Wade, Northumberland: helpless "newbie" appeal

I've been bashing my head against the chaos of genealogy (for me,
anyway), and have to ask for help.

My family (in London) was very briefly linked to a woman named
Charlotte Wade, born 1842, from Northumberland, who was herself
connected somehow to the Ord Wade family there.

Charlotte left England as a comparatively young adult and died abroad.
I believe a Northumberland family named Chatfield may also have had
family connections with the Ord Wades.

I have struggled with family trees and the InterNet, but have to face
the fact that my brain does not work that way (it's also
math-deficient!).

Can anyone point to a simple method of finding the relevant family
tree, or do these names ring a bell for anyone?

David K.
BC, Canada

caroline.bradford...

Dear David

Genealogy is not chaotic at all - and to "do" it properly you need to take
an extremely orderly approach. Nor is it about "finding the relevant family
tree". Most people who are afflicted with the family history bug (and it
can become a very severe addiction) are interested in the pleasure the
process of research brings, not in the end result. Offer us our entire
family tree on a silver salver, tied up with pink ribbon, and most of us
would say a polite "no thank you".

If you really want to take up this hobby, be aware that it is going to be
very expensive in terms of money and time. If you decide it is for you,
then you need to proceed in a logical manner, starting at the very beginning
with your own birth, then proceeding through one or both of your parents to
earlier generations, using proper documentation (not family lore which,
however useful in providing clues, can be misleading, deliberately or
otherwise). Before you start you should read (at the very least) one good
book on the subject. We all have our favourites, but Ancestral Trails by
Mark D Herber (make sure you buy/borrow the most recent edition) is fairly
widely acknowledged to be a good primer. If the whole idea of reading a
book freaks you out (and even if it doesn't) you should take a good, long
definitive guide for newcomers.

Welcome to the wonderful world of family history!