Don't Give up With Common Names

[pennydog]

I have not been around the forum much for the past 6 weeks, due to I post I made about my gggrandfather JohnBrown b1815.

I was contacted, on BG, by a descendant of my ggrandfather Henry's brother John, both sons of aforementioned John. We both had very little to go on. Well over the past weeks we have made enormous strides, some by luck, some by bouncing ideas off of each other, and much by trawling parish and census records. We now have 4 siblings for John plus 9 for his wife, and all of their famlies. Our research has taken us from Norwich to Ipswich to London and Brighton and onto Ontario Canada. We have illegitimate children, name changes, a whole succession of William Henrys, Joseph James and Mary Anns.

So to all of you out there who think that your 'common name' is going to be a nightmare, keep at it and post as much info as you have (my 3X cousin found me because she googled Love Lane Shadwell), and hopefully someone will find you and you can enjoy the success that I have found.

[Colin Rowledge]

That's brilliant, pennydog. There's hope for me yet, with my Rees, Jones, Thomas and Evans for my wife's Welsh ancestors, eh?

[Richard1955]

And for me too with Jones, Byrne (Ireland) and Johnson.
The forum just hasn't been the same without you Pennydog.

[Nicolina]

Well done Pennydog.
Once I found my Great Grandmother's parents, tracing my Browns was so easy it got boring. OK so the start of my quest wasn't easy because Betsey Martha had died (aged 25) and Great Grandfather had re-married within 3 months, so he had been discounted because his wife's name didn't fit. It was whan I found my Grandmother living with her Aunt & Uncle, on the Census, that I did a bit of lateral thinking. No way had I come across the Douthwaite surname so assumed that the Aunt must be Betsey Martha's sister - the rest as they say is history.
I also have Jones, Green etc. but my 2 remaining brickwalls are uncommon names, so I'll just keep chipping away at them.
I think finding those common named ancestors is much more rewarding.

[jeanbean]

Hi pennydog, thanks for your encouragement, when I think of giving up (as I have before) I'll think of you and your results and keep at it.