Genealogy Chat

Have you seen Ego's thread about faulty memories? Victoria

OK, so you're sure of hiis age. But I still think it is unwise to rely on family recollections as to whether or not he'd been married before. Your family's recollections could be accurate, but an awful lot of people have done trees based on family recollections only to discover memories weren't accurate & had to start again. Sorry if I sounded as if I was implying memories were wrong, but checking is a jolly good idea - a bit like getting good foundations for the building before going further. Jools

Jools, I do know that he was 42 when he married my gran. I have his birth and his death dates - I knew him personally. I am not asuming that he was married before my Uncle and Aunts told me he was. I have proof of his age. Thanks for the help.

Deryn - pardon me for saying so, but you simply cannot assume he had been married before just because you calculate he was 42 when he got married. In fact, you don't even know that he was 42 when he got married to your gran. If you really don't know whether he was a bachelor or widow on marriage to your gran, or have no corroborating proof of his age, then you need that MC.

Robert Stead married Ada Eli*abeth Steel nee Watson in 1922. July/Aug/Sept 9d 1003. He was b. 1880 or 81 so he was 42 when he married her - he must have been married before. I have never even worked out how old he was till now when he married my Gran.

I double checked it on familyrelatives, but I don't know where Elaine Spain found it. You can order that MC, but I wouldn't like to say for sure it is the right one. Thing is - did he marry your gran in Pickering - 'cos if so there's no marriage for a Robert Stead up to 1920 apart from the one we've found in 1900.

Deryn - do you have the MC of Robert to your gran after the war (presumably WW1)? If so, does it say he is bachelor or widow? I'm just thinking perhaps he didn't have a no 1 wife & the kids (while fathered by him or not as the case may be), are registered with the surname of their mother (which obviously isn't stead).

What do you suggest I do now then - order that marriage Certificate? My family don't know when the children were born as Robert married my Gran after the war and there are only 3 of their children alive now. They just know he was married to a Polly and one remembers those names as been the children from Polly - they might not be Roberts children though I suppose. I seem to remember long ago finding his brother married to a Polly so when family told me I thought they were confused. Can I ask where you found that marriage - what site. Thanks again.

Only 1 Hilda STEAD born Pickering reg. district 1866-1920 STEAD Hilda Mary Pickering.9d 454 q3/1882

That marriage is the ONLY one in Pickering 1900-1920 for Robert STEAD. BTW, bride is Sarah Elizabeth SCALES accoring to GRO.

Elaine - what you have found for that robert & elizabeth leads me to think that IS the one born in Wrelton. so perhaps the waggoner at cawthorne (despite his insistence on being single & born wrelton instead of aislaby) is the one we seek - and he didn't marry in 1900. Does that make sense??

I don´t think there is any other way other than to find out when some of the children were born and order a birth certificate - as you need to find mothers maiden name in order to find the correct marriage

Deryn - that one on the 1901 is single and head waggoner. If you look a couple of message up, you'll see where I posted what is likely to be him on the 1881. I know Wrelton and Aislaby are near together, but I remain to be convinced that these two people are the one and the same.

Just have to add - there are lots of Steads in that area so don't rush too fast - on one census nearly the whole village was made up of Steads! My Robert was born 1880/81 Parents were William and Mary Ann, Siblings were, Alfred, Harry, William, Albert, Marfit etc. This was on the 1881 Census.

Sorry folks, just went to put the dinner in the oven! You have all gone so fast! I found a Robert in 1901 working as a labourer b.1880 which matches. RG13 4555 Folio 33 Pg 8. This is in Cawthorne and shows his place of birth as Wrelton. Aislaby and Wrelton seem to change from one census to the next as places of birth - they are or were very small villages next to each other outside Middleton or Pickering. I don't have any other info about the wife or children other than names. The family have only told me about it recently and I might add begrudgingly. It's as if they didn't want to acknowledge there was a previous wife or other children. Thanks for the help so far.

Deryn - do you have any idea when the children were born?

Sorry Jools - was not saying that the marriage was the right one - just said it was in right area - and was trying to work it through to 1901. Totally agree - the first thing to do is get one of the children´s birth certificates to find out mothers maiden name.

Hang on - I think you could be getting your robert stead's mixed up. The one I can see on 1901 is Robert Stead 21 Yorks Wrelton Yorks Cawthorne Head Wagoner Th above is probably NOT your robert. The one above is on the 1881 John STEAD Head M Male 42 Lestingham, York, England Agricultural Labourer Ann STEAD Wife M Female 36 Harum, York, England Agricultural Labourer Wife Sterricker STEAD Son Male 12 Wrelton, York, England Scholar Sarah Ann STEAD Daur Female 9 Wrelton, York, England Scholar John William STEAD son Male 6 Wrelton, York, England Scholar Robert STEAD Son Male 3 Wrelton, York, England Tom STEAD Son Male 1 Wrelton, York, England Source Information: Census Place Wrelton, York, England Family History Library Film 1342164 Public Records Office Reference RG11 Piece / Folio 4828 / 140 Page Number 5

going back to the marriage in 1900 it looks as if Caroline married James Edmond (have found them together in 1901) so Robert married Elizabeth Scales and this looks like them together in 1901 Robert Stead abt 1877 Wrelton, Yorkshire, England Head Wretton Yorkshire Sarah Stead abt 1874 Pickering, Yorkshire, England Wife Wretton Yorkshire Walter Stead abt 1900 Wrelton, Yorkshire, England Son Wretton Yorkshire - difficult to read occupation - could be tailor but really not sure - large cross over it!

How do you know that is the right marriage? Have you got one of the children's birth certs - which will give you mother's maiden name?