Genealogy Chat

hi, i have the marriage certificate of my relation william murgatroyd who married a martha saville. it says her age 22yrs but his age says full.? they married in 1842. southowram, halifax. His father was called william too and was a cord weaver? (think thats what it says). how do i find out his birth? please help. thanks sarah.

William (senior) may have been a cordwainer...worked with shoes. Look for any of them on census, then track them back using parish records in their birth area. Gwyn

thankyou, wasn't sure if it was weaver. will look at census 1841.

Hi Sarah, For births before 1837 go to familysearch(.)org remember to take out the brackets when typing the website - and put in William's name, click on 'births' and start at say 1824 (making him 18 when he married) and work backwards. You say his father was William too and if you have his mother's name that should show as well. Happy hunting, Maureen

Full age means 21 or over - so he could be a fair bit older! Or he could be lying and under 21. Who are the witnesses?

There is this birth in Yorkshire could well be him, fathers name also William. But how can you know for sure. Betty Husband William MURGATROYD Birth: Christening: Marriage: Death: Burial: Wife Sarah BECK Birth: Christening: Marriage: Death: Burial: Children 1. William MURGATROYD Male Birth: 1820 Baildon, Yorkshire, England Christening: Death: Burial:

This looks like them on the 1851 census: Commercial Rd., Hipperholme cum Brighouse, Yorkshire William Murgatroyd, head, 29, warp dresser, born Southowram, Yorkshire Martha, wife, 33, born Thornton, Yorkshire Abraham, son,1, born Brighouse John Saville, father-in-law, widower, 68, coal miner (pauper), born Thornton, Yorkshire

I see William has died before the 1861 census and Martha has remarried: 1861 census Bottom of Foothill Bank, Rastrick, Halifax, Yorkshire John Tyas, head, 39, labourer in stone quarry, born Brighouse, Yorkshire Martha, wife, 43, born Bradford, Yorkshire Benjamin, son, 13, coal miner, born Rastrick William, son, 10, coal miner, born Rastrick Mariah Tyas, dau, 6, scholar, born Rastrick Abraham Murgatroyd, stepson, 11, coal miner, born Brighouse, Yorkshire Joseph Murgatroyd, stepson, 9, scholar, born Brighouse Poor little boys, coal miners at age 10, 11 and 13! Marriage on FreeBMD, Martha Murgatroyd & John Tyas, June quarter 1860, Halifax. (9a 485)

Well done Margaret and you even have the wifes maiden name on the census there.

sorry internet keeps switching off. william i did find on the 1851 census as they had another little boy called eli b.1853 brighouse. but he was adopted out to martha saville's sister susannah and was brought up as eli bentley untill he was married, then changed his name back to murgatroyd. i have william's marriage certificate which says age-full job-wap dresser father- wiliam murgatroyd, cord wainer. and on a census record 1851 there is a cord wainer called william living in keighley. do you think this could be his father? how do i connect the two? thanks sarah.

The William Murgatroyd living in Keighley in 1851 was aged 36 so he cannot be the one. I don't think the baptism found by Betty is going to be the correct one as William on 1851 says born Southowram - which is about 15 miles from Baildon.