Using likelihood as a tool :S

[Asa]

I've been looking at my ancestors from Branscombe in Devon and was delighted to discover that not only have the parish registers been transcribed but also the notes about the baptism and burial registers made by the Rev Thomas Puddicombe between 1786 and 1812.

These notes fill in some gaps but also have a wealth of additional information - eg 1788 "Abbot, Richard, fourth s. of William Abbot (only s. of William & Ann Abbot) & Charity his wife (second d. of Richard & Charity Wench)".

The last time I seriously looked at these my Branscombe ancestors was on the IGI on fiche and some of the assumptions I made were wrong (nothing major luckily)

What's surprised me is how often the most likely candidate isn't the right one. Traditional naming patterns are seldom used and names frequently being grabbed from nowhere, or nowhere apparent so that with so many Williams and Johns in the family it's not surprising I hadn't attached all the various cousins correctly.

Also a bride of 38 marrying a groom of 26 instead of an identically named niece of a more likely age while the girl I'd discounted as being too young in 1800 at 15 was the bride - and not even pregnant. I might not look at some of my trees with this new knowledge...