Genealogy Forum UK

Hi All,

I'm not asking for a look up as I have before...

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6720

..What I would like please is a little expert advice.
My family searching has been relatively easy up until now as all after 1837 and therefore verified via certs and census. However, the parents of my family are proving completly elusive.

There's certainly nothing on-line, many helpful, wonderful people have done searches for me on the usual sites. I've tried to go as far sideways as I possibly can. And as the family appeared to move around I have no idea what parish regs to look in. I've come across a few vaguely possibles, which I have tried to look into, to no avail, there never seems to be any definate connecting evidence. Prior to 1837, this couple are well and truly avoiding me

So If anyone can make any suggestions as to what I can try now, i would be eternally grateful.
I dont want this to be the end of my Journey and i have no idea what else to try
Thanks
Kim

Hi Kim

Here are a couple of websites you can search, you don't necessarily have to say which parish, but you might get loads of hits!
http://www.freereg.org.uk/
https://www.familysearch.org/

Hope that helps

Hi Sue,
Thank you have tried both of those
Have done family search to death. Every which way I can think of, tho I am not liking the new "beta" one.

But thank you x

Where else have you tried? Someone might come up with a good suggestion!

Did they have a trade?

Apprentice's have plenty of documentation on them.

Tradesmen often appear in Gazettes and Directories.

Could the surname have changed dramatically in a small amount of time? i.e I have Boniface changing to Bonny so no soundex searches would have found them.

Sometimes their stated place of birth seems all over the place in census returns till you actually plot them on Google Maps. The ever shifting County boundaries and changes in civil and parish districts can cause the same place to appear completely different in subsequent census entries.

If you know where they lived and have an LDS church near to you, you can always order Parish Registers on film from them. They have lots more on film than they show on Familysearch. Sometimes, the only way find find information before 1837 is to sit at trawl through parish registers.

Is this who you are looking for Kdp:-

1851 Bromley, Kingswinford
Thomas Parish 30 boat loader Kingswinford
Mary ditto 34 Worcs Norton
Mary ditto dau 10 Kingswinford
Ann ditto dau 8 ditto
Elizabeth ditto 1 ditto
William Kilbery stepson 10 ditto
Caroline ditto 8 ditto
Sarah ditto 4 ditto

I have similiar family in 1841/1851, living in Bromley a Boatloader. I found that my ancestor was originally from Bridgnorth Shropshire, he came up the River Severn looking for work from Shropshire, Married and settled in Bromley, I think this happened a lot, could be the same for your Parish family? HTH from Linell.

Hi guys,
Its thomas' parents, that I can find no trace of Linell,
from what I know of the family via the children, James was a brickmaker/layer/labourer during his time, (would that involve an apprenticeship?? From what I could see, anybody could set up as a Brickmaker?) and Elizabeths occupation is never stated.

I have looked on the A2A site, typing names in but nothing pops up on there for anyone within the family. I have been to the local family history society and searched through many parish records, of the local area and surrounding ones.

There is definately a link to Shropshire, as a couple of children born in Bridgnorth, and Telford. It appears that some of the grandchildren seem to have gone to Bridgnorth to work as servants, but again there appears to be no links, (ie with families that they are living with that I can find). And I did just discover that certain parts nearer to home actually used to come under Shropshire. (which surprised me).

I've used all the obvious (well to me anyway ) free sites, and have posted requests for look ups on various sites. I dont have a sub on FMP or ANC, but willingly pay for credits, when I can, but obviously this limits the amount I can look at, the 'maybe, just in case ones'

As i say I do have a couple of vaguely possibles, but how exactly do you connect them for def, when the paperwork that far back is so few and sparse? I have managed to discount a few records by connecting births etc. The family that I have traced so far, after 1837, I do try to connect and double check in every way I can, Is prior 37, a little bit more down to guesswork?


Thank you for you suggestions so far x

As i say I do have a couple of vaguely possibles, but how exactly do you connect them for def, when the paperwork that far back is so few and sparse? I have managed to discount a few records by connecting births etc. The family that I have traced so far, after 1837, I do try to connect and double check in every way I can, Is prior 37, a little bit more down to guesswork?

Hi Kdp, we all get to the stage you are at, my Richard Haynes from Bridgnorth, I have searched the IGI for his Baptism, and there are a few?? So I have had to leave that line there. You can sometimes go with what you think if they have unusual names, but with names like Thomas and Richard it is not that easy to call. You've done well getting that far back, these Ancestors were lowly workmen, if they had been Merchants or Landowners it would be a lot easier to find more information on them. I found a Thomas Priest 1781 in the Old Swinford Poor Law and Settlements, Old Swinford is next to Kingswinford, there again he could be yours or may not? Most of my lines dry up around this time. HTH from Linell.

Thank you Linell,

I will keep trying, but its not looking too promising then is it?

I was hoping maybe one of the children or granchildren may have been with an aunt or something that I could connect to James and Elizabeth (brothers and/sisters) but I've found nothing. So it seems that I can go no further back, tho I am back to 1809 with their children, so I suppose I should give myself a pat on the back and I have 200+ rellies. Just so frustrating, I never even found any scandal!! I did get quite excited when I thought one of them was a Labour Councillor, but he turned out to be a labourer for the council

Thank you all for your help, and please if anyone has any more suggestions I would be most grateful.

Best wishes
Kim x

Brick Makers did go through an apprentiship.

You could work for a local company or become a Journeyman Brick Maker.

There was also a recognised "rank" of Master Brick Maker.

Journeyman Brick Makers in my tree pop up all over the place in the census. I have had Shropshire born ones show up in Kent one census and Glasgow the census after!

Brick Making is one of the professions that has its own entry in the Directories and Gazettes so sometimes it is worth manually looking at rleveant editions as the indexing of them is not overly reliable.

P.S. Is this one of the "possibles" you investigated?

Rowley Regis.

13 Jan 1765 James, s. of John & Mary Parish bap.

Thank you Mark. I will definately look into that then, I had read somewhere, (tho I cant remember where) that anybody could do it!!

And i will also double check that Rowley Regis one, thank you