Genealogy Chat

Hi I found a parish transcript for a death of someone who I think is a distant ancestor. The record I found was on genuki Longbenton parish records of burials 1827-1837 It said there was a burial: '14 Jan 1836 John Robson of Walker aged 44'. How now would I go and use this to find out more about the ancestor? Is there anyway I can use this information to find out more about the person - maybe parentage / wife etc..? If so how on earth does one go about doing this?

You go to the relevant county records office and check the parish records, including the one you've found. As with the IGI, I have found many parish records that match up, but also errors which I have been glad to correct once I've seen the original records (though they of course can also be wrong!) Of course, someone may not come from the parish they were buried in, though the parish burial register will usually say which parish they were living in at time of death. But - and this is a general statement, there are of course exceptions - people generally moved around far less the further back you go. Most of my rellies around the 1830s were living within 5 miles of their birth parish. nell

What a pity that he didn't manage to live until 1837 as you could have got a copy of the death certificate!! As he died at quite a young age, he may have left a widow and children or even elderly parents. Have you looked at the 1841 census for the area to see if there are any likely families of the same name?

A good place to look for early records is the IGI at family search.org. This is free and has a lot of transcribed parish records with various degrees of accuracy. You could look to see if you can find a matching birth record which will give parents christian names. However if you rely solely on the IGI you will soon find you are following the wrong family. It might also be worth checking for a memorial inscription or a will. Family history on-line which is not free but only costs about 10p per search has a lot of useful records and is usually pretty accurate.

Luckily I found the family in 1841: George Robson abt 1825 Northumberland, England Long Benton Northumberland View Record Isabella Robson abt 1832 Northumberland, England Long Benton Northumberland View Record Jane Robson abt 1798 Northumberland, England Long Benton Northumberland View Record Jane Robson abt 1830 Northumberland, England Long Benton Northumberland View Record John Robson abt 1822 Northumberland, England Long Benton Northumberland View Record Robert Robson abt 1820 Northumberland, England Long Benton Northumberland View Record William Robson abt 1835 Northumberland, England Long Benton Northumberland From this I can gather his wife is Jane Robson. This John seems to fit, as the last child William was born in 1835 which was 1 year before. I can't even find a suitable marriage for a John and Jane. I've exhausted familysearch! I really would like to now how John died (if this is the correct John I have located in parish records) as it seems to have left the family in poverty. Have I any hope of finding out anything new?

Well, one long shot - if his death caused the family to apply for Parish Relief, then those records may still exist. You could try mailing the appropriate records office. You could also look for his wifes/ the kids certs - marriage, death certs - and hope that his occupation is shown on there.

Parish relief? Could you tell me more...? I tried family history online and now have identified the place he was buried as St. Bartholomew so I can at least contact them and hope his gravestone can still be found...

Jonathan, not many people could afford a headstone - so dont hope too much on that score. Parish Relief was like social security now - in a very primitive form. How do you know they were left destitute?(re your comment on the 1841 census) Would they have gone into a workhouse? Did the wife remarry? Have you found them on the next census records?