Found the Devil

Like others before me, I have found the Devil, and he is in the details.  Little details, such as a typo, a wrong date, a word spelled wrong, whether someone was born "circa" a date or "before" a date. Just find a detail and you will find the Devil.

There are 418 Devils in place names in my FTM 2012, many of which are where I put the descriptive place, i.e. the manors owned, in the place name for birth. Since the majority of the records are of nobles holding many manors, the descriptive line makes the place name field go crazy. Other place name "errors" are where towns have changed their names; where the first name in the place field is not a town but a manor or a castle; when there is a slight change of spelling over the centuries that the place name authority doesn't recognize or when the data is simply wrong, as in where there is one city in two counties for a birth record.

I am fixing the place name errors a few dozen at a time, and putting the new records in the correct fields. It is just one part of the learning curve, about real estate in the Middle Ages, about the geography of England and France, about how Family Tree Maker works with online records, and most of all - about paying attention to the details, and keeping the little Devils out!

I have corrected most of the marriage date errors, and put contracts made for marriage while the subjects were still children in a different kind of record. That still leaves actual marriages made between people under sixteen, or in one case I found, under five years old. My program thinks it is a mistake, (I'm inclined to agree with it) but that doesn't change the fact. So I have resorted to adding wording indicating that it is a valid child marriage which was not repudiated (as was allowed by Church law) when the parties were of the age of consent.

Another kind of detail I have found is where the date for the birth is actually the date for the Christening, (which may or may not be the actual birth date), which is normally so noted, but which I have to remember to enter into the descriptive field.

I could list other little 'detail Devils' but you get the picture.

Then there is the detail of Copyright license and citing the author/publisher of a text or picture properly. I have almost totally given up using the convenient "add this to my tree" button in Ancestry - unless the article in question clearly cites the source and license (which I have usually found to be not the case). Sometimes I can find the original of the (unsourced) item on Wikipedia or elsewhere, and I can use excerpts giving credit where it is due. More details, more Devils.

Excuse me, it is time for me to go kick another dozen little Devils out of my work.

Family Tree Maker 2012

In my experience, before running 'SYNC' the help desk advises running the "compact file" command off the drop-down menu "TOOLS". This may be essential to keep SYNC from crashing in mid-process.

Instructions below per the FTM Companion Guide, page 226:

"As you work in your trees you will add and delete quite a bit of data. However, even when data has been removed from a tree, the file may still be large. You should compress your tree files periodically to optimize performance, remove unnecessary items, and reindex the file.

1. Click Tools>Compact File. The Compact File window opens.
2. If you want to back up your file before you compress it, click the Back Up File Before Compacting checkbox (recommended).
3. Click Compact. If you have chosen to back up your file, the Backup window opens. Change any options as necessary and click OK.
4. When Family Tree Maker is finished, a message shows how much the file size was reduced. Click OK.

Because file compression happens behind the scenes, you won't see any changes to your tree, but you should notice better performance and a smaller overall file size."

Location, Location, Location; with LINKS

This week I've been working "Locations" - a feature of my genealogy software.  It is a list of all the place names in my data base. High-lighting a name in the left column will pinpoint it on a map in the center. Corrections and changes can be made to the edit window in the right column.  It will tag any place not found in its extensive memory and so it works as an error report for place names.  Tags will be caused by anything from a misplaced comma to spelling errors to place names not found in any atlas, map or gazetteer.


When the place name is from the Early Middle Ages, it may take some determined hunting to find it, changed spelling being only one challenge to a successful hunt. Here is a list of my most frequently used aids to locating a small, obscure or no longer extant place, including private manors and towns that have renamed themselves. 


A Vision of Britain through Time - "A vision of Britain between 1801 and 2001.  Including maps, statistical trends and historical descriptions."  Many of the descriptions include the surnames of families who historically were holders of the local manor, demesne, or castle, and more recent changes in ownership.  When unsure of which county is meant when the town of record has a common name, such details are vital clues.


Wikipedia - Often includes the surnames of nobility associated with a particular town, may add details about the ancestors buried in the local historical church, and details the lives of the more prominent individuals, including where they held property.  Most of these articles are well documented with scholarly foot notes, and often include pictures that may be reproduced.  So many links, so little time.


British History Online - "British History Online is the digital library containing some of the core printed primary and secondary sources for the medieval and modern history of the British Isles. Created by the Institute of Historical Research and the History of Parliament Trust, we aim to support academic and personal users around the world in their learning, teaching and research."  Offers Full Text Search.

GENUKI -  United Kingdom and Ireland Genealogy. "GENUKI provides a virtual reference library of genealogical information of particular relevance to the UK and Ireland. It is a non-commercial service, maintained by a charitable trust and a group of volunteers."   Offers Site Search and Gazetteer.

Parishmouse -  Offers a separate data bases for Wales and England by county: "Parishmouse contains free transcriptions of historical books and parish registers for England and Wales and a large collection of photos of churches and graves and illustrations from the old books." While I less frequently find what I seek here, the occasional hit is often a virtual goldmine.


Google - When I have searched all the above and still not found any proof that a place in my family tree ever existed, I will turn to Google.  I do not consider finding the place name in other online genealogies proof, however Google sometimes will come up with a travel description of an obscure village in Cornwall or Wales, etc. which will provide a wonderful "Aha!" moment.


Once I have found a description and location of my long-ago family's residences, I like to include in my records a note on how the spelling has changed, whether it is a Manor and not a town, and other quirks. This way I can find it again later, and so can others who may look at my research.  Being able to resolve the tags on my questionable place names is a bonus.

A Merciful Man

John Bissell 1591-1677  [Leo's 10th great-grandfather]

1656.   This interesting Indian episode is told:

 “As Bissell was at work at hay one day in the meadow, a Scantic Indian came running toward him and implored his protection.  Directing him to lie down, Mr. Bissell rolled a cock of hay upon him, thus effectively concealing him.  He had hardly done this when the Mohawks came running furiously in pursuit, who wished to know of Mr. Bissell if he had seen the fugitive.  He pointed to a particular direction which the Indians eagerly followed and thus the poor Scantic Indian was saved.”

Directly following the above entry is this:

1656, June 5.

“Goodman Bissell is fyned five shillings for Indians being drunke with syder which they had att his house.”

I see an interesting story, and wish I could know the rest of it!

Ref: One Bassett family in America; (etc) published 1926 New Britain, Connecticut. 
 Vol. I, p 117 Stiles:
 Vol. II, p 89 CC:

A Dreadful Fate

Sir Richard Venables, Knight and heir to Kinderton, was Sheriff in 1386, when Richard II was King of England. But Kinderton was in Cheshire, and Cheshire was hostile to Richard's successor, King Henry IV.

Sir Richard, my 17th great-grandfather, joined Thomas Percy and his nephew Henry Percy in their rebellion against the King. The resulting battle of Shrewsbury, fought July 21, 1403, was so hotly contested that for a time afterwards, no one knew who won. Both the king's side and Percy's side suffered grievous losses. But Henry Percy died in the battle and King Henry the IV lived.

His retribution was swift and terrible. Two days later, Sir Thomas Percy, Sir Richard Vernon, and my greatx17 grandfather Sir Richard Venables, were publicly executed. They were hanged, taken down while still living, drawn and quartered (and if you don't know what that is, I'm not going to describe it here, just too horrible to contemplate), and finally, beheaded and their heads displayed for all to see.

King Henry nearly lost his kingdom and his life. His son and heir, Prince Hal, (later to be King Henry V) commanding over two thousand archers, was permanently disfigured by an arrow in his face. Thousands of his faithful men at arms were killed, and more wounded. He needed to make a lasting example of the leaders who fought to overthrow him, (however justified they may have been in their complaints).

Sir Richard died age 38, leaving two sons and a daughter Joan, who is my 16th great-grandmother.

Ref: The History of the county Palatine and city of Chester,
by George Ormerod L.L.D., F.R.S. & S.S.A.
Vol III, page 104. Published 1819, London, England

Ref: Wikipedia: Battle of Shrewsbury,
Creative Commons share and share license

Ref: A Kingdom in Crisis: Henry IV and the Battle of Shrewsbury,
by Alastair Dunn, published in History Today Vol 53, Issue 8: 2003

A Profusion of Confusion

Dating the birth, marriage and death of ancestors is difficult. Just finding any evidence for their important dates is a challenge. Politics, religion and science have contributed adjustments to our calendar which make dating past events ambiguous, or at least complex.

Social styles contributed more confusion when dates in the Middle Ages in England were written according to the year of the reign of the current monarch. For example, My 19th great-grandfather, Sir Hugh Venables, Knight and Baron of Kinderton, died "4 Edw. II", meaning that he died in the fourth year of the reign of King Edward the Second.

Medieval English Genealogy has kindly published a guide which translates the Regnal Calendar into our Gregorian Calendar system, (which was adopted in the USA in 1752). Using their chart, I discovered that Sir Hugh died between 8 July 1310 - 7 July 1311 .  My genealogy program utterly rejects such a date, but I work those details into the notes, and compromise with 'he died before 8 Jul 1311' for the main entry.

If those were the only challenges in dating ancestral lives, I could cope. There is one more issue, which is random and frequent: the typeset error, or, in modern lingo, the typo. In a book published in 1819, the pedigree chart on page 106 shows my Sir Hugh died "4 Edw. I", meaning 20 Nov 1275 to 19 Nov 1276. Fortunately Sir Hugh signed land deeds after 1276, so I knew to go looking for the correct date of his death, which turned out to be 4 Edw II. The printer had dropped an "I", or maybe the manuscript was sent him that way. Either way, it makes doing the Family Tree a  perpetual challenge.

Which leaves me wondering how many dates in my family tree are in error from typos - my own or others, and that I haven't yet noticed. If a family tree researcher isn't born humble, they soon learn to be.