Bellamy and Coles Marriage 1740s (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Tuesday, January 10, 2012, 18:10 (4704 days ago) @ Keith Thomas

Thanks Keith, sorry for perhaps teaching you to suck the proverbial eggs as clearly you're an old hand at this !. The tricky bit with the forum (like email generally) is trying to read between the lines sometimes and judge the poster's background knowledge/experience, we get all sorts. Also as you say sometimes parts of the website database can be overlooked. I've only been doing my research for the last 18months and all on line, its amazing how much is on there. We're so fortunate to have this website, one of the best nationwide I've come across and unlike some subscription sites more accurate transcriptions too !. I'm glad you mention "trawling"; when using the database I suggest you start by not trying to filter too much at all, keep an open mind as twere wrt locations particularly and also names (entering "EL" for example with give you "Eliza, elizabeth etc"). Tick the helpful (but not infallible) Soundex box and also try to think of your own possible spelling variations of a name, the transcriptions are correct from the original documents and not corrected for "modern" spelling. The "advanced search" facility is great too!, especially when searching "baptisms" for family groups.
Also please look at the rest of the website particualry the Documents, Wills & Inquests, etc. You never know what gems you may find. Finally this Forum can be searched too in case someone else has already researched your line.

Re the importance of Westbury I can understand your thinking, although I've driven thro' it thousands of times since my childhood it was just another small village to me, yet I've learnt that in the really old days it was a major Severn port and the most important Glostershire town wrt the Forest, being the official "admin centre" as it were. In more recent times wrt the Census's etc Monmouth is also important for western Dean(on my occasional forays into the free Ancestry site I still have to remind myself to look into the Wales Census' etc for my ancestors in Lydbrook & Coleford); as a lad from Cinderford who tended to travel east rather than west this is also an eyeopener. This sites is great for learning about areas and towns

http://www.ukbmd.org.uk/genuki/reg/districts/westbury%20on%20severn.html

I do envy you doing this in your retirement !. You say you have many old papers, wills etc; perhaps you would please consider donating scans to the owners of this great website so others could benefit too ?.

Anyhow good luck with your continued success, and wrt your searching for the elusive Bellamys and Coles, maybe think yourself lucky you're not in my shoes and trying to find the correct line of William JONES in the Lydbrook (aka miners from S.Wales) area !!. There's an awful lot of em !!