Genealogy Chat

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Birth cert 28th April 1847 Octavian boy mother: Elizabeth Gray the mark of Elizabeth Gray, mother, Langley. 12th May 1847.' Checked Langley and Hardley baptisms for Octavian in Norfolk Archives, 20 May 2006 without success. 1851 Langley Norfolk William Gray abt 1787 Topcroft, Norfolk, Head Mary Gray abt 1789 Ellingham, Norfolk, Wife William Gray abt 1840 Hardley, Norfolk,Grandson >>Octivian Gray abt 1848 Langley, Grandson 1861 South Denes Road (Freemans Buildings) Great Yarmouth St Nicholas John Gray 1821 Langley, Norfolk, Head fisherman Ann M Gray 1818 Southwold, Suffolk, Wife >>Octavian Gray 1848 Langley, Norflk, Nephew fisher boy George Wilson 1859 Harwich, Essx, Nephew Langley banns register has '1866. Octavius Gray, bachelor of Langley, Ellen Marston Roe, spinster of parish of Raveningham. Sunday 3 Dec 1866; Sunday 16 Dec; Sunday 17'. marriage Octavius Grey 1866 Oct Loddon Volume: 4b Page: 567 Ellen M Roe Octavian doesn't appear in censuses from 1871 onwards, and Ellen is a widow in 1871, so the death below seems likely to be him. Octavius Gray [Birth Date: abt 1847] 1869 Dec Loddon Volume: 4b Page: 136 Age at death: 22 poor chap - doesn't seem to have ever lived with his mother; didn't know his father; dead at 22 without having seen his posthumously born daughter. nell

Oh what a sad tale, I wonder what he died of Nell? I have not such a sad tale but none the less pretty depressing Joseph Swinson born in 1821 and died in 1851 in the workhouse, cause of death pnemonia, leaving behind two children and young wife who must have been pregnant as third child named after her dead husband was born later the same year in 1851. As you say what a life, things were not easy in those days eh Nell?!! Fuzzy x

Fuzzy I guess I will have to get the death cert. Every time I find a new branch of the family its a roller coaster - you find a baptism, then the child isn't on the census and you find a death for her/him, next census, one of the couple is widowed etc. nell

It says he was a fisherman? That means, along with all the land-based hazards of illness and accident, he also had the sea to contend with. Christine

There's a family story that the reason my great-uncles all moved to London and joined the police is that ag lab work was too seasonal and poorly paid and that their mother wouldn't let them be fishermen as it was too dangerous. The story, passed to me by my dad, who would have got it from his father and/or one of the uncles, is that she lost her father and brothers in a storm. BUT she was illegitimate and an only child. I am now trying to find out who it was - quite likely there were lots of accidents and she just thought it was dangerous full stop. nell

Nell, so symphasise, have a couple of children who are baptised and then dont appear anywhere on the next census, perhaps they have died I think......no death record! sometimes think that aliens came and beamed them up!! would love to hear what happened to you fisherman chappie Fuzzy x

A lot of my ancestors were from Yarmouth and were fishermen and often disappeared never to be seen again. It didn't seem to put off the sons tho'. Jennie

I think it was more a question of how to earn a living. My husband's Welsh lot had a lot of miners. Horrible stories about pit roof cave-ins, gas explosions etc. but they went on working there because it was that or starve. nell