Re: Thomas Dew of Fairfax, VA 5 generations
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In reply to:
Re: Thomas Dew of Fairfax, VA 5 generations
7/04/00
Carol,
I had a similiar problem with a line on my mother's side, which was Irish. Her grandfather was Redmond. I was faced with the dilemma of a common Irish surname and common Irish first name. I chased after so many Redmonds that I could write a book on the Redmonds of America.
After years of dead-end searches, I learned a valuable lessen. Some documents are only as accurate as the person providing the information. Death certificate information is provided by a family member and oral history are by family members. My mother, for example, went by her middle name her entire life. If you were to go looking for her, you would not find her.
It turned out the reason everyone called my grandfather "Red" was not short for Redmond, as so many family members thought, but rather because of his flaming red hair. It turned out that his name was Thomas. I found this by going to the church in the community where his parents had lived and searched their records for a birth or baptism record. BINGO! I found both and more. The entire family was on record.
There are other valuable sources of information. Assuming Benjamin was his real name and not a middle or nickname, check with the Great Register. If he voted, he filled out the form and provided his full name, age, and address.
You are correct, there are many Dews. That is why my grandmother paid a private investigator to research the lines. It took him five years and he charged a hefty amount for his services.
Amanda