A Cautionary Tale

We all know the difficulty in researching the names of SMITH, JONES, WILLIAMS, JAMES, ROWE, COOK, BLACK and WHITE etc, and the additional problems of so many Marys, Anns, Elizabeths, Johns, Williams and James, but even less common names like GROSE can trip up the most careful family historian.

We also know that there is some very dodgy research published on the web, and the unwary family historian, who is keen to progress back on his or her family tree, is willing to accept what is presented for free or very cheaply, and get a “positive” result. We, as volunteers assisting the general public, are also keen to give the customer a positive result. But there are pitfalls and traps, if we accept information on face value.

The following case illustrates this conundrum