

I truly believe that some ancestors do not want to be found or they want to make it as difficult as possible for you.

1855-Stat.Reg in Scotland began with a slew of information on BMD which did not continue.Number of children on Births eg,number of years resident in place of death.

On my Dad's side we have lots of papers,certificates & verbal histories to learn from.My Granny was long lived from a line of long lived folks who had the sense to be born inParishes who maintained good records & in the Established Church too.

My Mothers side on the other hand has been a nightmare of misinformation & wee nuggets of pure gold.
Despite the fact that Mum,myself & my Aunt have been up & down that tree for over forty years there are so many things that we just can't find.

Take my Great-Grandfather John Waddell &his parents.I have first sighting of Ann Graham in the 1841 Census.She is living with her Mother Isabella Black(Graham) who is living on Independent means-now how does the relict of a Shepherd achieve that? Then we have sister Jane/Jean with two girls in same household-Christine Campbell(she marries in 1856? & gives Jane as her Mother) she is very young around 18 & already a Lodging House Keeper.& Jane/Jean aged 2.
In 1851 Census we have Ann Graham with daughter Jane/Jean-11,son James Cooper 6 & son Thomas Waddell 2-all born Auchterarder.
By 1861 James is Waddell living in Dollar with Father Alexander Waddell(now a widower),children Thomas -,Alexander,John & William,Ann.
I have never been able to find a marriage for Ann & Alexander-if only Great-Grandpa had been born the year before in 1855 I would have had a wealth of info.William was born 1859 & if he had been a couple of years older again I would have a place/date of marriage.

There are so many porkies told too mainly to cover up illegitamcy,Irish Catholic origins for my very staunch Free Church Great-Granny.
I will be having a frank discussion with her when we catch up!

On the other hand I have felt many of my family urging me to find them & opening up closed doors.Finding clues & hints in unexpected places.
OH & Lots of help & encouragement from all the fine friends at TalkingScot

[speleobat2]

Joette,

Your really hit the nail on the head with your comments! My father's mother was a Munro. You'd think I'd be lost in the vast hordes of Munros trying to sort them out, but ours very diligently registered their births, marriages and deaths so I have that side of the tree very nicely filled in and there are dozens of them.

On his father's side, the Clerihews remain as stuborn and elusive as when I started this search back in January of 2007! I have them back to my 2x great grandfather's marriage in 1829, but nothing but maybes before that. The OPRs didn't give a hint as to his parents and he died between 1851 and 1855. No stray elder relative show up living with the family. No records anywhere, just the hint that he was born in Oyne.

Somewhere out there in the mists of Aberdeenshire...

Carol

[joette]

Oh Carol I share your frustrations.Sometimes I want to scream
"Where the heck were you born"??
I think I have Alexander's birth( he gives Scoonie Perth as his birthplace)& his parentage -Alexander & Margaret but nothing to prove it or not.
Maybe one day the Clerihews will give up their secrets.

[jennyblain]

Some lines I've been able to get quite a way back on - and find out various bits about the places and lifestyles. But indeed some people are very resistant.

My mother's grandfather Thomas Lynch, for example - born sometime around 1832, but that's only from the later census things. Few clues and nothing concrete until 1868 when his son Thomas was born in Glasgow, only tantalising mysteries!

Jenny