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I always find it a privilege to be tasked with undertaking anyone’s family history research, including researching and completing their family tree. There is something very intimate about taking a deep dive into someone’s family history. Often you are discovering facts and stories about someone’s ancestors they may not have known, or had been hidden. Information can be confronting or upsetting, and whatever those circumstances may have been, it is always a good idea to cautious about delivering this information.
Before beginning any research, you need to have an understanding about what is already known. Often this can include some names and dates; sometimes it is very little, and other times there is already quite a rich knowledge about ancestors and branches. Learning from someone what they already know, stories about certain ancestors or families can be accompanied with a family rumour, or suspicion about forebears. Oftentimes these are anecdotes that have been passed down through the generations, which, although may not be completely factual or accurate, always needs to be explored. Even if it is a family rumour, there tends to be a grain of truth – sometimes miniscule – that has formed this story. Over time stories and individuals can get confused, or meld into one another, and often that’s where a genealogist can come in to comb through the records and information and bring you the facts.
That’s why, when someone comes to you and declares that they know they are descended from royalty, someone well-known, famous – or infamous – it is advisable to manage their expectations in case that family rumour has grown legs over time and is completely removed – or made up – from the facts. This was the case recently when someone approached me to undertake the research into their family tree and declared that they descended from William the Conqueror. Should this have been true, it was going to be a huge undertaking to trace back to at least 1066. However, what would we be if not dedicated to the genealogical cause and use every tool and record in our arsenal to try and trace back as far as possible and confirm, or possibly refute, this ancestral link.
Nowadays we are fortunate that we have access to such a wide-ranging number of records from all over the world. Search engines and databases allow us to identify and analyse some records that in the past would have required a request via letter, or a visit to a local parish church to search through dusty tomes or pad around the local cemetery. Therefore, when I started on this quest, I was able to access birth, baptism, death and marriage records, will and probate records, census data, and historical newspapers at the click of a button. Using these traditional forms of records allowed me to make a straight line through a direct ancestor to British heraldry up until the mid-18th century. From here it became a little trickier, however, by using records such as Burke’s Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage I was able to keep going. This was by no means a straightforward and easily traceable family tree, but what is the point of research if it does not challenge us, or allow us to broaden our scope. What transpired after many, many hours of research, cross-referencing, and confirming was indeed a connection to William the Conqueror. In fact, there was three direct lines that were connected in some way. There was one which was connected by blood, one by marriage, and a third that was a close companion who rode in with him during his conquest in 1066.
In the end, that family rumour about the family’s ties to William the Conqueror did in fact have substance. The truth prevailed with hard work and research and in the end the tree covered 34-generations for the family (and that was only one side of the tree!).
