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Hi Janet, the concern is just that the names given as her brothers by my grandmother don't match up at all.
Good luck in your search Regards Flo.

Hi Flo
Will leave you to your search, but why the concern about Carolines siblings, Thomas, Joshua and George. The two older boys were at boarding school in 1841 in Tadcaster and George who was only one was at home with parents and Caroline. I am also having a rest from my family of Haighs at Horbury as I feel I know the place inside out these past few weeks.-JLe

Hi Janet , it just gets more and more confusing the further back you go. My sister and I think that the connection has got to be somewhere a long the lines of John Foster and George Foster being cousins. Apparently there was a split in the family someone married or tarried beneath their station. Concerned that I can't find Caroline's brothers as mention by my grandmother, have given up trying to prove the connection for now will just carry on with what we know. Apparently there is only about twenty miles between Horbury and Thornton and I have no idea where the mine was that John's father had. Once again thank you for your help it is very much appreciated. If I find anything new will post it up and let you know but I am going to try to get somewehre on my other threads as well. Regards Flo

Just found this on a site discussing the Foster surname. Whilst it mentions the Hobury Fosters and the Queensbury Fosters it doesn't say there is any connection. I think Joseph will be the brother to George. If there is any connection I think it will be back several generations.-J

Joseph Foster's mill at Horbury near Wakefield was the scene of a Luddite attack in 1812 by impoverished craft workers who had lost their jobs as a result of mechanization. They composed a song whose first verse ran as follows:


"Come all you croppers stout and bold
Let your faith grow stronger still,
Oh the cropper lads in the county of York,
They broke the shears at Foster's mill."


Later, John Foster, who was born near Halifax, married well and built up his Black Dyke Mills at Queensbury, a hilltop village between Bradford and Halifax. He prospered and bought a castle in Lancashire.

Another mill owner, William Forster (from Quaker roots in London), set up his stall in Bradford. Forster Square in the center of Bradford was named after him. He entered politics as MP for Bradford and later became the Chief Secretary for Ireland under Gladstone. This was at the time when home rule was on the agenda (unfortunately for him as he was opposed),

Foster's mill near Hebden Bridge was the place where one of the most prolonged strikes in the cotton industry occurred. It started in July 1906 and lasted for almost two and a half years. By now, the workers were backed by a trade union and it was their support, plus various self-help schemes, which helped to keep the strike going. Eventually the funds ran out and they did go back to work. However, the cotton industry was in a decline by then and the mill itself only lasted another ten years before it was pulled down.

Hi Janet, I have also tried some of the others to see if I could get anything at all. The furthest I have been able to go is Jonathan Foster and Hannah Rushford 1734 in Thornton picked up Jonas Foster 1 May 1774 died 22 Jul 1830 but have only got as far as George Fosters fther and mother i.e. Joshua Foster and Mary Bedford. Have not been able to get anything apart from the census information for the families of either James Ellis and Caroline Foster or Joseph Foster Ellis and Sarah Wright. My grandmother said that her family lived at Pearlwell Hall. I believe that we must still have relatives in Canada as I understand that some of her brothers went back there. I still can't find the link to John Foster but I think that it was probably true. I hope you have better luck with your relatives. Just have to keep trying. Thanks Flo

Looking at the possible marriage of Joshua Foster to Mary Bedford on 24 th Ap 1786 in Wakefield there is a christening at All Saints Wakefield of a Joshua Foster on 1 Dec 1764 son of John Foster. That might be the connection to John, even though it isn't what is wanted.-JLe

Just checking the batch number for the possible siblings and four of them belong to a Joshua Foster and Mary- 1798-1800-1802-1804 but because Joseph has Bedford as his name I think that all these eight children will be George and his siblings.
............having said that my relative John Haigh did not have his last child baptised anywhere, even though three of his children were born in Huddersfield they still trailed them to Horbury to be baptised at the same church as the rest of his children.
Occasionally people got baptised prior to their marriage if they hadn't been 'churched' as a baby. -JLe

Thanks for the info Janet. Apparently in those days it wasn't unusual to have a number of children to different mothers. If they weren't married and children weren't christened how do we find out any info for them. As I am looking for mine I will keep an eye open for yours.

. GEORGE FOSTER - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Christening: 30 MAY 1798 Horbury, Yorkshire, England

2. JOSIAH FOSTER - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Christening: 22 APR 1792 Horbury, Yorkshire, England

3. THOMAS FOSTER - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Christening: 23 JUN 1787 Horbury, Yorkshire, England

4. EDWIN FOSTER - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Christening: 06 DEC 1804 Horbury, Yorkshire, England

5. EDWARD FOSTER - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Christening: 12 JUL 1802 Horbury, Yorkshire, England

6. WILLIAM FOSTER - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Christening: 25 JUN 1796 Horbury, Yorkshire, England

7. JOSEPH BEDFORD FOSTER - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Christening: 06 APR 1794 Horbury, Yorkshire, England

8. MARY FOSTER - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Christening: 08 MAY 1800 Horbury, Yorkshire, England


the probable siblings of George Foster of Horbury son of Joshua Foster and Mary Bedford-JLe

Brilliant .........John Foster.

I hope you have more luck than me with my Horbury relative. His name was John Haigh basket maker/manufacturer and his witness was James Haigh, I have tried to track down every Haigh in Horbury and account for them but I cannot find James Haigh and connect him to my gt grandfather....no way. You would think when you have come so close that the rest of the information would just flow in.
I wish you every luck with your quest. Please keep us informed. -JLe

Hi Janet, I now have the copy marriage certificate for James Ellis and Caroline Milnes Foster. It was at Horbury Chapel in the parish of Wakefield. 24th February 1842. James Ellis was full age and Caroline was a minor. His fathers name was Samuel Ellis a manufacturer and hers was George Foster a manufactuer as we know. She was given as residing in Horbury and his was Ossett although it looks more like ofseth. Guess who was a witness our old friend John Foster.

The marriage certificate is definitely the best way forward. Keep us posted.-JLe

Janet, I am going to try to get their certificates and see what else I can find.
Very very difficult to find the correct information. Thank you for your help.

Hi Florence.- just to confuse things in the 1841 census, unlike later ones, the age of children up to the age of 15 should have been entered as whatever age they were. However after 15 all ages were rounded down. So if a person was 17, it would be entered as 15. If as in the case of George Foster his age was entered as 40, it means he could have been anything from 41 to 44, so this is why it could be correct that he was christened in 1798. On the 1851 census his age is entered as 52 but the census was taken at the end of March so if he hadn't had his birthday it still fits in with a baptism in 1798. You will not be able to get certs for him as they didn't start until Sep 1837. You will be able to get a marriage cert for James and Caroline.The ref is Wakefield 22 407- 1842 . Perhaps you would like to google 'freebmd' this will give you all the information I have just given you. If you then google GRO you will find the site where you can order the certs on line. Have a go, if you have any problems come back to the boards as the first to read will help you-JLe

Hi Janet, I think I need to read things correctly. How could George Foster married to Hannah, with Caroline 15 and George 1 be christened in 1798 if he was according to 1841 census born in 1800? His occupation was given as a manufacturer. Do you know whether or not I would be able to get marriage /certificates for James Phillip Ellis and Caroline and both her father and mothers. What info do I need to have to do this?
Florence

Hi Janet, this is taking some working out isn't it. Was there any chance that Caroline's mother was also a Foster and could she be the link. Do we know who Caroline's brothers and sister's were? Do we know who George and Hannah parents were?
Thank you for your help on this. The mystery deepens.
Florence

Next bit of info.Looked at Caroline's father George Foster in 1851, everything fits it then .......lo and behold a grandson.....a visitor....eureka but I think they have entered the wrong name. Could this really happen? The entry on the census says Samuel Walter Ellis......I know this is not helping the connection to John Foster but it hopefully will confirm Caroline's parent and her brothers.I have checked freebmd and there was a Walter Henry Ellis born in Wakefield 1848 March, this fits in with the family in 1861. This is the time that the mother was in Huddersfield and this child possibly didn't know its full name. There are no Samuel Walter Ellis's on the freebmd which fit in.The census in 1851 says that brothers George Foster 11 and Joshua Foster 24 are at home at Cliffe House.-JLe

Hi Florence - in answer to whether Caroline's father could have been a brother to John I would say no. One of my great grandfathers was from Horbury and he was bapt. at All Saints.He was born in 1806. His children were all baptised in Horbury suggesting that baptisms took place at All Saints at an earlier time as he alway entered place of birth as Horbury. I could be wrong on all my assumptions but George Foster fits in with the bapt. 1798 at All Saints but according to info on John Foster he also was bapt. 1798. There are several entries for a John Foster on familysearch in the right area (which I know lots of people tell us to ignore) but these do suggest that he was christened in Thornton Bradford which is spot on for location . I only found one where there was a batch number and was able to find possible siblings for John and there wasnt a George Foster among them.-JLe

Hi Janet It sure isn't adding up In the 1941 census John Foster and Ruth, had William, Sarah, Samuel???? Jonas, Abraham, Marianne, John. Ruth, Hannah and Jane but according to Blacky Dyke Mills web John Foster only had 7 kids, I am giving up for the moment and going to bed. Thanks for all your help.

Could Caroline Foster's father have been a brother to John Foster do you think? My grandmother did say that there had been a falling out with the Black Dyke Mills family. I am not sure whether the baptism or christening dates happen when born or a couple of years later.