O—Obliviously

Several times while researching or watching other’s research, I see things that are soooooooooo close they must be related; or this must be what I am looking for; or this must be the family/person/son/daughter that I am looking for.
Not so fast.
Obliviously is not necessarily fact. Things might “LOOK” like they fit the puzzle, but “obliviously” doesn’t prove anything!

For example:
1881 England Census
name                         relation                          age        occupation
Hugh Roberts           head married                  49         coal miner 
Margaret Roberts     wife married                  43                              
Letitia Redfern        mother in law (widow)     78          annuitant 
(only partial census record)

Some of the Ancestry.com trees have listed Margaret’s maiden name as Redfern, OBVIOUSLY, that would be her maiden name since Letitia Redfern is listed as Hugh’s mother in law.

Wrong.

This is what I mean about obviously. Prove it. Make sure. Search. Re-search. Just because it looks like it might fit, doesn’t mean it fits.

Letitia was married twice. Redfern is the surname of her second husband, NOT Margaret’s father! Obviously you would know that, if you found the marriage certificate of Letitia Redfern. . . obviously!

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