ARC TBC - Trying to trace British ancestor born in Holland

[usignuolo]

My great great grandfather was born in 1828 and appears on the UK census from 1851. Before that he is not there but on the 1851 return it says he was Born in Holland (British subject). Anyone got any suggestions as to how I might trace him in Holland, and why he was there. I have no further information except that he was a tailor.

[linell]

What was his name usignuolo We have a member on here who lives in Holland, sure he will be able to help you.

Linell.

[CarlPlage]

Just a thought Usignuolo have you checked the records for British subjects born abroad, I know there are some records that cover people who are British that are born abroad.

Best of luck on your search

[MarkCDodd]

Give us a name and I can check the overseas birth records for you.

If they are born a British Subject then the G.R.O has a record of their birth.

TheGenealogist, which I have a subscription to, has an index of those births.

[usignuolo]

His name was Alexander (Matthew) Jackson and he was born in 1828 in Holland but a British subject according to the 1881census. He seems to have had a brother William born in 1827. I am not sure where William was born. (There are several William Jacksons born in London around that time). I think their mother was called Mary Ann and that she was born in England in 1806. She may have been widowed as they are living back in London in the 1841 census but she is head of the household. The family seems to have been involved in dressmaking and tailoring generally.

[MarkCDodd]

Neither of them appear in the Consular, Military or Overseas birth entries.

[gardener]

Does his marriage certificate give a father's name and occupation?

[snoopysue]

If he was dutch, there's always the posibilty that his surname has been changed to from something the english can't pronounce!!! If it says on the census that he was a British subject, does that suggest he applied for citizenship? The only people I've had that were born abroad, the census didn't mention their nationality at all.

[MarkCDodd]

The entry in the parish registry just says Father: Thomas Jackson. Occupation: "Dead". I suppose that is a full time job....

He married the daughter of a tailor from a family of swiss tailors.

Although he is easy to trace once in England, without some knowledge of what part of Holland he came from you might be in a bit of trouble.

Next step is finding the passenger manifest of the ship he came on.

He doesn't appear on the census till 1851 so that narrow down the time of arrival a bit.

[gardener]

I think it just means that he was born in Holland, parents British. Otherwise it should say naturalized British (though it doesn't always).

[snoopysue]

I think it just means that he was born in Holland, parents British. Otherwise it should say naturalized British (though it doesn't always).

That should make it easier as far as the name goes then!

[MarkCDodd]

Looked for other Jackson born in Holland and thought I found his father in 1851 but it turns out the transcription was wrong. He was born in Hollin Green, Lancashire, not Holland

[usignuolo]

I do not have the full marriage certificate for the wedding of Alexander Jackson and Louise Rietiker at St Pancras in London in July 1853. The abridged version I have seen does not give parents names. Which is the best site to to go to to view/buy a copy of their full marriage certificate? If Alexander's father was dead, would he be on the marriage certificate?

I know that Alexander worked as a tailor and that Louisa was from a family of Swiss origin, also tailors. They all lived in the Marylebone area of London.

On the 1891 census it describes Alexander Jackson as a master tailor and gives his place of birth as Holland. It says (British Subject) in brackets. This suggests he had British parents although I agree it is not definitive. He was born in 1828.

We know by the 1841 census Alexander was living in London with his mother Mary Ann Jackson and brother William, in Dorset Steet, London. There is no husband shown for Mary Ann and she is not described as wife etc. She was born in 1806, in Surrey. Although the script is hard to make out it appears she was a Dressmaker (although by 1851 she seems to have become a butcher and is listed as Head of Household. Alexander was lodging round the corner as a tailor).

My brother had the bright idea of looking up embarkation records from Holland and found a Mary Jackson arriving from Antwerp in 1837. Could be a connection. I wonder if the tailoring and dress making is significant. Maybe the father was working in Holland on dress uniforms or formal evening dress of some kind. But that is only a guess.

[snoopysue]

The local archieves (where the marriage took place) can probably do a photocopy for you, they vary in cost, but about £5. Quite often they don't accept credit cards. If you order them from the GRO they cost £9.50 and are printed on better paper, advantage is you can order on line with credit card. You'll need to know the book and page numbers, so free BMD is best for that!

[MarkCDodd]

There are a couple of other Jackson families with members born in Holland living around London.

Many of them describe their birth the same, i.e Holland B.S or The Netherlands B.S.

Theseone are living jsut around the corner in Islington.

1881 census transcription details for: 5, Thornhill Sq, Islington
National Archive Reference:
RG number: RG11 Piece: 237 Folio: 14 Page: 21

Reg. District: Islington Sub District: Islington West
Parish: Islington Enum. District:
Ecclesiastical District: City/Municipal Borough:
Address: 5, Thornhill Sq, Islington
County: Middlesex

JACKSON, Henry Head Married M 55 1826 Commercial Agent London Hayden Square, London Middlesex
JACKSON, Jane Wife Married F 30 1851 Monmouth Monmouthshire
JACKSON, Henry Son Single M 10 1871 Scholar Bayswater Middlesex
JACKSON, Lewis Son Single M 8 1873 Scholar Bayswater Middlesex
JACKSON, Montague Son Single M 6 1875 Scholar Bayswater Middlesex
JACKSON, Lydia Daughter Single F 4 1877 Barnsbury Middlesex
JACKSON, Hester Daughter Single F 1 1880 Barnsbury Middlesex
JACKSON, Annette Sister Single F 75 1806 The Hague (B S) The Netherlands
SHARP, Selina Servant Single F 17 1864 Domestic Servant Caledonian RD Middlesex
CAFF, R P Lodger Single M 61 1820 Artist Painter Wellington Somerset