Leaping Through Trees

The climb up my family tree today was manic.  I clicked on family trees one after the other on the Ancestry site;  following the Carlton side of my family as far back as I could take it.  Along the way, the Carlton name changed to Carleton and even de Carleton finally stopping with Sir Thomas of Carleton of Yorkshire Carleton born 1269.  I was addicted to  point and click,  tracing alternating Thomas and John Carletons from 1775 to the 1269 Thomas (guess they couldn't think of another name).

Along the way, I read that one of the Johns step-son was Sir Richard High Sheriff of London. (What fun, thinking Robin Hood.)  Another ancestor,  Edward Carleton married an Ellen Newton in 1636, a daughter of Launcelot  Newton -and it says a descendant of Charlemagne.  (Well, one of Charlemagne's major accomplishments was establishing schools for children of all classes. Can really connect with the love of education.) No where today did I see a connection to the milk maid or the blacksmith; not sure about these records.  Where are the  indentured servants?

If you are enjoying tracing your family tree as I am, I know you are jumping from one tree connection to another. I like thinking I have a Sir Thomas and a Lady Agnes ancestor but I am not really sure Charlemagne is my kin. Incorrect family connections aside, manically leaping through the trees today was really fun; and this project is supposed to be entertaining.  Tomorrow I will put the scientific method behind my research.

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