Genealogy Chat

I have a puzzle. I know that my great great great parents were Joseph and Sarah Walker from Dewsbury area (my Grandmother is still alive at 100 !). I have found the family in the 1871 census and one of their daughters is Susannah Walker aged 13. She is not in the 1861 census, Joseph is but he is listed as single and a boarder at an address in Dewsbury. I know their other daughter was born in 1865. I thought that maybe Sarah was married before or even had Susannah out of wedlock and that is why I cant find them in 1861. I have found 3 marriages of a Joseph Walker in 1862 and I have noted down the index refs. Question is can I see the spouse by searching on the index ref, on any site as I only have her first name. I did not want to go to the expense of ordering 3 copy certificates.

Diane

Marriages Sep 1864 (>99%)
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Armitage Sarah Dewsbury 9b 803
Walker Joseph Dewsbury 9b 803

Possible?
Births Dec 1859 (>99%)
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ARMITAGE Susannah Saddleworth 9a 201

Thanks so much Margaret. The marriage dates fit. I thought the next bit would be easy, find Sarah Armitage and her daughter Susannah in the 1861 census and I would almost have solved the puzzle. Found plenty of Sarah's but not with anyone called Susannah. I have checked again and the 1871 census says she was 13. I cant order a copy of her birth certificate as I dont know the name she was born with !

My grandmother remembers "Aunt Anna" as Susannah was called and remembers that her Mother was called Sarah. I have Sarah's wedding ring.

Thanks once again for all your help

Di

Sorry Margaret, just re-read your message, you have found a possible birth for Susannah, will go back to trawling the 1861 census records.

Thanks

Di

1861 census (mistranscibed Susan H.)
Hartshead, Yorkshire
Wm. Armytage, head, 29, wire drawer, born Hartshead
Sarah, wife, 24, born Mirfield
Susannah, dau, 3, born "

Gosh Margaret, I owe you big time !!!!

I cant wait to tell my Grandma what I have found.

I cant thank you enough

Di

Happy to help, Diane. How lucky you are to have a 100 year old grandma. Treasure her.

Thanks to all (again). Gran is in hospital again at the moment but should be out next week, her third heart attack !. She has all her marbles and will find this very interesting. Next thing is to find out Susannah's marriage, I dont know if this will be under Armitage or Walker. The funny thing is I also unearthed a similar thing on my paternal side of my tree, Alice Luscombe got married in the February but they had to do it all over again in the May as her legal name was Lumley, mother married a Luscombe and Alice called herself Luscombe but using this name made the marriage illegal. I have both certificates.

My Gran giving me Sarah Walkers ring set me off on this very addictive hobby.

Di

Can I please ask which site you use to get such quick and accurate results. I have a gold membership on here but the BMD indexes are a pain, I have paid to search on other sites but it is no better if you don't know the approximate years, and you can find one spouse but as in the first posting, on the sites I have tried you have to know the surname to begin to search.

Di

I have ordered Sarah and Joseph's marriage certificate and the birth certificate of Susannah / Susan Hannah.

Should make interesting reading.

Diane

Do you use FreeBMD here?

http://www.freebmd.org.uk/

Click on marriages. Type in Joseph Walker with spouse first name Sarah between years 1861 (when you know he was single) and 1871.
Only one comes up in Dewsbury. Click on page number which is 803 here, to see other names on the page and one of them is Sarah Armitage.

As for Susannah, I would think that she married under the name Armitage, that being her legal name. I've seen lots of cases where the child uses the stepfather's name all through the censuses but then uses their legal name at marriage.