Genealogy Forum UK

A simple question, even though the answer may not be. So, opinions please.

A bible in your possession is known to have been owned by your Great Grandfather. In that bible is a family tree. Would you take the tree as being true or not? Or would you want the entries confirming with birth/marriage/death certificates?

I think I would certainly take it as being true - and then follow up the entries if I could with further proof. And how lucky are you !!!

To be truthful, I'm over the moon with this find, but at the same time, (and yes, I know this doesn't sound right) a little frustrated, because I suspect it is incomplete.

There's one in my family, but I think some of the names were added at a later date and not as the children were born and family members died, as the dates (just years) don't match up with the birth and death certificates. So I've used the info as a starting point, but verified elsewhere.

I didn't need to check one (my mothers). That is complete even down to the time of birth. Of the others that have been checked up to date, just one seems questionable. Which was the reason I posted this question in the first place.

The frustration, incidentally, comes from this, and the fact that no siblings are shown for the 5th and 6th generations back...the ones I am trying my best to find! Thats life, I suppose!

moving this to miscellaneous

My family bible was written by my great-grandmother and only included the members of the family she knew about or approved of, even her eldest son wasn't mentioned. She also got her own birth year wrong, whether out of vanity or simply because she relied on hearsay I know not.

From the writing it seems that it was written all on the same day until my grandfather continued it after her death.