How to further one's research

[Marguerite]

I've searched on here for a thread in which to put my outcomings but am quite in awe of the "Members offer their top tips" Forum.

So here we - I hope it can nevertheless be placed usefully.

I went through my tree, as I do from time to time, trying to tie up loose ends. I re-read my great aunt's probate entry and studied the names of the beneficaries. Two males, one an insurance agent and the other a fishmonger. Her husband and sons had died but there was one daughter for whom I had only the birth date.

I checked out the fishmonger and found out that he was her daughter's husband. Many parents left their money to the husband of their female offspring.

Now I have been able to add their offspring to my ancestors' list and, I have made an "awesome jump".

 

[Miranda]

Marguerite

Are you sure that the money was left to the daughter's husband? This may have been a common practice but you would need to see the will to see the names of the beneficiaries. I assume that you have only seen the probate record. This usually gives the name(s) of the executor(s) of a will. Regardless it's great that you have been able to use information from the probate record to find more 'lost cousins'.

 

[Marguerite]

Miranda

Now you have started me thinking! The entry just says probate to so-and-so and Frederick Wilson, Fishmonger, who married my great aunt's daughter. I attached this document that I found on Ancestry, quite a while back but only lately decided to forage!

I have often found that probate has been given to the husbands of my female ancestors?

I have also, thanks to the Probate Agenda, naming a brother as executor, recently managed to connect a whole family from Germany who emigrated to Sunderland, Durham and I know someone who is researching this Family. They maybe, Generations back, related to my family but I hold no hope of finding out such,

I started a separate thread as I didn't think my "offerings" were worthy of "Tips to Success". I am not modest, just realistic!

 

[LynneB]

I, too, have found probate is often to the daughter's husband.

 

[peter]

I, too, have found probate is often to the daughter's husband.

I suspect that a married woman wouldn't have been able to act as an executor without her husband's permission, and in this case he would have been liable for her actions.