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Question the evidence

When researching Ian Hislop’s family tree, two people called Murdo Matheson were found living at the same time, in the same place, and who joined the same regiment in the late eighteenth century. Painstaking research was required to work out which Murdo Matheson was related to Ian, only solved by comparing the clasps on a medal awarded to Ian’s relative, which had been passed down through the family, with the movements of each battalion and therefore eliminating the ‘wrong’ one.

If you have run into problems, leave that branch for the time being and keep pushing back on neighbouring branches that might give you more clues. For example, it is possible to link witnesses’ names on a marriage certificate to family members who appear on earlier census returns to strengthen the case that you have found the right person, and therefore help you to fit the jigsaw together.

Where possible try to locate more than one source to corroborate information you have already found. If you discover that there is no concrete evidence whatsoever to verify a link, make a list of all the circumstantial evidence that led you to your initial assumption, and continue forward, making a note that you have not found firm supporting documentation.

‘Try to locate more than one source to corroborate information you have already found.’