"Overlooked"

What Happens when you overlook a record?   

You undoubtedly risk the need to make U-turns as the truth comes into view.

Florence Armitage Marriage License (AI generated)

         If you’ve ever spent hours squinting at old census records or deciphering chicken-scratch handwriting on a marriage license, you know genealogy can be a comedy of errors. But nothing will humble a family historian faster than realizing you misread or overlooked a record—and built a narrative on a house of cards...or on wrong records.

Take my ancestor, Florence Mae Rollins, for example. 

 She married her half-cousin (yes, really) William Milo Rollins in 1906. You can read their story here: Flew the Coop

They had three children, and everything seemed peachy until, well, it wasn’t. When their youngest daughter was just three years old, Florence packed up her life and ran off with one John “Jack” Armitage. Talk about a plot twist!

        Here’s where it gets good: Florence didn’t just leave William; she and Jack changed her  and her daughter's name from Rollins to Armitage as she fled with Helen and started fresh. Naturally, as I combed through records, I came across what appeared to be Florence and Jack’s marriage index dated 1913. I thought, “Well, that was fast!” But then I found William Milo’s divorce filing from Florence—dated 1922.

WAIT...WHAT?!!

This would turn out to be where a novice family historian really makes a tree member look well, bad.  With more experience it would be quickly dismissed that this is a different Florence M and not ours.  IF she had married John on this day she would have married him as a Rollins (which happens to be both her maiden and married name).

Florence M Rollins Ancestry fact list 2025

By simply overlooking  Florence's facts list  on Ancestry confusion ensued.   She was leading me to believe that perhaps John Armitage was Helen's father and not William Milo Rollins.   Written In plain sight was the fact that her husband states in the article dated 1922, that his wife dutifully lived with him until September 1916.  

An excerpt from the article about William Milo Rollins vs Florence M Rollins 1922

Turns out, Florence couldn’t have married Jack in 1913 because she was still legally married and living with William Milo Rollins at the time.

Whoops! 

This little genealogical plot hole could have been avoided if I had followed the golden rule: 

 

AI generated marriage certificate

Read the records word for word 

AND 

always look at context which I neglected to do.  Florence M. Armitage would not have been her name on a marriage certificate, it would have been Florence M Rollins marrying John Armitage.  

Context matters!

Who would have thought there would be more than one Florence M Armitage....not I. 

Lessons from Florence’s scandal and analyzing context

1. Verify Dates and Details.
   If it feels too tidy or doesn’t line up, dig deeper. Florence’s story reminded me that even official documents and indexes can hide messy truths.

2. Cross-Reference Everything.
   Records don’t exist in isolation. Check surrounding documents—like divorce filings, birth certificates, or even newspaper gossip columns.

3. Analyze, Don’t Assume.
   Just because something’s written in black and white doesn’t mean it’s the whole truth. Context is key, and human behavior rarely fits neatly into official forms.

Florence’s escapades taught me more than just an interesting family story. They reminded me to read carefully, document thoroughly, and approach every record with a healthy dose of skepticism—and maybe a side of popcorn for the drama.

So next time you’re squinting at a marriage record, remember Florence Mae. And for the love of genealogy, read every word and look at the context.  

Follow up research questions:

• Look for marriage license for Florence M Rollins and John "Jack" Armitage
• Research records indicating where they lived when 
• Research records for final divorce decree from William Milo Rollins
• Research records of name change for daughter Helen Rollins to Armitage
• Was she adopted? 

And that's a wrap from this family historian

Until next time...

keep our family stories alive!

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks-Week 3- 2025