I actually managed to find some time to participate in this week’s Saturday Night Genealogy Fun, courtesy of Randy at Genea-Musings. This week’s challenge is the following:
1) Who is your MRUA – your Most Recent Unknown Ancestor? This is the person with the lowest number in your Pedigree Chart or Ahnentafel List that you have not identified a last name for, or a first name if you know a surname but not a first name.
2) Have you looked at your research files for this unknown person recently? Why don’t you scan it again just to see if there’s something you have missed?
3) What online or offline resources might you search that might help identify your MRUA?
4) Tell us about him or her, and your answers to 2) and 3) above, in a blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a comment on Facebook or Google Plus.
I took a look at my Ahnentafel chart and found number 53, Charlotte, my great-great-great grandmother. She married John Richardson sometime around 1860. They lived in Lewisham, England.
My records indicate that she was John’s second wife and she shows up on the 1861 census along with John, his daughter Ann from his previous marriage and their one-year-old son George. Their son, my great-great grandfather William John Richardson, was born in 1866 and emigrated to Canada in 1887. The 1881 census shows Charlotte had been widowed and was living with a number of her children.
For all the information I had on her, for some reason I had never tracked down her last name. Until tonight.
A quick search on Findmypast turned up a marriage index for a John Richardson marrying a Charlotte Jackman in Lewisham in 1860. My great-great-great grandmother is likely, therefore, Charlotte Jackman.
The census data had suggested that she was born around 1838 in Woking, Surrey. A quick look at Family Search turned up a baptism record for a Charlotte Jackman, born in October 16, 1837, daughter of Thomas and Susannah Jackman at Saint Peter, Woking, Surrey. As Charlotte’s eldest daughter was named Susannah and one of her sons was Thomas, it seems probable this is the correct Charlotte. Which also means I may have just found my great-great-great-great grandparents!
I did find the family in the census for 1841 and 1851. There is doubtless additional information out there that I will go looking for another day.
All in all – not bad for a couple hours work!
Happy Blogiversary. I’m close to celebrating my 1st month Blogiversary.