New member introducing myself

Question

Hello Folks - very interested to be joining WikiTree and very much looking forward to collaborating and hoping to help and to solve some of these brickwalls (maybe you already have!). Examples from my (ahem) library of brickwalls are:

Are Henry and Daniel Spencer marrying Mary Jerman in 1848/1849 in Leicester, England one and the same man?

Was Henry Dwerryhouse's (bc 1842) father really John Dwerryhouse? Henry died in West Derby, Lancashire, England 1886.

Was Janet McLaren's father really Donald McLaren - aka Captain Donal McLaren a famous Jacobite fugitive? Janet married Robert Reid in 1784 in Berwickshire, Scotland.

Looking forward to working with you all.

Helen

Answer 1

Welcome to WikiTree!  I tried looking up some names you mentioned on WikiTree to see if I could get you some quick help.  There are several but I don't think they are the correct ones. 

Here is what you can do easily:  Google: Wikitree Daniel Spencer (or any name you want to see if they are profiled here)

That being said, WikiTree will ask that you start entering your pedigree (family line) then upgrade to a Family Member and then sign the Honor Code!  It is all Free!

Your first goal is to get your family entered in, grandparents on all sides as far back as you can!  When we see some birth and death dates associated with the names, we can start searching.  

Your second goal is to try to connect your ancestors to the big tree in the illustration. That will happen when one of your ancestors merges with a person already profiled here.  It might be a distant cousin of yours who relates to the same person so that they made a profile already.  Once you get connected, so many amazing things you will discover!  Like: Presidents, Movie Stars, Mayflower Passengers, Kings and Queens and distant cousins who you are related to.

Thank you for introducing yourself!  This is the place to come to for help!  I have only been here two years and when I started I knew nothing about genealogy or how to find sources.  The members here were very kind to help me!  Stick around because you are about to discover some amazaing stuff!

Answer 2

Welcome to the One tree!

One tree to rule them all

One tree to find them

One tree to bring them all

And in new knowledge bind them

Apologies to J R R Tolkien

Your greeters have given you some really good advice. The only thing that I will add besides urging you to get some of the basic steps done, is to follow the wisdom of two proverbs:

Festina lente - a Latin proverb loosely translated as Make haste slowly.

The hurrier I go the behinder I get - a Pennsylvania Dutch proverb on the dangers of haste.

Have fun and don't forget to document your work. The one crucial rule here is that Genealogy without documentation is mythology.

Tigger