Genealogy Chat

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I would like to find details of a relative’s marriage in order to buy the certificate but I am stuck and need some advice please. John Kirby born c1804 in Bristol Ann ?? born c1805 in Ramsgate, Kent. By the 1851 census they and their children were living in Southwark. The eldest child, also called John, was born about 1834 in Lambeth. I do not know what to do next. I could guess that they married between 1820 to 1835-ish and am happy to trawl, but is this marriage too early for the Ancestry records? Also, if I have to look up parish records, where do I begin, Bristol, Ramsgate or Lambeth/Southwark? Thanks all! TGx

Civil registration began 1st July 1837, so as this couple married before that, you'd need to check parish baptism records. Start by looking on www.familysearch.org. If its not there, I'd suggest looking through the marriage registers for the parish where their first child was baptised first of all. nell

If there's no second marriage involved and Ann is the mum to all the children, then there will be no marriage certificate as civil registration didn't begin until 1837. Your first step shoud be to buy a birth cert for one of the younger children (born after 1837) to find out the mum's maiden name. This will be your first step towards finding the right marriage in Parish Registers. Merry

I'd guess that this couple are most likely to have met in London, where they were probably both working, so I'd start with Lambeth/Southwark areas. Since eldest child was born 1834 I wouldn't think they would have been married more than 2 years earlier than this date, though that's just a rough guide. Nearly all my rellies have babies within the first 18 months of marriag.e nell

Do you know if they had a child called Edward abt 1837?? Merry

This looks promising: IGI Individual Record John Kirby Marriages: Spouse: Ann Swain Marriage: 14 AUG 1833 Lambeth, Surrey, Batch No.: I033431

That was the one I was looking at nell! It's only a submitted record, but still looks hopeful. There's a son called Edward Field Kirby bap 1837 (submitted again) where the mum has her full maiden name recorded. if this is the family in 1841 then Edward would tie in: Ann Kirby abt 1811 Surrey, England St Mary Magdalen Bermondsey Surrey Edward Kirby abt 1837 Surrey, England St Mary Magdalen Bermondsey Surrey John Kirby abt 1806 Surrey, England St Mary Magdalen Bermondsey Surrey (shoemaker) John Kirby abt 1835 Surrey, England St Mary Magdalen Bermondsey Surrey Mary Kirby abt 1840 Surrey, England St Mary Magdalen Bermondsey Surrey Merry

Hello Merry, Yes they had a son called Edward b 1837 and daughter called Mary Ann who i have no chance of tracing. TGx

Hello Helen, This looks very promising thank you - I will follow it up. TGX

Someone on the record office board has the baptism disc for Bristol and has offered to do look-ups. If you enter Bristol baptisms you should find her thread.

This is the bap: EDWARD FIELD KIRBY -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Event(s): Birth: 02 DEC 1837 Somers Town, London, England -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Parents: Father: JOHN KIRBY Family Mother: ANN SWAIN -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Messages: Form submitted by a member of the LDS Church. I just noticed it's a birth, not a baptism! Somerstown is St Pancras area. Merry

Thank you all so very much! You have been a terrific help to me. TGx

P.S What is a submitted record please Merry and where would I find such a thing? TGx

The LDS Mormon site www.familysearch.org has lots of submitted records. It just means the information was sent from an individual. It doesn't mean it is accurate - often it isn't, sometimes it is. Information from extracted records means the information has come from a parish register. In all cases, whether extracted or submitted, its a good idea to check sources where possible. Submitted records often have the name of the submitter so it might be possible to contact them. nell