Find Ancestors

Zoe Best place to start is perhaps the Scotlands People website. Very easy to use. Best of luck. Denis.

Hi Denis, Sorry just got your message and no is my answer as I haven't got a clue how to search other places. I will have a look tonight, thanks for your help. Zoe

Elaine suggested Scotland (and Ireland) as possibilities that might have to be considered. Lots of Hawkins in Scotland. Did you follow up on that? Denis.

Hi Elaine & Kate, Sorry Kate, What I was maning to say is I have followed this same person through census years and I don't think he is th eone as he never had a child living with him under the name of James. Maybe it is the right one I don't know anymore. Many many many thanks for all your help and I will keep trying. I am not kidding I bet I have been looking for 6 hours today on all poss parish reg on-line. Zoe

Soz, but I don't really understand what you mean about the death cert. How do you know it is the person you have found on the census? Kate.

1851 census: living Woolwich Kent MAYBE this is where the Kent connection comes from ????I have a feeling that this is the Henry Andrew who's death Kate has found..... Henry Hawkins abt 1803 London, Middlesex, England Head Ellen Hawkins abt 1807 Shadwell, Middlesex, England Wife Henry A Hawkins abt 1835 Kingston, Middlesex, England Son

Hi Kate, I have looked through burials on that site around 1882 - 1885. I didn't order the death cert for him because he had a child on the census born same year and never had any trace of a James either. I am wondering if these could be James and he wasn't even called that. My Grandfather was called Christopher but everyone called him either Charlie or Peter ? So I suppose its a possibility. Regards Zoe

Zoe, Another thing to consider. James may have been told his father had died ..... but Dad could have still been alive. Maybe Dad left Mum and this was a common explanation back in them days. I really would exhaust ALL possible theories before your engage the help of an 'expert' !!! (which will cost you an arm and a leg) I would spend £7 on that Death cert that Kate mentioned above ... got to be worth it for ellimination purposes surely ? I am still looking for a possible BIRTH for Henry Andrew Hawkins .....!!! Elaine ;-)

Zoe - you could certainly go and look at the parish registers for Strood, but again, at least some of them are available online, at the Medway 'Cityark' site: Strood, St. Francis of Assisi baptisms 1941-1967 (P150E) click here (in progress) Strood, St. Mary the Virgin baptisms 1869-1993 and marriages 1869-1955 (P150D) click here Strood, St. Nicholas of Myra CMB 1565-1977 (P150B) click here They don't have name indexes so you just have to plough through them. I don't know if you have already looked through them though? http://cityark.medway.gov.uk Kate.

Hi Elaine, Yeah on his marriage cert its says batchelor and age 47 years old. But as he was supposed to have gone to sea maybe he never met anyone until then. I don't know though. Hi Kate, Thanks for the info. Would you suggest going to look a parish registers then I am so determined to find this man. I have thought about asking a pro to try and find him by paying them. I am not sure where they could look that we haven't. Many many thanks again Zoe

Or even born in Scotland or Ireland and came over here as a baby ... thinking he was born in Strood because thats where he spent his childhood. Elaine ;-)

Did you ever get that Henry Andrew Hawkins death cert from the registration entry I found? (Although it was the wrong date for the information you have, but of course you could have been told wrong.) This was it: Deaths Sep 1906 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hawkins Henry Andrew 69 Alton 2c 96 Kate.

Zoe, if you are planning to go to the Family Records Centre (1 Myddelton Street, Islington, London, EC1R 1UW) to look for birth and marriage registrations, all you will see is the actual books that have the pages that have been filmed then scanned into 1837 online, Family Relatives, ancestry, etc, and the same pages that you would see on microfiche at your local record office. They won't let you look at the actual certificates there and then; you still have to order them like you do online. The website for the Family Records Centre is http://www.familyrecords.gov.uk/frc/ So, I don't think you are likely to find an entry by going there that cannot be found online. But it could be that the information you have been given is wrong somehow, perhaps he was born in a different year or James was his middle name or something. Kate.

Hi Zoe, Does James's marriage cert give his age then ? as 47 or does it just say ' of age' ..... and is he a Batchelor ? Elaine ;-) I can't find any deaths 1880 - 1890 for Henry Hawkins old enough to be dad .... :-(

Hi Elaine, He was supposed to have come from Strood Kent, he went to sea at 13 when his dad died (abt 1883) Then he married in 1917 and died in Sheffield. Hi Reg, I only have James marriage cert sorry, and he married a Rosa (aka Rosina) Twyman 1917 in Sheffield. Thanks guys Zoe

You say you have Henry's marriage cert........what was his wife's name? Where did they marry? How old were they at the time? What was Henry's father's name? And can we have the same details from James's marriage cert..........apart from father's name, of course! Reg

No disrespect babe .... but she may have known her dad as James .... doesn't mean his name WAS James. His year of birth might be out by a few years either side as well. I've seen it so many times babe. If he had always been known as James, thats also the name on his marriage cert ! Even the info on the gravestone is only as accurate as the person who gave the details ..... Where do you think he was born and where did he live and die ??? Elaine ;-)

Hi Elaine, Yeah I've seen him but Charles was born 1870 and there is no trace of James anywhere. Thanks though Zoe x

Long shot I know !!! 1871 Henry A Hawkins abt 1838 Farnham, Surrey, England Head Headley Hampshire Jane Hawkins abt 1841 Chichester, Sussex, England Wife Headley Hampshire Charles H N Hawkins abt 1870 Alton, Hampshire, England Son Headley Hampshire

Hi Elaine, I do have his marriage cert, but the birth date come from my Nan's birthday book. She has it wrote in 'my beloved father James Hawkins 14/12/1870 - 17/11/1947 aged 77 years' Thanks for replying too Elaine. Zoe