The Family Detective

John Ross (Senior) as a person has an interesting story to tell. Transported to Australia and in and out of gaol. His final sentence was 3 years in the chain gang just before his death. The above assault charge took place in September 1833. Of interest is Ralph Howe was a fellow convict about the Countess of Harcourt. Many researchers on my line have him as Ellen Ross' husband but no records are found to substantiate this except the church records for John Ross & Catherine Torney's state his mother was Ellen Ross' (maiden name) and father was John Ross (deceased). I'm not sure who first connected the records together whether it was on Ancestry.com.au or a different platform but I've come firmly to the understanding that family trees, including my own can't be firmly reliable. I think it important to review your trees especially as new records become available. I try my best to substantiate facts with at least 2 sources and those of us who...

One finds many things when searching online .. I found this family history checklist today. Very handy for anyone just starting out ... Even though it's a list for interpreting an obituary, I found much of the advice useful ... eg checking census records, checking military records ... etc 1. Look at a map to determine exactly what city, county and state the deceased lived in. 2. Check for the Surname in online databases or public records from that time period. 3. Check Census reports from around that time period, if the exact year is not available, look for census reports from before and after, you’ll surely find something in one or the other. 4. Check for his surviving family's names in the census reports. 5. Check for other local newspaper publications that may have more details in the obituary. 6. Check for newspaper articles about the deceased prior to his death. 7. Check marriage recordsfor the deceased and the deceased's spouse. They may have had previous marriages o...