Anyone know how?

Okay--

So, anyone know how to get real information from like 200 years ago? Sigh!

So--I'm trying to search Thomas Holdsworth's (the one who married Nancy Bibby) father.

Many records have him listed as "Jonas Holdsworth"---others have him listed as "Thomas Holdsworth"

But--if you go back to HIS parents--they had a Thomas--

They had NO Jonas  (plus--the years are all off).

I searched Jonas Holdsworth's in the area they're from (West Yorkshire, I believe)--in the time periods involved--

The only Jonas Holdsworth anything showed was a Jonas Holdsworth living in the local workhouse (and he was recorded as having intellectual disabilities).

Typically in that day and age, families who had a child with such disabilities would put them in the workhouse (which acted like an "institution")--and would not even claim that child.

So--this could be their child--BUT if he had intellectual disabilities he likely would not have reproduced.

So--go back to Thomas Holdsworth.

Well--in the records--their son Thomas became a Reverand--and never married.

So--go back to their children--they did have a son named William--who had a son named Thomas.

He typically is listed with a wife, and 1 child (a daughter).

But--could this actually be Jonas's father--or maybe his name really was Thomas (notice we're adding another generation here--but the years are off as well--sigh!)

So--I searched Jonas's anywhere nearby--thinking "well--maybe Rev. Thomas had an illegitimate child and the mother still gave him the Holdsworth surname.

Found one--but years are off.

HELP!!!  The Thomas Holdsworth of Thomas and Nancy (Bibby) did not just miraculously appear.

Here's the other place I need help:  at some point WAY back there--at least some of the Holdsworth's left West Yorkshire, and went to Ireland.  It could be likely that someone went there as an endentured servant or something like that.

But--I can't find records of when the Holdsworth surname moved from West Yorkshire to Ireland either.

Sigh!  So--again--how do we find out this info. when the records stop and have a break like this?  Help!