The theme for Week 25 is broken branch. For some this might mean a branch of the family tree that they can search no further, that they have hit a brick wall and nothing seems to help. I have a few branches in my family tree that have been much more difficult to trace than others, that I revisit time and again searching for that elusive clue that will allow me to finally make some progress in my research.
These hidden branches are a source of frequent frustration along with occasional bursts of elation as I make a new discovery. Today a broken branch, however, means something a little different for me.
Today the 'broken branch' is the discovery that somewhere, somehow I have made a research mistake, gone researching along the wrong branch only to discover my mistake and have to break off an entire branch of my tree because it is not actually directly connected to me.
It happens to us all. Mistakes happen. Everything seems to be correct but then we find out we have missed one little fact that invalidates hours (days, weeks.....) of research and entire branch of our tree breaks off. This happened to me this week.
My initial error was in some ways understandable. Two male cousins, both named Henry Pike, born within 12 months and 2 miles of each other both married women named Sarah - in the same year! One is my direct ancestor, the other is not.
Everything seemed to match. Parents names - Henry Pike and Sarah - on the birth certificate of my ancestor (James, born in 1824) match the 1821 marriage I thought was correct. I had only discovered one of the marriages initially and mistakenly assume it to be correct. No mother's maiden name on James' death certificate (nor on any of his siblings). Then this week I received a copy of Henry Pike's will - in which a brother-in-law James Hart is mentioned. A brother-in-law whose surname did not match the woman I thought was my Henry's wife.
Further investigation has revealed my error. And broken a branch off my family tree that goes back three generations who I thought were my direct ancestors but are not. I now have to remove the broken branch - and all the detail, certificates, and records attached - and start growing that branch anew. At least I have the correct marriage to the correct wife now.
And yes, I have checked. No, there is not a third Henry Pike who married a woman named Sarah - not anywhere in Suffolk within 10 years of 1821.
