Genealogy Chat

Does anyone have any ideas as to how I can identify when a George Sherwin died. He died in a railway accident and although he lived around Bakewell I am not sure that it was where he died just becuase of the nature of his job. I don't know what his age was when he died, he was a railway employee and had nine children. The trouble is I don't know how to use these clues to identify the George Sherwin deaths that I find on free bmd. Has anyone any advice? Please, Oh Please, before my brain pops! Abigail

Hello Twinkle. Thank you for asking a list of questions - you know when you get stuck in a problem and need a rope out? The only child of his that I know married I do have the marriage certificate for but it does not say father deceased on it. I have her birth certificate too but it is the short one giving only Bakewell as the district of her birth. She was born on the 2nd Feb 1894 but I don't know if she was the youngest. I know that he was supposed to be dead by 1911 because Granny Sherwin had had to bring up the nine children by herself doing laundry for other people ( and being the village midwife - I wonder whether there might be any joy following that line, though I don't know where to ask about it). She didn't get any help I don't think because he wasn;t that old and hadn't been working for the railway for that long. Granny Sherwin died in the 1920s and I think that she had diabetes. From the stories she sounded quite old so perhaps Mary Emmeline, born in 1894 was the youngest of the nine. I started to think that he might have just run away but in a village you wouldn't say that your husband has been killed in a railway accident and stay there would you? Thanks I will get back to you Abigail

Hello Jen That's a good idea - If I can identify where around Bakewell they lived at the census then I could try and find out what paper they would have had. I used to live near Bakewell and I am wandering the streets and the area in my mind trying to think where the nearest railway would be. There is a cottage hospital on the road in which looks like an old station house but I can;t think of where in Bakewell the station is now. It is so frustrating. The times my husband and I used to escape from uni and go for walks and picnics around there? I must have wandered aroundt that churchyard so many times and never even thought of the name Sherwin!! Thanks Abigail

Johnathon, you are a superstar. Thank you so much - I now have that desperately needed foothold! Anytime I can return the favour, I will do my best. Now if I can get myself off the ceiling I will start writing it down! Abigail

Thanks Johnathon. I am going to try to find their marriage next. Elizabeth would have been 18 if William was the eldest but I know that there is a Sarah missing from that list of children so maybe she came later. The pieces of the jigsaw are coming together. Five minutes ago I didn't even know that Granny Sherwin's name was Elizabeth! Whoopee! Abigail

Presumably you have him on 1881 census #112---Dale End, Kingshill---[Brassington]---(RG11-3426-2-p21) Br105a Stephen SHERWIN Head M 43 M Stone quarry lab Brassington Br105b Emmeline SHERWIN Wife M 32 F Hognaston Br105c John William SHERWIN Son U 15 M Stone quarry lab Brassington Br105d Elizabeth SHERWIN Dau 13 F Scholar Brassington Br105e Selina SHERWIN Dau 11 F Scholar Brassington Br105f George SHERWIN Son 7 M Scholar Brassington Br105g James SHERWIN Son 5 M Scholar Brassington Br105h Robert SHERWIN Son 3 M Brassington Br105i Florence SHERWIN Dau 1 F Brassington

I can't believe this! I have been banging my head against a brick wall, looking in all the places you have mentioned and seeing nothing! Thank you SO SO much! Why did I not just ask in the first place!? Abigail

I might be onto something or maybe not. A George Sherwin (18, Porter) was a railway casualty in 1913, in which case it would be George the younger who was involved. You will find him in this list: http://www.lightage.demon.*co.uk/RAILSha-Sme.pdf (remove *) Lanmadlow is just a mile or two SW of Buxton, so in the right sort of area. I'm not sure if it was ever a passenger station - by 1923 it was 'the end of the line' and was just a goods station, so perhaps he was a Goods Porter.

Thanks Geoff. i am sure that Granny Sherwin was widowed but this could be the reason that George is such a treasured name in the family. If both Georges died on the railway it would create a certain sort of tragic romance around the name I suppose. I shall follow this up tomorrow with my sister in law whilst the cousins are all playing (scrapping) downstairs. Roll on the end of half term!! Abigail