Just as an example here is a timeline I created for my g-g-grandfather William Colville.
William Colville timeline
Parents – John Colville and Isabella or Ann Falconer
1833 – birth, Cortachy nr. Kirriemuir
1850’s
1851 – census – Culhauk Bothy, Kirriemuir, Forfar
1856 – marriage to Janet “Jessie” Anton – Lochee, Dundee,
Forfar
1857 – birth of daughter Jeannie Jack Colville
1859 – birth of daughter Jessie Ann Colville
1860’s
1861 – birth of son Thomas Wilson Colville
1861 – census – Deuchersland, Perth Road, Dundee
1862 – death of son Thomas Wilson Colville
1863 – birth of son William Falconer Colville
1865 – birth of son David Knight Colville
1866 – birth of son Robert Anton Colville
1867 – birth of son James Mealmaker Colville
1868 – death of brother-in-law William Anton
1869 – birth of son Alexander Patterson Colville
1870’s
1870 – death of son Alexander Patterson Colville
1871 – birth of daughter Elizabeth Cox Colville
1871 – census – 1 Fords Lane, Perth Road, Dundee
1871 – death of sister-in-law Margaret Jack
1872 – birth of daughter Wilhelmina Colville
1873 – birth of daughter Annabella Johnstone Colville
1874 – death of daughter Annabella Johnstone Colville
1874 – birth of daughter Marjory Myles Colville
1880’s
1881 – marriage of Jeannie Jack Colville to John Robertson
Miller
1881 – census – 1 Fords Lane, Perth Road, Liff & Benvie
1882 – birth of grandson William Colville Robertson Miller
1884 – birth of grandson George Miller
1885 – birth of granddaughter Jessie Anton Miller
1885 – marriage of son David Knight Colville and Annie
Watson Wighton
1886 – marriage of daughter Jessie Ann Colville to Alexander
McKenzie Christie
1886 – birth of granddaughter Elizabeth Cox Colville
1886 – birth of grandson David Knight Colville
1887 – birth of grandson John Robertson Miller
1887 – death of sister-in-law Isabella Johnston
1888 – birth of granddaughter Mabel Colville Christie
1889 – birth of granddaughter Jeannie Miller
1889 – birth of grandson Arthur George Christie
1890’s
1890 – birth of grandson George Bell Miller
1891 – census – 1 Fords Lane, Perth Road, Liff & Benvie
1891 – marriage of son William Falconer Colville to Julia
Ann Lyell Stewart
1892 – birth of grandson Alexander Ross Colville
1892 - death of brother-in-law Alexander Reid Wilson
1893 – death, Dundee
As you can see it gives very basic information about William and his family. For each year I have documentation that can be looked at to gain further information. In addition to the standard birth, marriage, death, and census records there are also wills, military, travel, newspapers, family stories, and social history that can give valuable information. I like to add in basic information about siblings and their families as a reminder to myself to continue researching them. Side branches in our family trees can often overcome stumbling blocks or brick walls in our research.
I have the same kind of timeline for William's wife Janet Anton. Since she died in 1916 it has a lot more basic family information in there.
Janet “Jessie” Anton timeline
Parents – Robert Anton and Janet Barrie
1837 – birth, Lochee, Dundee, Forfar
1841 – census – Back Muir, Liff & Benvie, Forfar
1841 – birth of sister Agnes Dewar Anton
1850’s
1854 – marriage of brother William Anton to Catherine
Birrell
1855 – birth of niece Katherine Birrell Anton
1856 – marriage of sister Margaret Anton to Alexander Jack
1856 – marriage to William Colville – Lochee, Dundee, Forfar
1857 – birth of niece Isabella Wilson
1857 – birth of daughter Jeannie Jack Colville
1857 – birth of niece Margaret Anton
1858 – marriage of sister Isabella Anton to George Johnston
1858 – birth of niece Jane Wilson
1859 – birth of daughter Jessie Ann Colville
1859 – birth of nephew Alexander Johnston
1860’s
1860 – birth of nephew George Johnston
1860 – birth of niece Margaret Wilson
1861– birth of nephew Robert Anton
1861 – birth of son Thomas Wilson Colville
1861 – census – Deuchersland, Perth Road, Dundee
1861 – birth of nephew William Colville Johnston
1862 – death of son Thomas Wilson Colville
1862 – birth of niece Agnes Wilson
1862– birth of nephew John Johnston
1862 – marriage of sister Agnes Dewar Anton to James Alston
1863 – birth of niece Mary Ann Anton
1863 – birth of son William Falconer Colville
1863 – birth of niece Jessie Ann Matthew Alston
1864 – birth of nephew James Johnston
1864 – death of nephew Robert Anton
1864 – birth and death of nephew baby male Wilson
1865 – birth of son David Knight Colville
1865 – birth and death of nephew baby male Wilson
1865 – birth of niece Isabella Alston
1865 – birth of niece Isabella Johnston
1866 – birth of son Robert Anton Colville
1866 – birth of
nephew William Anton and niece Janet Barry Anton (twins)
1866 – birth of nephew Alexander Reid Wilson
1867 – death of brother-in-law Alexander Jack
1867 – birth of son James Mealmaker Colville
1867 – birth of niece Ann Johnston
1868– birth of niece Jessie Whammond Colville Wilson
1868 – death of brother William Anton
(abt) 1868 – Birth of niece Agnes Alston
1869 – birth of niece Jessie Johnston
1869 – birth of son Alexander Patterson Colville
1870’s
1870 – death of son Alexander Patterson Colville
1870 – birth of nephew David Johnston
(abt) 1870 – birth of nephew James William Rogerson Alston
1871 – birth of daughter Elizabeth Cox Colville
1871– Census – 1 Fords Lane, Perth Road, Dundee
1871 – death of sister Margaret Jack
1872 – birth of nephew Charles Johnston
1872 – birth of
nephew William Fisher Wilson
1872 – birth of daughter Wilhelmina Colville
1873 – birth of nephew Joseph Johnston
1873 – birth of daughter Annabella Johnstone Colville
1874 – death of daughter Annabella Johnstone Colville
1874 – birth of
nephew James Alston Wilson
1874 – birth of niece Robina Johnston
1874 – birth of daughter Marjory Myles Colville
(abt) 1874 – death of niece Margaret Anton
1875 - Sister Agnes Alston and her family immigrated to New
Zealand
1876 – birth of nephew Robert Wilson
1876 – death of father Robert Anton
1876 – birth of nephew Thomas Johnston
(abt) 1878 - birth of niece Georgina Wilson
1878 – marriage of sister-in-law Catherine Anton nee Birrell
to Duncan McInnes
1880’s
1881 – marriage of Jeannie Jack Colville to John Robertson
Miller
1881 – census – 1 Fords Lane, Perth Road, Liff & Benvie
1882 - birth of grandson William Colville Robertson Miller
(abt) 1884 - birth of grandson George Miller
1885 – death of aunt Isabel Barrie
1885 – marriage of son David Knight Colville and Annie
Watson Wighton
1885 – birth of
granddaughter Jessie Anton Miller
1885 – birth of granddaughter Lizzie Cox Colville
1885 – death of mother Janet “Jessie” Anton nee Barrie
1886 – birth of
grandson David Knight Colville
1886 – marriage of daughter Jessie Ann Colville to Alexander
McKenzie Christie
1887 – death of sister Isabella Johnstone
1887 – birth of grandson John Robertson Miller
1888 – birth of granddaughter Mabel Colville Christie
(abt) 1889 - birth of granddaughter Jeannie Miller
1889 - birth of grandson Arthur George Christie
1890’s
1890 - birth of grandson George Bell Miller
1891 - census – 1 Fords Lane, Perth Road, Liff & Benvie
1891 – marriage of son William Falconer Colville to Julia Ann
Lyell Stewart
1892 - birth of grandson Alexander Ross Colville
1892 - death of brother-in-law Alexander Reid Wilson
1893 – death of husband William Colville
1893 – death of sister-in-law Catherine Anton McInnes
1894 – birth of granddaughter Edith Stewart Colville
1897 – marriage of daughter Marjory Myles Colville to Robert
Smith
1897 – marriage of daughter Elizabeth Cox Colville to David
Henderson Smith
1898 – birth of granddaughter Florence Maud Colville Smith
1898 – marriage of son James Mealmaker Colville to Isabella
Baxter Wyles
1899 – birth of grandson William Colville
1899 – death of son-in-law David Henderson Smith
1899 – birth of granddaughter Jessie Colville
1900’s
1900 - death of brother-in-law George Johnston
1900 – birth of grandson Colville George Watt Smith
1901 – birth of granddaughter Elizabeth Downie Colville
1901 – marriage of son David Knight Colville to Mary Adams
1902 – marriage of daughter Elizabeth Cox Colville Smith to
Alexander Reid Wilson
1905 - birth of granddaughter Mabel Eliza Colville Wilson
1905 – death of sister Susan Wilson
1906 – marriage of son Robert Anton Colville to Ann Marshall
1907 – birth of grandson Forbes Wyles Colville (twin)
1907 – birth of grandson James Mealmaker Colville (twin)
1907 – death of grandson Forbes Wyles Colville
1908 – marriage of grandson William Colville Robertson
Miller to Elizabeth Keir Miller
1910’s
1912 - marriage of grandson David Knight Colville to Bessie
Thompson
1913 - marriage of granddaughter Mabel Colville Christie to
Ian McDonald
1916 – death, Dundee, Forfar
You'll notice in her timeline that there are some (abt)'s. This is a good indication that I need to research that further e.g. (abt.) 1884 - birth of grandson George Miller. All I have in my personal notes is that he was born in Perth, Perthshire and that he died bef. 1890.
Given this basic information I would have to search www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk to find out if his birth and death were registered there. According to the index there is a George Miller born in 1883 in Errol. Is this the right person? I would have to buy credits and use them to find out.
Unfortunately he lived and died between census records in 1881 and 1891 so that avenue is not open to me.
How do I know he died before 1890? His parents had a son George Bell Miller born September 4th 1890 in Perth so he had to have died before then. Using the age range of 0 to 8 in the Scotlandspeople index a number of George Miller's pop up, but none died in Perthshire so I would be making an absolute guess as to which one it was, and where he died.
Another question to ask myself is - where did I find him in the first place, and with more recent research tools available, did he even exist? Hopefully I kept some research notes about him, but somehow I doubt it. That is one area I am working on getting better at.
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