Genealogy Chat

I am researching a gt gt grandfather whose occupation varies on each certicate I look at covering a 15 year period (1857-1872).In each case, the birth/ death is registered by my gt gt grandmother. He starts as a head boiler maker and ends up as a surgeon. Could the information provided by her about him be false? Was the information taken at face value by the registrar?

Yes,the information recorded is only as accurate as the informants comment.There were no formal checks to verify the information given by informants and many did 'embelish' the details, Glen

Are you sure you have the right certificates, as I can't see a boiler maker becoming a surgeon? Have you found them in any census? Kath. x

Occupations can vary but boiler maker to surgeon is very scary!! Are you certain its the same person on each certificate? However, to answer your question, you are supposed to be on oath when registering but I don't think checks were/are made. Anne

Yes - I'm sure they are all the same person. Whilst he had a very common name, his wife had a fairly unique one. He is married in 1857 when a head boiler maker and remains in this occupation at the time of the 1861 Census. However, children born in 1862 and 1864 have his occupation as a medical galvanist and then lecturer in phrenology. By 1870 and 1872, he is a doctor, then surgeon. A later certificate in 1882, has him as a dentist. In all cases, the information was provided by the wife. She remarries as a widow in 1874 but I cannot find his death registered. Interestingly, she marries again in 1878 and I cannot at this time trace the whereabouts of her second husband!! You see why I have my suspicions.

Does he also have these occupations on the 1871 census? It all sounds a bit suspicious to me!! What is his name? Kath. x

Once upon a time, while I was looking through Parish Records I came accross a burial described as that of 'a travelling Scotch quack'. Why did that spring to mind?!!! Casting no (or not too many) aspersions on your ancestor I would say there could be suspicions that he set himself up as an authority at a time when regulations perhaps made it easier to do so. It might be a good idea to try and find him in trade directories of the time. If he really did carry out those occupations he would have wanted to advertise himself. Good luck! Anne

Divorce was virtually impossible in the 1870s unless you were loaded. But people would sometimes pretend to be widowed to form another 'marriage'. As to what is on a certificate - who checks? BIRTHS When I registered my son's birth in 1992 I didn't have to 'prove' who I was, or that any of the information I gave was right. When my husband registered our 2nd son in 1994 I told him to make sure they put 'Librarian & Information Officer' on the cert. I wasn't working, but I wanted our son to know his mother wasn't just a dishwasher/nose wiper in later life. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MARRIAGES Great Uncle Thomas Emmets Matthews said his dad was a 'provisions merchant' (he was a milkman). Husband's granny said her name was Rosella (registered as Rose). Gt gt Aunt Annie said she was Elizabeth Anne. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DEATHS When my grandmother died and my mum registered it, they wanted to put 'widow of' and then grandfather's name and occupation. Mum explained that he'd done lots of jobs, - lorry driving, chauffeuring, blacksmith, farm labourer etc. The registrar said 'I'll put blacksmith, that sounds interesting'. Grandfather didn't actually work in a smithy after WW1. nell

Can't find him in the 1871 Census. His wife (Charlotte Elizabeth Bussey Powell) and the 5 children are living in Bow in London. She is described as 'wife' and 'married'. No sign of her husband George who was born in 1833. I can only find him at present on 1 census (1861). A man of mystery!

For reference, is this the correct George in 1861:- Name: George Powell Age: 28 Estimated Birth Year: abt 1833 Relation: Head Spouses's Name: Charlotte Gender: Male Where born: Brierly Hill, Staffordshire, England Civil parish: Mildenhall Ecclesiastical parish: Sudbury Town: Mildenhall County/Island: Suffolk Country: England Street address: Occupation: Condition as to marriage: View image Registration district: Mildenhall Sub-registration district: Lakenheath ED, institution, or vessel: 7 Neighbors: View others on page Household schedule number: 77 Household Members: Name Age Charlotte Powell 21 Charlotte E Powell 9 Mo George Powell 28 George E Powell 3 Jane Scott 15 Kath. x

If I've got the right one in 1861, this could be him in 1851. Penn is very close to Brierley Hill:- Name: George Powell Age: 17 Estimated Birth Year: abt 1834 Relation: Servant Gender: Male Where born: Penn, Staffordshire, England Civil parish: Lower Penn Ecclesiastical parish: Lichfield County/Island: Staffordshire Country: England Street address: New House Occupation: Servant Condition as to marriage: Disability: View image Registration district: Wolverhampton Sub-registration district: Tettenhall ED, institution, or vessel: 5c Neighbors: View others on page Household schedule number: 43 Household Members: Name Age A E Jones 27 Ann Jones 50 Joseph Jones 37 Thomas Jones 11 Elizabeth Loyd 29 George Powell 17 Richard Roberts 25 Sarah Shepherd 16 John Trumper 40 Source Citation: Class: HO107; Piece: 2017; Folio: 494; Page: 14; Kath. x

Yes, thats George and Co. Yet another odd thing about this entry! The address given is 'The Albert Iron Works' yet he and his family are the only ones living there and Mildenhall is not a mining area to my knowledge. I think they moved to this area from Norwich where Charlotte originated from. Their stay was short lived as they return to Norwich 12 months later before moving to London. (I promise I'm not making this up!) Richard

I think it doesn't need to be a mining area. The Albert Iron Works would have probably been making things out of iron - like boilers - for farm machinery, in that area, most likely. Anne

Surely iron works can be a place where goods made of iron are manufactured, not necessarily a place where iron is made. Jay

Yes I would say an iron works made things from iron. There was one near where I lived in Essex, which was not a mining area. Mavis

Point taken! Kath - re 1851 Census. Thanks for the suggestion. I have considered him before but have been put off by the distance between Brierley Hill and Penn. Looking at it again, maybe it is a possibility and I revisit it over the next few days. Thanks for everybodys input tonight -my first question raised and I have been astounded at the response. Cheers Richard

The occupation on the 1861 census is Steam Boiler Maker, not Head Boiler Maker. Kath. x