Genealogy - Getting stuck with 'invisible' ancestors

Question

Please tell me that its not just me that has this problem. I have been doing me family tree for about 4 years now and some characters just cannot be found. I have found them in later census returns, even found marriages for some of them, but just cannot find their births, either by parish registers, registration etc and therefore, cannot go back and find their parents. Im so frustrated.

I have one woman, Anna Maria Batson from Norwich, I cannot find her birth details anywhere (just another birth with the same name, got certificate and found it wasnt her), and yet, she is on later census returns, marries my great great grandfather, dies, etc,,, why no birth registration

I have another, Annie Barnard. She records her father as Samuel Barnard (blacksmith) on her marriage cert, but I cannot find them anywhere on census returns before she married, I cannot find her birth and cannot go back. Arrrggghhhh

What do other people do,,,, should I just accept I cant go back any further with them?

Answer 1

I've found that 1870 is bad about that, especially in the south, due to reconstruction. We were just upset and didn't want stranger around:)

Then people liked to move around so they might have been inbetween moves.  Now my family in GA did live in one place but you won't find them in 1850-1870 there. It's like they lived in a black hole. They were close to two borders so each state probably thought the other would take the census there.

Just need to make sure you are searching under all spellings and abbreviations.  John William Smith could be under Jno Wm Smyth.

I like using ancestry because you can put 3 characters and an * and search for partial names.  If you have a family, look for the parents and the kids.  You might find one of the kids, with the parents and then see there was an error in spelling.

I don't stop but I'll put it aside until technology catches up to me, such as someone put more records online for me to find.  www.familysearch.org has the 1880 census and is putting the 1900 census online plus a lot more records so if you can't find someone now, give it a fresh pair of eyes later.  In addition, for my area, children were given a first middle and last name but were ususally called by their middle name or a nickname.

Birth records weren't required until a certain date for your country and mine.  Before that you might find a christening record or even a newspaper entry.  Some of my family have delayed birth certifiates because they needed it for something, so someone when to the court with them and was a witness that they were born, to whom and when.

Anna Maria Batson

Year of Registration: 1851  

Quarter of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar  

District: Norwich  

County: Norfolk  

Volume: 13  

Anna Batson

Age: 21  

Estimated Birth Year: abt 1860  

Relation: Servant  

Gender: Female

Where born: Norwich

Civil Parish: Norwich Liberty of Town Close  

County/Island: Norfolk  

Country: England  

Street address: 5 Newmarket Rd

Occupation: Housemaid

Registration district: Norwich  

Sub registration district: Mancroft  

ED, institution, or vessel: 7b  

Neighbors: View others on page  

Household Members: Name Age

Anna Batson 21  

Ann Bennett 78  

Edwd. Bennett 77  

Mary Cooper 62  



Anna Robson

[Anna Batson]  

Age: 11  

Estimated Birth Year: abt 1860  

Relation: Daughter  

Father's Name: Potter

Mother's Name: Sarah

Gender: Female

Where born: Norwich, Norfolk, England

Civil Parish: Hellesdon  

Town: Hellesdon in Norwich  

County/Island: Norfolk  

Country: England  

Registration district: Norwich

Sub registration district: Coslany

ED, institution, or vessel: 1

Household schedule number: 59

Household Members: Name Age

Anna Robson 11  

Potter Robson 46  

Richard Robson 14  

Sarah Robson 43  



Maria Batson

Age: 31  

Estimated Birth Year: abt 1860  

Relation: Servant  

Gender: Female

Where born: Norwich, Norfolk, England

  

Civil Parish: St George At Colegate  

Ecclesiastical parish: St George at Colegate  

County/Island: Norfolk  

Country: England  

Registration district: Norwich  

Sub registration district: Coslany  

ED, institution, or vessel: 8  

Neighbors: View others on page  

Household Members: Name Age

Florence H Andrews 24  

George B Andrews 61  

George P Andrews 20  

Helen Andrews 51  

Maria Batson 31  

Catherine Rendell 65  

Kate Rendell 26

If you have dates or any other information, we can help you look

Answer 2

Odd and infuriating problem. There are, by nature, plenty of missing records, and one can only hope that other records can point to the information of the missing link.

I looked for birth records for a grandmother and grandfather. I never found them, (because they didn't exist) but I did finally find court affidavits in the bottom of an old family box. One was written by a neighbor attesting to her birth, and the other was a mother attesting the the birth of her son. These were filed in the courts in so they could be eligible for Social Security when it first started.

Good luck, and happy hunting.

Answer 3

births were supposed to have been registered by law from 1837,but often were not. Don't presume that all babies were baptised in olden day's,they frequently were not.

Sometimes,they were baptised in small out of the way places that were missed from the igi.My gf was baptised in 1868 in the Free Bethel Methodist chapel which I found on the free reg site. No idea why this happened,except that it was very close to his home

Answer 4

If you would like to give the year of birth for both ladies I would be more than happy to do a search for you.

Are you the lady who wants to start up a genealogy based business, if so I would like to hear more if possible.

Edit.

Are any of these Anna.

England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index: 1837-1983

about Anna Maria Batson

Name: Anna Maria Batson

Year of Registration: 1851  

Quarter of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar  

District: Norwich  

County: Norfolk  

Volume: 13  

Page: 304

England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index: 1837-1983

about Annie Maria Batson

Name: Annie Maria Batson

Year of Registration: 1873  

Quarter of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar  

District: Amersham  

County: Buckinghamshire  

Volume: 3a  

Page: 478

England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index: 1837-1983

about Annie Maria Battson

Name: Annie Maria Battson

Year of Registration: 1867  

Quarter of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec  

District: Lambeth  

County: Greater London, London, Surrey  

Volume: 1d  

Page: 427

England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index: 1837-1983

about Annie Maria Battson

Name: Annie Maria Battson

Year of Registration: 1873  

Quarter of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep  

District: Romford  

County: Essex  

Volume: 4a  

Page: 165

Answer 5

LMAO!!!

Of course, it isn't just you who has this problem.  Genealogy is about brick walls and challenges.

I don't want to insult anyone here. People who say they used some website and found their whole family tree, make me shake my head. What fun is that?  It's like someone wrapping up a jigsaw puzzle, and handing it to you, already complete.

It's a game, ok? When you have an ancestor that everyone else says is unfindable, and you go to the courthouse, and FIND the document (that they are "sure" does not exist.. they searched all over the internet).. THAT is when you "win".  Coolest feeling in the world.

If you found all the answers in 2 weeks online.. you would have to give up, and go find another hobby.