Problem: My ancestor Benjamin Henman, born around 1818 in London, had a near "double" -- a person of the same name, same age, also born in London, even married in the same quarter of 1841. My Benjamin's father was a carpenter, whereas the "other" Benjamin was an apprentice cabinetmaker. My Benjamin moved to Reading, Berkshire, where he lived on a canal wharf and had a son Frederick who built barges; the "other" Benjamin had a nephew Frederick who moved to Berkshire where his wife had bargemen relatives, and died in Reading. Was this all just a coincidence?
Project and Findings: It was necessary to investigate the "parallel" family in greater depth. I have determined that, at least from the mid-18th century onward, they are not related; but it took a considerable amount of work and time to prove it. This database presents my findings (note: for reasons of time and relevance, some collateral family members have been omitted).
Methodology: Building this tree has been an exercise in internet-based genealogy research. Resources used (some for a fee) include:
Technology: This is my first project using TNG (The Next Generation) software. I am pleased with its use of a SQL database, which simplifies the work of web publishing; in particular, it has been easy to provide a full set of source citations for the use of other researchers.
Conclusion: It is possible to construct a reasonably credible 19th-century English family tree in a short space of time, and from the comfort of one's home. Of course, there are bound to be errors and omissions in such a rapid piece of work: I would be most grateful if visitors would help improve this database by pointing them out.
Acknowledgments: I am extremely grateful to Cathy Knight for her assistance in locating the burial and census records.
Duncan S. Campbell
October 2009