arc tbc -Stuck with Great-Great-Grandparents
Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2013 12:46 am
I'm in need of help/suggestions for tracing one set of my great-great-grandparents. The names are Thomas HUDSON and Mary Matilda LEWIS. I have found them (along with my great-grandfather William) on the 1911 census living in Ashbourne, Derbyshire and on the 1901 census living in Cheadle, Staffordshire. I also have their marriage certificate from 1897 - again in Cheadle. However, I haven't been able to trace either of them before this on either census records or birth records. This is what I have to go on:
Mary Matilda LEWIS was born around 1873 (calculated from census and marriage certificate). Both census records have her being born in Ashton-Under-Lyne, Lancashire. Her father is named as Mathew WARD (deceased) on the marriage certificate and he was a Seaman. I'm assuming her parents weren't married. I haven't been able to find a Mary Lewis born in Ashton at the right time. There's a Mary Matilda LEWIS born in the right year in Bethnal Green (although I'm fairly sure this isn't her looking at the census records for 1881 and 1891) and there are at least nine possible Mary LEWIS's born in Lancashire at the right time - but not particularly near Ashton.
For Thomas, I have him being born in 1872. His place of birth is different on both census records, Hanbury Woodend and Uttoxeter, both in Staffordshire. His father is listed on the marriage certificate as William JOHNSON, a chimney sweep. Again, I'm assuming the parents weren't married. There are around five possibles born in Staffordshire but none are registered in the two possible places (or seem to be particularly close enough to make sense).
Basically I'm stumped as to a way of narrowing things down without having to pick birth certificates at random to order. It's made harder as it's likely that the family moved around a lot (my grandmother remembers travelling all over the country and there are family stories are that there is Irish and/or Romani ancestry from that branch, however true that might be) which means that there is a possibility that a birth could be registered anywhere.
I would be really grateful if anyone has any suggestions of how I might go about figuring some of this out.
Mary Matilda LEWIS was born around 1873 (calculated from census and marriage certificate). Both census records have her being born in Ashton-Under-Lyne, Lancashire. Her father is named as Mathew WARD (deceased) on the marriage certificate and he was a Seaman. I'm assuming her parents weren't married. I haven't been able to find a Mary Lewis born in Ashton at the right time. There's a Mary Matilda LEWIS born in the right year in Bethnal Green (although I'm fairly sure this isn't her looking at the census records for 1881 and 1891) and there are at least nine possible Mary LEWIS's born in Lancashire at the right time - but not particularly near Ashton.
For Thomas, I have him being born in 1872. His place of birth is different on both census records, Hanbury Woodend and Uttoxeter, both in Staffordshire. His father is listed on the marriage certificate as William JOHNSON, a chimney sweep. Again, I'm assuming the parents weren't married. There are around five possibles born in Staffordshire but none are registered in the two possible places (or seem to be particularly close enough to make sense).
Basically I'm stumped as to a way of narrowing things down without having to pick birth certificates at random to order. It's made harder as it's likely that the family moved around a lot (my grandmother remembers travelling all over the country and there are family stories are that there is Irish and/or Romani ancestry from that branch, however true that might be) which means that there is a possibility that a birth could be registered anywhere.
I would be really grateful if anyone has any suggestions of how I might go about figuring some of this out.