Find Ancestors

Seem to have an imposable task,
in trying to find my G-Grandma
Elizabeth Woods - b c1845 she Married my G-Grandad=
John Taylor Houghton - b c 1845
At - St Thomas Parish church, Eccleston, Prescot.
on the 12 / Feb / 1867
They had a son Wilfred Taylor Houghton b 11 April1871
they then lived at Duke st, St Helens
John Died in 1879, his and Elizabeths son wilfred was then brought up by Johns Mum & Dad James & sarah Houghton,
What I Wont to Know is what happend to my G - Grandma
Elizabeth Taylor Houghton, Nee Woods
Best regards Sylvia

could be a connection here - 1881

James HOUGHTON Head M Male 62 Ormskirk, Lancashire, England Watch Maker
Sarah HOUGHTON Wife M Female 59 Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Frederick W. HOUGHTON Son U Male 18 St Helens, Lancashire, England Solicitors Apprentice (Law Student)
Wilfred T. HOUGHTON G Son Male 9 St Helens, Lancashire, England Scholar
Thomas A. MARTIN G Son Male 3 St Helens, Lancashire, England


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Source Information:
Dwelling 87 Croppers Hill
Census Place Eccleston In Prescot, Lancashire, England
Family History Library Film 1341894
Public Records Office Reference RG11
Piece / Folio 3736 / 114
Page Number 7

Hallo anne,
Yes thats them, and thank you for that, and your reply I do know about them. Its Elizabeth that I need to know about
regards sylvia

This is just a shot in the dark. Either 'Taylor' is missed off or 'Houghton' is missed. This one isnt far from Prescot/St Helens.
Name: Elizabeth Taylor
Age: 58
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1843
Relation: Mother-in-law
Gender: Female
Where born: Bold, Lancashire, England

Civil Parish: St Helen
Ecclesiastical parish: St Paul and St Thomas
Town: St Helen
County/Island: Lancashire
Country: England

Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status: View Image

Registration district: Prescot
Sub registration district: St Helens
ED, institution, or vessel: 18
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 168
Household Members: Name Age
Matthew C Dorning 31
Mary Dorning 30
Elizabeth Dorning 5
Ada Dorning 3
Elizabeth Taylor 58

From 1901 census

Hello Alan,
Thanks for the long shot, I always keep an open mind on these things as you never know what will come up next, i was thinking that Elizabeth remarried, and her new husband, would not let her take the child with her so she had to leave her him behind with his grandparents.
or she may have died too.
Has anyone any ideas, on how I could tackle this from a different angle.
best regards Sylvia

Do you know if John is buried at St Thomas Eccleston and therefore maybe Elizabeth either burial or re-marriage. The records are held in the LRO at Preston for that era.

Elizabeth's birth details would seem to be a necessary datum here -- i.e. what you know, or what she reported in censuses as where and when born -- for trying to find her in the 1881.

Where are they in the 1871?

The marriage of the Dornings in the 1901 household:

Marriages Mar 1895
Atherton James Prescot 8b 809
Battersby Eliza Prescot 8b 809
>> Dorning Matthew Charles Prescot 8b 809
>> Taylor Mary Prescot 8b 809

This is the 1901 Elizabeth Taylor in 1881 in Eccleston in Prescot:

George Taylor 40
Elizth. Taylor 38
Mary Taylor 10 (married Dorning)
Joseph Taylor 9
Wm. Newell 55

and in 1871 in Eccleston:

George Taylor 30
Elizabeth Taylor 28
Sarah Taylor 4
Mary Taylor 5 months
Henery Eccles 26


Looks like not her ...

1871, your Elizabeth:


Name: Elizabeth Houghton
Age: 26
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1845
Relation: Wife
Spouse's Name: John T
Where born: St Helens, Lancashire, England
Civil Parish: Windle
Town: St Helen
County/Island: Lancashire

Everybody may have got one of these, but just in case, PM from Sylvia:


New message to Evie, and every one who replyed, thank you,
I have Elizabeth and Johns marriage cert, Her dads name was James, and he is down as being a labourer, their is no profession for Elizabeth, and just Eccleston as an address.
I also have her on the 1871 census, the year their child was born as living at 87 Duke street Prescot,
she was b in St Helens, and John was born in southport, By the time the next census come round john had been dead two years, I have the St Helens cemetery plots were John and the Houghtons are intered but their is only one Elizabeth Houghton and she died in 1869, thats two years befor Elizabeths child was born so the 1869 death is not my G-Grandma Elizabeth Houghton nee Woods. Do you think i have enough info to send for her birth cert, plus is their any way I could source her death cert from the info i have


First thing first -- always reply in the thread! That way, everyone can see it ... and we who get PMs don't have to go searching for the thead it related to. (Yours was down at the bottom of page 2 of my "My Threads" list when I went looking -- that's how to find your thread easily every time, btw: on the left of the Trying to Find board, click on "My Threads".)

Click on the purple Reply button at the top of this thread. A box will open where you type your reply, and then click Submit. Who'd 'a thunk it ... since the system doesn't bother telling you ...

And to the meat of it --

I actually spent rather an age looking for your Elizabeth in 1881 and 1891. Checking out any Elizabeth wtih birth details like yours, and actually crosschecking them against marriages of Elizabeth Houghtons between 1879 and and 1891 -- !!!

I got absolutely nowhere. Except to rule out that nice Elizabeth Taylor possible.

I'll take another look ...

It's easier to search the FreeBMD indexes at Ancestry sometimes (and still free). You can specify the year of birth.

There are some Elizabeth Houghton deaths in Prescot district with dates of birth that at least vaguely resemble your Elizabeth's.


Elizabeth Houghton abt 1843 1903 Prescot Lancashire

Elizabeth Houghton abt 1847 1909 Prescot Lancashire

Elizabeth Houghton abt 1842 1917 Prescot Lancashire

Elizabeth Houghton abt 1841 1875 Prescot Lancashire


(The others in the results have birthdates before 1840.)

The last one there doesn't count because she died too early. The other three were all living in 1901. Let's look for them ...

I would suggest a little too much emphasis has been put on the middle name of Taylor... it's merely a name that has been passed down the line, their surname is Houghton.

This is them in 1871,

Name: Elizabeth Houghton
Age: 26
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1845
Relation: Wife
Spouse's Name: John T
Gender: Female
Where born: St Helens, Lancashire, England
Civil Parish: Windle
Ecclesiastical parish: St Mary
Town: St Helen
County/Island: Lancashire
Country: England

Disability: View Image
Registration district: Prescot
Sub registration district: St Helens

John T Houghton 26
Elizabeth Houghton 26


For the child to be left with the paternal Grandparents something must have happened to the mother. Do we know the circumstances upon which the father died? Could the mother have also died around a similar time?

It's also possible Elizabeth died first?

Deaths Dec 1875
Houghton Elizabeth 34 Prescott 8b 449


Tracey x

Well, in 1901 there are 3 Elizabeth Houghtons in St Helen, birthdates abt 1841, 1841 and 1839.

All have husbands, i.e. Houghton is their husbands' surname. So none is yours. I don't see the youngest of the four really.

One distinct possibility is that your Elizabeth formed a household with a new spouse without actually marrying him. That was common, especially where one partner was already married but estranged from the spouse. She would have adopted her new partner's surname, and been known by that surname in the community and in censuses.

If that was the case, we would just never ever identify your Elizabeth.

In 1901 alone, there are several dozen Elizabeths born in the mid 1840s in St Helens. Your Elizabeth could be any one of them, if she was still living and had a new partner.

Sometimes, with fewer possibles, you can rule out most by finding marriages that aren't your person. With this number, never.

I think we're stumped.

You mentioned her birth certificate. There are two Elizabeth Woods births in 1844 that would show as born 1845 in censuses. I'd say all you can do is order both (since you know her father's name, you could tell which it was then).

One question. You do have Wilfred's birth cert, and it does name Elizabeth Woods as mother? I just wondered whether it was possible that she did die first, and John had a child with another woman before he died ... Oh, no, that's right, we have your Elizabeth in 1871.

Yup. Stumped.

Re Taylor, of course I agree, Tracey. Alan took a long shot, and I traced that Elizabeth back to 1871, and then put the 1871 details for our Elizabeth (that you have reproduced again) to show that the two co-existed, so Elizabeth Taylor wasn't ours.

Elizabeth dying first is indeed a possibility. Ordering death certs and hoping there is some identifying info on them seems to be the only option (unless there's a cheaper way, at a local registry office or such).

The Lancs OPC might be a help here...i'll go and take a look...


T x

If Elizabeth died first it is possible she was buried with her own parents. Were they buried at the same church as the Houghton family

I haven't been able to find anything useful on lancs opc - hope you have more success Tracey

Hey Ann

Long time no speak. No sadly i didn't find anything of any use. I do think with the paternal grandparents taking in the child either the mother was ill or infirm or dead.

It's not a common thing, the mother is usually left with the child and in most cases marries quite quickly.


Tracey x

Whose kid is Thomas A Martin in the 1881 household, btw?


James Houghton 62
Sarah Houghton 59
Frederick W. Houghton 18
Wilfred T. Houghton 9
Thomas A. Martin 3 - grandson