Roberts Roots & Branches

I have signed up for the International Society for British Genealogy and Family History, ISBGFH, 2014 British Institute in Salt Lake October 20-24.     The ISBGFH website explains:     “Our popular British Institute offers a week of total immersion into British research topics. Held annually in October at Salt Lake City, British Institute courses are especially designed to help you develop your research skills in British and Irish records. With instructors there to guide you throughout the day, classes are held each morning followed by a full afternoon at the Family History Library, utilizing their outstanding British collections and applying the research techniques and analytical skills learned in your Institute class.” I am so excited not only to attend the classes, but also the format in which the classes are taught:   class time in the morning and afternoon researching using what you learned from the morning!   The followin...

Oh Hugh, O Hugh, I've spent years searching for you! What will I do, When I find your parents and your grandparents, too? When I find all your siblings & their families too? Oh Hugh, O Hugh, Where are you hiding: Give me a hint, a help or two, all I want is to really find you!

Yesterday I spent 3 hours at the Family History Library. Today I just spent 6 hours today adding over 48 documents to my Roots Magic program, source index, and digital document file. I am finally caught up! However, I now have 3 pages of research questions of things I  need to look up!  The search continues.  .  .that's the fun and addiction of it all! As I prepare for my family history trip, I am getting very nervous! Why? I wanted to collect and find all the documents I could possibly find before I leave for Iowa.  There is no sense in traveling across the country when I could have searched the internet or looked at some films or books at the Family History Library. I did an extensive search last fall and winter finding only a few things until I ended at the intersection of nothing and nowhere !  Suddenly, I search as I prepare for this trip, the heavens are opened and it's raining documents and sources! Yesterday alone I located 3 US...

picture from here Here are my research questions: 1. Who was Maggie on the immigration record of Hugh (1) & Margaret (2)? 2. Who was Hugh’s mother? 3. Who was Hugh’s father? 4. Where is Samuel Caulton’s (5) family in Derbyshire? 5. What is Hannah P. (357) Samuel’s first wife’s maiden name? 6. Which Welsh parish was Margaret’s family in? 7. Which Welsh parish was Hugh’s family in? 8. Why did Isaac (10) Roberts return to County Durham? 9. Where is the emigration record of Isaac’s (10) return to England? 10. Where is Hugh (1) buried in Pennsylvania? 11. What is Hugh’s (1) correct death date? 12. Where are the missing descendants of Joseph Jones (19) & Sarah Roberts (11)? 13. Who did Magie E. Jones(240), daughter of Joseph Jones & Sarah Roberts marry? 14. What happened to the children of Robert Roberts:  Margaret Roberts (460), daughter  and son Hugh (463)? 15. What happened to LD. Smith (37), first husband of Letitia Roberts (35)? 16. Where exactl...

Searching the census records for the Isaac Roberts(10) and Janet Howie(16) family can be difficult on Ancestry.com because of transcription errors.  After much searching, here is how to find the family: Enter the following information, and when entering the name, type it EXACTLY as it appears below. Census year: 1901      Isaac Roberts , born 1864, Hanley, Staffordshire, England, and  living in Trimdon Grange, Durham, England. 1910      Roberts Issack , born 1863, England, and living in Rock Springs, Sweetwater, Wyoming. 1920      Isaac Roberts , born 1864, England, and living in Rock Springs, Sweetwater, Wyoming.  1930     Isaac Roberta , born 1864, England, and living in Springs, Sweetwater, Wyoming.  Yes, the 1910 census has Isaac's surname listed as his given name and his mis-spelled given name-as his surname.  Good luck and happy hunting.

About a month ago I was really tired of hitting the BRICK WALL.  So, I traveled down to the B2 floor at the Family History Library.  B2 is the British Isle floor.  Now FYI, there are two types of help at the Family History Library; professionals and missionaries.  I am a missionary, and although we are trained rather well, sometimes you just need a professional.  So, I found a professional.  Here is what craziness I learned from the professional: 1.  No those aren't triplets on that census record or twins on that record.  In the 1841 census record the age of the children were rounded up or rounded down depending on the child's current age.  Either 5 or 15 years old was the age used.  (Which is why no descendants have had any multiple births since that census record!) 2.  Towns, parishes, and counties changed regularly even if the family didn't move.  For example a family may have lived in a single particular home in 1841 a...

Finally received the certificates from the GRO.  See previous posts. Death certificate for Margaret Roberts(13)--daughter of Hugh(1) and Margaret(2) Roberts died 23rd September 1877 North Hanley, 7 years old cause of death:  "Run over by a cart  Accidental Death" certificate received from "John Booth, coroner for Staffordshire" "Inquest Rec'd 25 September 1877" signed "Henry Palmer, Registrar" Also received the marriage record of Hugh Roberts & Margaret Roberts.  I am still analyzing the information contained on this certificate to make sure it is the correct Hugh & Margaret.  This could break through some very big   BRICK WALLS!!!