How do I trace the descendants of De Courtney?

Question

Based on what my cousin just told me, I am, apparently, a descendant of this family. I don't know how or where to begin.

Answer 1

Begin with yourelf and work back in time until you find the connection. Source each generation to ensure that the links are correct.

Comments

I have traced all of my family lines to the 1600s and 1500s. I have not come across any possible connection between him and myself. It is easy to find documentation than it is to add sources to my profiles, especially when I am using my phone for everything. That is why I was asking for help with adding sources.

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If you are comfortable with your own pedigree and have not managed to make a connection then I would suggest that you ask your cousin to provide the necessary evidence to support his/her theory. No point in wasting your time on what might turn out to be a wild goose chase.

Answer 2

The only way to start with any question like this Howard is to start with yourself and then work through your ancestry one generation at a time, finding sources to confirm each relationship child to parent.

Starting with Hugh de Courtenay and trying to work down the line is usually a recipe for disaster and often why we have so many unconfirmed fraudulent lines back to the nobility or royalty.

Comments

Like I said, I have all of my family lines traced back to Colonial days and beyond, with no connection to Henry Dr Courtney.

Answer 3

If your cousin is correct, you are then a descendant of a gateway ancestor for the Magna Carta sureties. You might try the publications on Magna Carta descendants. There is also some information on WikiTree you might check out as well.

Since you have an extensive tree on WikiTree already, you could check the with the WikiTree relationship finder. However, be careful of taking these as correct, the “sources” for every generation should be verified. In my own case I have found some very dubious links.

It is easier to research from the present to the past, than from the past to the present.

Comments

All of my family lines are correct. That is why I am not sure that my cousin is correct this time.

Answer 4

Your cousin's been looking at that Innernet again, hasn't he.  He'll go blind.  It's genealogical porn, I tell you.

Answer 5

Click on this link: Relationship Finder. This only searches a few generations so it will report "No Relationship Found". Then click on the button that says "Search 30 Generations". This will Report "Hugh is the 22th great grandfather of Howard"

 

Comments

Good find Rick. Now all Howard needs to do is check that the list is adequately sourced. At a quick glance there are a couple of profiles (17 and 18) on the list that might need some more work as the sources look a bit thin.

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I have a hard time adding sources to my wikitree family profiles through this phone.

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I was only suggesting that you look to see whether the sources that are there are adequate to prove your connection Howard.