Possible Jewish connections - Solomon, Israel

[Rabito]

The family I am researching has no known Jewish connections in living memory but I am uncovering names that suggest I may need to find out how to search Jewish records and maybe immigration records from the late 1800's

On one side of the family I have a Robert Israel WALKER born about 1860. He has siblings called Mary, Rachel, Alice, David & Lawrence. His parent are William & Fanny and I have seen their grave in an Anglican churchyard.

On the other side of this family in Middlesbrough I have the DRANSFIELD family, John & Mary with children, Benjamin, Manaria(male), Albert, Aldrind (female), John, George, Bessie.

Benjamin married Mary Agnes DAVIS whose father is named as Solomon DAVIS on her marriage certificate. The marriage took place in the local register office in 1910. I have found Solomon on the 1891 & 1901 cencus and he claims to have been born in Dinsdale, Durham & Stockton (which I think are close enough to be the same)

In the 1891 census Solomon is age 20 and living in the household of a widow named Margaret DAVIS aged 48 who claims to have been born in WAES. I can't find a place with this name and am assuming she means Wales - as DAVIS is perhaps a welsh name? There is no relationship stated between them but I wondered if she was an aunt or similar, in which case there may be no jewish connection. I have read that DAVIS was a name that immigrant Jews may have taken to anglicize their name.

I have serached for Mary Agnes birth in the registers, and for Solomons birth & marriage in online indexes so far with no success. I can't say I have searched exhaustively yet but am wondering if I should be trying something else?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated

[peterd]

might be him

1881; 14 Slag Row Whitton, Durham

Adam DAVIES Head 48 Stafford, Smelter (Iron)
Ann DAVIES Wife 48 Stafford,
Samual DAVIES 17 Stafford,
Elizabeth Jane DAVIES 12 Cornforth, Lancashire, Scholar
Martha DAVIES 10 Glaisdale, York, Scholar
Solomon DAVIES 8 Fighting Cocks, Durham, Scholar



here whitton


http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?sourceid= ... a=N&tab=wl


directly below that is tesside airport about 6 miles next to the airport is 3 or places ending in dinsdale ?

might just be coincedence ?

[Rabito]

Thank you very much - that certainly looks interesting.
I'll follow that up tomorrow.
Cheers

[Rabito]

Thank you peterd that looks like him.
Its very close to all the places he's mentioned as his birth place and indeed there is a Fighting Cocks nearby.

I wonder why I never found it when I searched the census online...

Cheers

[gardener]

Hi
If you look through the census from the last century then you find that given names were often different to the ones popular today. A lot of them do look as though they might belong in a Jewish family, I agree. You have to remember though that Biblical names from the Old Testament were pretty much all Jewish names So Israel is a name from Genesis. Old Testament names seem to have been particularly popular with chapel goers in the 19th century.
Which isn't to say that none of your family were Jewish but Solomon and Israel are just a slikely to have been C of E or Methodist.

[gardener]

Thank you peterd that looks like him.

I wonder why I never found it when I searched the census online...

Cheers

If you are searching on Ancestry then searching for "Davis" will not find the name "Davies". Perhaps that was the proble? You can use Dav* to get the spelling variations.

This might be Solomon's birth

Solomon Davis sept qtr 1872 Darlington 10a 4

Darlington included Over Dinsdale at least.


Do you have Mary Agnes in the census? When and where was she born?

[gardener]

Is Middlesborough too far away?

Marriage
Dec qtr 1893 Middlesborough 9d 971
Solomon Davis
Mary Elizabeth Hine

(edited after looking at grangers link - good one that)

[grangers14]

It may help you looking at the local BMD
http://www.middlesbrough-indexes.co.uk/search.php

If you find an entry you can ask a question to verify if its the right person or not.
Jo