Genealogy Forum UK

Hi

This is my first post on this site. I have been researching my family for a few months now and have hit a blank as have now gone to a time before BMD records. I have traced back to my Great Great Grandfather who according to census records I have found was born 1835 (+/- 1) in Chelsea, London.

As I have done all my research from my PC using the Ancestry site I don't know what to do now. I presume his birth would be on a parish record somewhere but I'm not sure what parish exactly or how to find the records. I am not from that area and have no knowledge of Chelsea back in 1835!

Any help on how I can progress from here would be very appreciated.

He was Willliam Staniforth married to Rosa Courtney (nee Thomas). According to the 1851 census he was a lodger aged 16 and was an apprentice carpenter in Cardiff. The census says he was born in Chelsea as do subsequent census records. So somehow he went from Chelsea to Cardiff between 1835-1851. I know Rosa was born in Cardiff and they had 2 children born in Cardiff then two more born in Hammersmith and then Fulham. So they were obviously back and forth!

I just wanted to add that i have searched the 1841 census and can find no record of him or his family. He was born about 1835 in Chelsea but by the 1851 census was in Cardiff. I have checked the England and Wales 1841 Census but no luck. What reasons would someone be left off a census, if we know they are alive and well and on the one tne years later. It's such a shame as it is likely on the 1841 Census he would be listed with his parents as he would have been about 6.

Any ideas, I feel like I am stuck and can go no further?

Any help appreciated.

thanks
dinks

Hi,

You have caught the genealogy bug then.....

One of the free online web sites that you could use is the Church of the latter day saints. They hold the International genealogy index, which is transcribed information going back centuries of parish records of births, deaths and marriages. The also are the owners I belive of the 1881 census data which is free to access.

http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/default.asp

From the home page click on the search tab at the top and you are away..

I did look at the 1841 census on Ancestory and there is a staniforth within reasonable age range born in Middlesex.

Child Staniforth 1
Child Staniforth 4
John Staniforth 32
Wife Staniforth 30

Personally I havent seen a recording like this as you would assume that if the family were at the house they would have provided their full name.

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/ss ... ecoff=2+19

Not meaning to teach you to suck eggs but the Ancestory site is reliant on people transcribing information into data that is searchable. Occasionally there are errors so you sometimes have to really use your imagination to achieve the results. variations in name spelling, ages of people being a few years out, families for whatever reason living seperartely.

I will continue to look, but do you have his parents names and ages, place of birth?

Good luck

Ron

Ron

Thanks you so much for your reply.

Someone on another Geneaology site very kindly located William for me in 1841. He was listed as William Hansford, it looked a bit like Stanford on the document but it was a very poor copy and hardly readable. He was the right age and it was the same family he was listed with in the 1851 census so it's definitely him.

He was living with a family called Down in Chelsea, parish of St Lukes. Richard down was the head aged 50, his wife, 2 daughters and William aged 7. It has nursechild crossed through next to his name?

All very odd. Not idea what happened to his parents and how he came to be with the Down family in 1841 and 1851.

The next step is to go throught the parish registers of St Lukes and see if I can find a record of his baptism.

I definitely have the Genealogy bug!

Thanks
dinks