I started this thread about writing family history down and I have always done this and use records and census entries from Ancestry and family search to help me, also collecting a lot of certificates
I have looked at Ancestry trees related to mine and my husbands family and some of them are like fairy tales the info. is so incorrect.
BUT, often it is what happens between census and other family members do not know or ever talk about that is more interesting.
My husbands grandfather Joseph was born in 1879 in New canal street.
His parents married in 1860 in Birmingham, in 1871 there are living in Plumstead in Kent, Frank b 1839 is a Wiredrawer.
.in 1881 all missing , then I found Frank in Pennsylvania 1880 census he sailed in 1879...We believe that his wife and baby followed later (after giving birth in birmingham.)between 1880 USA census and our 1881.
We have some info that Frank died when a dam in Johnstown Pennsylvania broke and hundreds were killed.
In 1911 Joe says he was born in New York, they may have landed there,.
When looking at their surname I found a Frank living in Birmingham born Johnstown 1876 and thought it was too much of a coincidence, the birthplace was found eventually to be incorrect, he too must have thought he was born in USA.
Then looking back through earlier census entries for a Joseph 1879 Birmingham , I found him in 1891, with a Frank b 1876 Kent with their mother who was living with someone as 'wife in Birmingham, having returned after her husbands death.
With the help of other members I pinpointed Frank birth and had his certificate last week.
No member of my husbands family ever mentioned Frank he lived in Birmingham with a wife and 4 sons until his death in 1960. age 84.
Now you can all see that I have developed from writing it down to it becoming an obsession