Twiglets
Diarist Gill Shaw charts the rollercoaster ride of researching her family history
Gill Shaw
DIGGING DEEPER
I’ve hunted high, I’ve hunted low. I’ve tried Wrigley, Rigley, Wriggley and even Wigley, but my 4x great-grandmother is stubbornly refusing to put in an appearance on the 1861 Census.
Agnes must be here somewhere. I’ve already found a couple of Manchester rate book entries for 1863/64 showing an ‘Agnas Rigley’ renting a house on Clayton Lane, Droylsden – and I’m sure it’s her as she was living at 6 Clayton Lane on the previous census – but there’s no sign of her on the 1861 at either Findmypast or Ancestry.
So if I can’t find her by name, what about by address? It should be easy enough to locate Clayton Lane in the census return, then digitally turn from page to page until she shows up. Famous last words…
At Findmypast I choose ‘Search for address’, tap in street Clayton Lane, town/parish Droylsden, county Lancashire, and begin to browse, looking out for Agnes or any other familiar names. But 10 minutes on, I’m feeling a tad defiated. I’ve reached the last page of the schedule and reversed all the way back to the beginning again, but she’s not here at all.