How do I find out the real forefathers of Robert Atte-Mede, born about 1150 in Bristol, I know it's long ago?!

Question

i know that's along time ago, and many sources go as far as 1900 or 1800 or 1700 or even 1500 or 1400, but I go back thirty generations, from MICHAEL MEADS BORN 1970 TO ROBERT ATTE-MEDE (SAME NAME, SPELLED THE OLD WAY) , born 1150 in Bristol. HOW CAN I PROVE THE REAL FATHERS' NAMES BEYOND 1290? (tentatively, we have Nicholas Atte-Mede of wraxall, born 1290, son of Thomas Atte-Mede, born 1250, Somerset, son?? of Robert Atte-Mede, born 1220, Bristol, son of Robert Atte-Mede, born 1180, Bristol, son?? of Robert Atte-Mede, born 1150, Bristol, but everyone beyond 1300 a.d. is maybe maybe maybe, how do we prove it? P.S. I'VE ALREADY TRIED FAMILYSEARCH.ORG AND ANCESTRY.CO,.UK., ALSO LOOK AT MEADS.TRIBALPAGES.COM TO SEE MY RESEARCH, AND HOW IS IT??? THANKS!!!

Answer 1

chuck.. a commentary on the info that you included here-

I would strongly suggest that you ABSOLUTELY determine WHAT documentation has been used for what you mention as tentative??  In other words.. none of it (in your own words) is proven.  I have no doubt that 'someone' will take issue with my perspective, but this is a common practice, and often will turn out to be misleading or incorrect.  

Let's assume for example.. that the estimate date for Nicholas is 1290, and he is thought to be a son of Thomas, born 1250. But? what if the fact is that someone locates a record of Nicholas being born in 1295.. and Thomas is shown to be dead by 1285?  Estimates can be used for working purposes, but using them to be a fact, can destroy your entire research.. should any one of these turn out to be inaccurate.

Looking at any of the online sources is only workable, if you fully understand that people post data without proof.  If they have not been able to prove their work.. then it is not reasonable to expect that you can prove further, built on their conclusions.  Do they HAVE documentation? Great.. that is what you must work with, to build further.

You cannot change the availability of documentation.. it is either there, or it is not.  The fact is that more records survive from the later times, than the earlier times, and that is assuming that ANY records were even created, to begin with.  I personally think that getting to the 1600s is a great achievement, and anything prior to that, is sheer luck and IN DEPTH knowledge of what records exist.  THAT KIND OF RECORD, FOR THAT TIME FRAME, is most likely to be known to experts, and not as likely to be online.

The records used to get to where you already are (as above) may exist, and may even be correct.  However, since you already acknowledge that it has not been proven, I would be extremely skeptical.  If the person who prepared all of this, without using ANY primary, original documentation.. I would be extremely upset.  You may be forced to accept that this line has gone as far as is possible.

Answer 2

Have you thought of asking the Archivists at Bristol Record Office - there may be some old records of this family stored in their keeping.