52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Changed My Thinking: The Two Hannahs of Brighton Like most amateur genealogists — and I suspect more than a few professionals — I’ve wandered down the wrong branch of the family tree. Early enthusiasm, a familiar surname, and a record that seems to fit can be a dangerous combination. It certainly was for me. When I first began tracing my Wadey line, I found my GGG‑grandfather, William Wadey , married to a woman named Hannah . As a new researcher, I did what many beginners do: I grabbed the first likely marriage I found. Right area, roughly the right time, and a name that appeared again later in the family. So into my tree went Hannah Twaites as William’s wife. For a while, everything looked tidy enough. Until the 1841 census changed my thinking. While reviewing the census, I noticed something odd: two women named Hannah Wadey living in Brighton that year — one in Circus Street , the other in Spring Street . At first, I ignored the Spring Street entry. All the Wadeys I knew of lived...