Bennetts in London

[VINDALOO22]

I'm new to this family history stuff and am having trouble trying to find the right Bennetts in London. My grandfather was Thomas Bennett born in London, his father was Thomas Bennett married in London but there are sooo many entries on the 1901 census I can't narrow down my searches. Any suggestions on why there are so many, was it just a popular name or is there something more. Also any ideas to narrow them down?

[ET in the USA]

Just a few quick ones off the top of my head. I imagine others will add to it.

I'd say its just a common name, so you'll have to deal with it.

1. Any idea or guestimate how old anyone was on 31 Marah 1901 ? When they married ?

2. London is a b-i-g place. I think my mother-in-law says London to refer to anywhere east of Somerset ! Have you heard anything like Pimlico, Picadilly, etc. when referring to a residence or birthplace ? It could be Surrey, Middlesex, London the county, Greater London, City of London, and any number of others places being referred to as 'London'.

3. Any idea where Great grandfather was born ? Even a county might help.

4. Any brothers or sisters of either Thomas' have odd names, like Septimus Bennett or Hepsima Bennett ?
If you found them you might narrow down the actual birth place.


5. Have you looked at www.familysearch.org or Freebmd.rootsweb.com ?

I'll let someone else take over now.

[Pam Downes]

You have to work back in a logical sequence. Deviate from the sequence and you will come unstuck
Do you have your father's birth certificate, because this will confirm the first names of his parents and also his mother's maiden name.
Hopefully, as well as having that certificate, you also know the names and birthdates of your father's brothers and sisters.
Starting with the quarter in which the eldest child was born, search backwards in the GRO Index for a marriage where the bride and groom whose names match those on your father's birth certificate have identical references. If the marriage took place in/after 1912 then the spouse's surname will also be shown. If the bride's name is fairly common, then I would search back a further couple of years after you've found one 'match' to eliminate the possibility of two Thomas B's marrying, say, two Mary Browns. (Other correspondents please note, this is a fictitious bride, quoted as a 'for example' )
You then obtain the marriage certificate which will hopefully give the ages of the bride and groom. If the ages mean that they would have been alive in 1901, you can start searching the 1901 census, and/or search the GRO Index for their birth registrations.
You might find the following sites useful.
http://www.dixons.clara.co.uk/Certificates/indexbd.htm
http://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/rec...id=0%3a723%3a0
(make sure that you select the 'search the complete images' box.)
http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/
http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/
Pam

[Peter Goodey]

1. Start reading here:
http://www.genuki.org.uk/gs/

2. Note the reading list, go to your library and read a good book on how to do it eg "Ancestral Trails"

I don't know how old you are but there must be two or three generations between you and ancestors who were alive in 1901. Without filling in this gap, it's pointless even looking at the 1901 census.

It is quite possible to work your ancestry back to early Victorian times without looking at censuses at all. Censuses should be looked on as subsidiary information. The backbone of your research at this stage must be birth, marriage and death certificates as Pam has pointed out.