Genealogists' Forum - We have branches everywhere!



Go Back   Genealogists' Forum - We have branches everywhere! > Research > Family History General Discussion

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 20-12-20, 14:52
Phoenix's Avatar
Phoenix Phoenix is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 6,616
Default Best discoveries of 2020?

If nothing else, lockdown has given me the opportunity to revisit or study in detail various brick walls. So I have lots and lots of discoveries.

What is yours?
__________________
The chestnuts cast their flambeaux
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 20-12-20, 15:09
Merry's Avatar
Merry Merry is offline
Administrator
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Near Christchurch, Dorset
Posts: 21,264
Default

I've studied some brick walls, but they are all still there!
__________________
Merry

"Something has been filled in that I didn't know was blank" Matthew Broderick WDYTYA? March 2010
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 20-12-20, 16:05
kiterunner's Avatar
kiterunner kiterunner is offline
Administrator
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Nottingham
Posts: 25,270
Default

Thanks to the Somerset PR's on Ancestry, I managed to get my Granny's Portman line back a few more generations, to a Matthias Porteman born in 1592 at Minehead, my 9xg-grandfather. Unfortunately his baptism record doesn't give his parents' names.

On my Grandpa's side, I traced the Philpott line back as far as my 18th g-grandfather John Philipott, born in the early 14th or late 13th century, coat of arms "Sa. a bend erm impaling Arg. on a chevron between 3 eagles gu. 3 roundels arg." This thanks to my 1st cousin 12 times removed turning out to be John Philipot, 1588-1645, who was Somerset Herald 1624-1645 and responsible for many visitations and pedigrees. His family's surname was spelt Philpott or similar in the PR's but he insisted on changing it back to Philipot to match his ancestors, such as Sir John Philipot who was Mayor of London in 1378. I had to laugh when I saw the 1645 burial record said "Mr John Fillpott". Sad to say, I know this is not my biological line, though, since DNA matching showed that my 2xg-grandfather, who was descended from these people, was not my biological ancestor.
__________________
KiteRunner

Family History News updated 29th Feb
Findmypast 1871 census update
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 20-12-20, 16:39
Jill Jill is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,176
Default

For me it has to be the return of my husband's grandfather's diaries, photos and letters, and his great grandfather's letters from Broadmoor. My brother in law has lent them so I can record and catalogue everything, I'm currently working on the 1917 diary.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 20-12-20, 18:35
Phoenix's Avatar
Phoenix Phoenix is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 6,616
Default

I know my very best discovery (though I was contacted, not the other way round) was finding out exactly who the Handcuff Queen was, and finding some second cousins I'd known nothing about
__________________
The chestnuts cast their flambeaux
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 21-12-20, 01:55
KiwiChris's Avatar
KiwiChris KiwiChris is offline
Administrator
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Napier
Posts: 1,136
Default

It has to be finding my grandmothers birth parents, and sorting out all of her full and half siblings, a total of at least 16! There is still a lot for me to do sorting out all the ancestors on that new side of the family, which should keep me occupied for 2021.

And connecting with cousins of my Dad that we did not know existed, a number whom grew up in the same city and who know some of the same people!
__________________

When we have passed a certain age, the soul of the child we were
and the souls of the dead from whom we have sprung come to lavish on us their riches and their spells
(Marcel Proust)



Christine
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 21-12-20, 03:29
Pinefamily Pinefamily is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: South Australia
Posts: 101
Default

Finding a whole new line of clergymen and attornies, after breaking the brickwall of an ancestor who married as a widow.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 22-12-20, 14:41
maggie_4_7
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

I cracked a few for other people but none on my own FH. I did solve a few little niggles of where some ancestors' siblings ended up after seemingly disappearing off the face of the earth.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 22-12-20, 15:07
ElizabethHerts ElizabethHerts is online now
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 9,274
Default

I found several more Cornish ancestors from wills and parish registers.
I have slowly been chipping away at some of the ancestral lines.

My cousin e-mailed me yesterday to say that my father's paternal family bible has been given to a second cousin "to sort out". I have tentatively suggested that some digital photos of the relevant pages be taken and distributed to family members. I have researched the line myself but I'd love the extra details and to be able to verify my findings.

Last edited by ElizabethHerts; 26-12-20 at 07:51.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 25-12-20, 00:40
Jenoco Jenoco is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: BC, Canada
Posts: 394
Default

Thanks to the Wiltshire PRs on Ancestry, I managed to trace my 3x great grandmother's Smith ancestors. They lived in a hamlet in Wiltshire close to where I used to spend my summers when I was young.
__________________
Jenny
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 14:52.


Hosted by Photon IT

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7 PL3
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.