SOG Historic Pedigrees
 

Historic Pedigrees

This sounds very interesting. It is only a small sample now and a trial but I lok forward to the whole being online.

Here is the website link:

SOG Family Trees

Interesting, thanks Kat.

Doesn't say how much it will cost, though, and having seen some of these self reported pedigrees it could be about as useful as some Ancestry trees!

OC

OC, I agree. Some of the pedigrees I have seen have been works of fiction!

Even if a distant tree is more wishful thinking than anything else, the contemporary aspects can shine lights in dark corners, and the Victorian genealogist had access to a lot of material we would find difficult to research.

I have found the trees really useful, while the antiquarian's knowledge of heraldry has helped with aspects I have missed.

Conversely, of course, there are now sources previously unavailable which disprove a solid looking connection, but on the whole the research is far more carefully considered than that undertaken today.

I have seen two herald's visitation pedigrees for two brothers who fell out. Each seeks to show he is the only heir. If I had only seen one, I wouldn't have known of the dispute, so I suppose that was useful but it did make me wary. (It also sent me down a research path that was miles long, very interesting but ultimately proved nothing).

OC

I could hope for some pedigrees which might help to sort out my Terrell/Tyrrell connections. Part of the family migrated to America in the 17th century and descendants there have done some documenting but some of it is very vague and wants verifying.

I have looked at over 20 Terrell family Wills and filled several spreadsheets with possibilities, but the 16th and 17th century parts of the family lack information and records, making it nothing but guesswork.

Even small pedigrees of parts of the family might help work out one branch from another.

Like everything else we have to treat things with a grain of salt.

I know there are false pedigrees for OH's surname. There are 2 distinct families with his surname and one member (S) of line one became rich and famous and was childless. The other line was old money. OH is from line 2 but without the money :rolleyes:

I have been told S claimed he was from line 2.

HH is a distant relation of line 2 but was considered a historian. He fabricated his line to be related to S so he could join the contesting of S's will many years after S had died. There is also a known herald (I forget his name) who was known to falsify pedigrees for money, so another reason to be careful.

I'm hoping it will just be included in the price of SOG membership. A one year sub should be enough time to go through them. I hope.

I made a special trip to the SOG in London quite a few years ago because they held information on my Andrew family from Cornwall.

Talk about an anti-climax! They had far less information than I already had. It was on cards in an old-fashioned filing system. I was totally underwhelmed.