Genealogy Forum UK

This may well be a stab in the dark but me and fellow family members (some as far a field as New Zealand) have hit a brick wall

My great x 3 Grandfather was a fellow by the name of William Henry Beck born 9th November 1825 in Hanbury, Worcestershire and married Eliza Kent on 3rd July 1856 at St Bartholomews Church in Edgebaston, he had a daughter my great great grandmother Mary Emma Beck but we believe from information that he did not live to see her birth having died on 10th September 1856.

We however cannot find a death certificate for him no matter how many times we search the BMD indexes. He was a carpenter and builder and can find him on all censuses upto 1851 living in Hanbury and then Birmingham.

His father was Thomas Beck born in Hanbury in 1794 was a Cordwainder which I believe is a shoemaker and his mother was Mary Ann Band or Bland born in 1792 in Salwarpe and he had 6 other siblings.

Interestingly Eliza Beck, Williams wife is living with Williams uncle Embrey in Hanbury in 1861 and is down and neice in law as relationship.

My gut feeling is William may have potentially died abroad working or may have not died at all on this date and just done a 'bunk' but that would not explain the fact of Eliza seemingly being supported by his family for a short period.

Eliza went on to be a teach and died young also in 1869 leaving Mary Emma orphaned

Have you thourght about him maybe having enlisted, I have a similar problem with one of my ancestors (he surfaces later on, but is missing in 1861, with a corresponding absence of children being born in that period), I know other people have similar gaps in 1861. The inference is that maybe these missing men served in the Crimea. This war ended in 1856, but you signed up for 12 years.
Another possibility is prison.
Is Eliza married or widowed in 1861?

Sue

Thanks for that I had thought about the Second Opium War as this last between the dates he would have died

Im sure Eliza is down as widowed, I havent got my Ancestry membership and my FH folder is packed away but will check once renewed next month

Hi Dudleylad, it wasn't law to register births or deaths until 1872, there are a lot missing births and deaths, we see it on here all the time. Most annoying Linell.

Is this still a Brickwall, or have you solved it?

Unless otherwise advised this will be moved to the Brickwalls Archived section
within 24 hours