There are many issues that face the genealogist as they climb among the various family tree branches. Over the years, one thread that seemed to affect many genealogist that I approached with the JONES SURNAME family tree was..."you've got to be kidding"..."good luck with that"! Many times folks would give the impression that the JONES SURNAME was so common [especially John Jones] that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to trace back down the family tree for more than a couple of generations. "You will not get very far barking up that tree..." one genealogist once stated.
I would bet that other "frequent" surnames have faced the same, like Smith, Johnson, Williams, Brown, and many of the other folks that share the "commonality" of surnames. Now after some 55 years of this JONES SURNAME tree climbing, I have come to realize that many brick walls will be met along the path, but there are many ways to get around [or under...or over...or through] them. Hopefully this blog will give a place to discuss these topics and issues.
So...let's begin with "commonality"...what issues have you faced climbing along your own JONES SURNAME family tree? [Please place a comment or statement in the "comment section" following each post.]
Here is the place to put your comments...
ReplyDeleteFor the past 20 plus years I have been trying to identify my fifth great-grandfather, Thomas Jones. According to Goodspeeds he was born in North Carolina, lived in Virginia and moved in and around East Tennessee. He married one Martha Stephens and had several children including my ancestor, Isaac W. Jones.
ReplyDeleteI cannot find any Thomas Jones that meets all of the criteria. This, I think, is the text book example of commonality. So many Thomas Jones's. So little source material.