Find Ancestors

hi all does anyone know a simple way to find your ancestors maiden names??

Buy birth certificates of their children if available.

If the children were born in England or Wales after the 3rd quarter of 1911 the mothers maiden name is shown in the birth index.

Alternatively find your male ancestors marriage (Post 2nd quarter 1837) in the marriage index and use that to identify his wife's maiden/previously married name.

Depends how far you are going back.......Parish records are a great help if yu going back before 1837..........give us a name date and place and somebody will find the answer!

Derek.

wow ok lol well am absolute amatuer to this so im trying to trace back to i beliebe thomas french who went on the mayflower with penn?? but i just need advice on how to get there the furthest i have gone is william h french b c1865 and married i believe to deborah edmunds or it could be deborah wells?? help!!!! lol

Marriages Sep 1892 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Edmunds Deborah Lois Bicester 3a 1431
French William Henry Bicester 3a 1431


From freebmd.org.uk

I expect you've seen this but just in case

Plymouth Colony Vital records

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Zi0GKnFzXwwC&pg=PA93&lpg=PA93&dq=Thomas+French+Mayflower&source=
bl&ots=vB9bxg44Z4&sig=GkZkRnsUQ
yR5PIFY7R3n6sMRPHE&hl=en#v=onepage&q=Thomas%20French%20Mayflower&f=false

Perhaps Edmunds wasn't her maiden name, going by the stepson on the 1911:

FRENCH, William Henry Head Married19 years M 47 1864 Farm Labourer Upper Heyford Oxon
FRENCH, Deborah Wife Married F 44 1867 Upper Heyford Oxon
EDMUNDS, George Stepson Single M 20 1891 Plate Layer Upper Heyford Oxon <<
FRENCH, Sydney Son Single M 15 1896 Farm Labourer Upper Heyford Oxon
FRENCH, Charles Son Single M 13 1898 Farm Labourer Upper Heyford Oxon
FRENCH, Millicent Daughter F 11 1900 School Upper Heyford Oxon
FRENCH, Cyril Son M 9 1902 Upper Heyford Oxon
FRENCH, Cecil Son M 6 1905 Upper Heyford Oxon
FRENCH, Mabel Daughter F 3 1908 Upper Heyford Oxon
FRENCH, Lenrd Son M 1 1910 Upper Heyford Oxon

RG number: RG14 Piece: 8160
Reference: RG14PN8160 RG78PN414 RD154 SD1 ED6 SN111

Registration District: Bicester
Sub District: Bletchingdon
Enumeration District: 6
Parish: Upper Heyford

Address: Upper Heyford Banbury County: Oxfordshire

thank you very much anyone care to hold my hand through how to search stuff? please? lol

Did William and Deborah have any children? A birth cert for one of them would confirm Deborah's maiden name.

For info - George is down as son, it could have been a second marriage for Deborah:

1901 England Census
about William H French
Name: William H French
Age: 37
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1864
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Deborah L French
Gender: Male
Where born: Steeple Aston, Oxfordshire, England

Civil parish: Upper Heyford
Ecclesiastical parish: Upper Heyford
Town: Upper Heyford
County/Island: Oxfordshire
Country: England

Street Address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status: View image

Registration district: Bicester
Sub-registration district: Bletchingdon
ED, institution, or vessel: 7
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 3
Piece: 1387
Folio: 82
Page Number: 1
Household Members: Name Age
William H French 37
Deborah L French 35
George C Edmunds 10
Sidney Trench 5
Charles W Trench 3
Melicent N Trench

Ah, the 1891 shows she was a single mother:

EDMUNDS, Shadrac Head Married M 59 1832 Agricultural Labourer Horley, Oxfordshire
EDMUNDS, Kezia Wife Married F 63 1828 Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire
*EDMUNDS, Deborah Daughter Single F 24 1867 Chair Woman Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire
EDMUNDS, John Son Single M 22 1869 Agricultural Labourer Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire
EDMUNDS, Charles W Son Single M 17 1874 Agricultural Labourer Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire
EDMUNDS, Rose Granddaughter F 7 1884 Scholar Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire
EDMUNDS, Laura M Granddaughter F 5 1886 Scholar Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire
*EDMUNDS, George C Grandson M 0 (11M) 1891 Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire

Piece: 1170 Folio: 80 Page: 2
Registration District: Bicester
Civil Parish: Upper Heyford

Address: The Village, Upper Heyford County: Oxfordshire

Possible birth for William - Woodstock covers Steeple Aston:

Births Sep 1864 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FRENCH William Henry Woodstock 3a 575

This is from the freebmd website which should be your first place to search for bmds from 1837 onwards.

How have you got back to William? Do you have certificates to prove the connections?

William in 1871 - but you would need the birth cert to confirm his mother's name:

1871 England Census
about William French
Name: William French
Age: 40
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1831
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Hannah French
Gender: Male
Where born: Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire, England
Civil parish: Steeple Aston
Ecclesiastical parish: Woodstock
County/Island: Oxfordshire
Country: England
Registration district: Woodstock
Sub-registration district: Deddington
ED, institution, or vessel: 2
Household schedule number: 94
Piece: 1446
Folio: 25
Page Number: 16
Household Members: Name Age
William French 40
Hannah French 43
Eliza J French 9
William H French 7
Alice French 4

William and Hannah in 1861 Harriet shown as daughter, so either a second marriage for Hannah or Hannah had been a single mother :

1861 England Census
about William French
Name: William French
Age: 29
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1832
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Hannah French
Gender: Male
Where born: Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire, England

Civil parish: Upper Heyford
County/Island: Oxfordshire
Country: England

Street Address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage: View image

Registration district: Bicester
Sub-registration district: Bletchington
ED, institution, or vessel: 7
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 97
Piece: 898
Folio: 12
Page Number: 17
Household Members: Name Age
William French 29
Hannah French 32
Harriett Carpenter 8
Fanny French 4
Alice Jane French

i got to william by searching the census and i maybe wright or i maybe wrong the latter i expect there are a few williams born around this time. in the area ....banbury bicester upper heyford and woodstock are all very close and there are frenchies all over these areas as far as i can tell.

so how would i find hannahs maiden name? or am i being stupid as usual?

Again from freebmd:

Marriages Mar 1855 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Carpenter Hannah Bicester 3a 527
FRENCH William Bicester 3a 527

Ronald - the posts above have mentioned FreeBMD click on this link and then bookmark it http://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl

It will be one of your most vital research tools!

However, I'm a bit worried when you say you got to William by "searching the census" - you must work from hard facts and never, ever make assumptions or you could end up following the wrong family (we've all been there and got the t-shirt!).

Which one of William Henry French's children are you descended from (so we can prove the connection is right).

Ronald, to be sure you are tracing the right line, you really need to get marriage and birth certs to confirm any census findings. Many of us on here (including me!) have followed the wrong line because we have followed census results and not backed them up with certs.

Start with your parents and grandparents and work back from there.

Potty, looks like we were thinking the same!

Ronald - you order certificates from the General Register Office (GRO) http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/ They cost £9.25.

right thanks alot all of you am going to go through bmd and see what i can find. i think i am tracing the wrong line from william h french and above...will kepp you posted