Find Ancestors

yes i came to that too ....now need to find henry's father etc etc lol

There do not appear to be any Oxfordshire parish records online (except for a few on Ancestry). Oxford Family History Society have some for sale:

http://www.ofhs.org.uk/CDsales.html#prs

Oxford Records Office:

http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/content/oxfordshire-history-centre-collections

They are digitising the parish records to make them available on line

If you can't wait 8 months, perhaps you could visit the Records Office.

This looks to be William H's father in 1841:

1841 England Census
about William French
Name: William French
Age: 10
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1831
Gender: Male
Where born: Oxfordshire, England

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

Street Address:

Occupation: View image

Registration district: Bicester
Sub-registration district: Bletchingdon
Neighbors: View others on page
Piece: 886
Book: 6
Folio: 9
Page Number: 12
Household Members: Name Age
Henry French 30
Francis French 30
William French 10
Elizabeth French 6
Emma French 4
Anne French 2
Jane French 6 Mo

oh ok headache time lol

That's when it starts to get difficult, you have to start looking in Parish records and other resources (some are on-line depending on location). FamilySearch can be very useful https://familysearch.org

1837 was when civil registration was introduced.

Have a look at this thread http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards/board/ancestors/absolute%20basics%20for%20beginners%20-%20please%20read/thread/1191812

does the free bmd only go back to 1837??? hmmm where do find out pre that?

nope got it william h french is the right line yahooo lol....so how do go beyond his father william born in 1832?

Do let us know how you get on Ronald and we'll be happy to help further.

If you go to the FreeBMD homepage there are links to charts showing how far they are with transcribing each year (currently up to about the mid 1950s with some gaps and some later ones).

Start by finding your father's birth and then note his mother's maiden name. Then look for a marriage that fits (if any doubt buy certificates!). Keep working back that way then start checking with census.

Good luck!

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

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

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.

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.

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).

Again from freebmd:

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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?