Genealogy Chat

Can anybody help please? Details below.

I received a marriage certificate for my gg-grandparents yesterday and I'm really not sure where to look for information next - could anybody offer advice please? Apologies for the length of what follows! Joseph Slater was born in Astbury, Cheshire some time between 1832 and 1835 (according to the 1891 census he was 59, in 1901 he was 66). However, on his marriage certificate, dated December 1882, he claims to be 36. His wife, Ada Hicks, was born in Shadwell around 1865 - this ties up with the ages she gives on the 1891 census and the 1901 census. However when she married she claimed to be 22. I know she was three months pregnant at the time so assume she lied about her age so she could marry without parental consent. Do you think Joseph also lied about his age to make the age gap appear less extreme? Joseph's marital status is given as 'widower'. How would I go about finding out about his first marriage and when the death of his first wife occurred (assuming that she did die and that this is not a bigamous marriage!)? My search is further confused because I can't find any trace of Joseph on any censuses prior to 1891 (thanks Cheryl for looking for me). Can anybody suggest why this might be? Did people routinely avoid the census back then? Or is it more likely that he was abroad? Not knowing where he was before 1891 (other than working off the birthplaces of his children from 1882 onwards) makes this quite difficult - and he did seem to move around the country an awful lot (prior to 1891 he was an auctioneer). Joseph's father, John, appears to still be alive in 1882, but I haven't found him on a census either- Joseph claimed he was a farmer, but I don't know where (I can't find a John Slater farming in Astbury). I've only been looking back into my family for a short time and this is the first time I have come across a muddle like this, so I would be very grateful for any suggestions that anybody can make as to what my next step should be. Thanks, Rachael

Would this be Joseph on the 1881? Household: Name Relation Marital Status Gender Age Birthplace Occupation Disability Joseph SLATER Head M Male 49 Stockport, Cheshire, England Auctioneer & Valuer Dinah SLATER Wife M Female 50 Bristol, Gloucester, England Source Information: Dwelling 12 Union Road Census Place Stockport, Cheshire, England Family History Library Film 1341833 Public Records Office Reference RG11 Piece / Folio 3476 / 6 Page Number 3 Same Joseph on 1871 Donal Slater 40 Strange, Gloucestershire, England Wife Stockport Cheshire Joseph Slater 39 Stockport, Cheshire, England Head Stockport Cheshire Can't quite make out his occupation: ? Dealer

Hi Rachael, Don't know if this will help you much. I have looked for Joseph without any luck, but think I might have found John in 1871. Name Age in 1871 Birthplace Relationship Civil Parish County/Island Emily Slater 3 Astbury, Cheshire, England Daughter Newbold Astbury Cheshire John Slater 45 Astbury, Cheshire, England Head Newbold Astbury Cheshire Occup AG Lab John Slater 13 Astbury, Cheshire, England Son Newbold Astbury Cheshire Margaret Slater 3 months Astbury, Cheshire, England Daughter Newbold Astbury Cheshire Sarah Slater 43 Astbury, Cheshire, England Wife Newbold Astbury Cheshire Sarah A Slater 7 Astbury, Cheshire, England Daughter Newbold Astbury Cheshire Debbie

The age is roughly right, but I'm pretty certain his birthplace is Astbury as that is the only consistent information I have on the two censuses I have found him on (my nana also has a childhoos memory of a relative from Astbury, so I think this is probably true) . He did end up living in Manchester though, so not too far from Stockport, so I won't rule this one out just yet. Thanks Rosemary, Rachael

Thanks Deborah. That John would have been born around 1826 - so if Joseph really was 36 (i.e. born c1846) when he married, he could be this John's son. If Joseph was born around 1832-35, then they might have been brothers. The village is definitely right. Thanks Lyla for looking for me.

By 1891 Joseph was working as an oil-cloth dealer and was still doing that in 1901, so he gave up auctioneering at some point. I do have him listed in an 1895 trade directory as a 'traveller' though, I assume he was some kind of oil-cloth salesman over a wider area (although I'm beginning to think that with Joseph anything is possible!)

Peter - possibly his age is correct on the marriage certificate, but it definitely doesn't match up with the ages on the two census entries I have for him - in 1891 I have him as 59, and in 1901 I have him as 66. Ada's age is consistent on both census entries, which makes me pretty certain that he is quite a bit older than her (although even then there seems to be a 2 - 3 year gap discrepancy in the ages he gives). I'm pretty sure she had to lie about her age when she married, I wondered if it was common for the groom to make a similar adjustment? Lyla - Ada came from Shadwell, and I think she may have been in Essex at the time of the 1881 census as a servant to a farmer. I think it is more likely that Joseph's work took him around the country (their first four children were all born in different cities) and he met her on his travels. I'll keep Buglawton Joseph in mind though, because it is certainly not far from Astbury - and I guess a railway plate layer might have travelled a bit? Thanks for all your help, Rachael