Genealogy Chat

Thankyou everyone for your replies. Lou kindly sent me an image and I'm all sorted now! Well, not exactly, still a bit of a puzzle. Nicholas was definitely a "Gentleman" in as much as he inherited this farm which had been in his family for over 400 years and was originally the property of Holden Manor. However, from my normally reliable source, there are ten children named on his Will - he died the year after the 1881 census was taken, maybe he was going gaga? because two of these ten children had died many years ago in infancy (birth and death dates check, one dead child gave her name to a subsequent child). I take the point that he was sitting around doing nothing whilst all his kids skivvy on the Farm, but three daughters are listed in the 1869 Trade Directory as the Proprietors of a Drapers Shop. And I'm puzzled by John being a Milliner and Ellen being a Farmer! And I have proof that Esther was married by 1881, seen the cert, father "Mr Nicholas Holden a Gentleman"(Oh, how they doffed the cap in those days!) Yep, its a great big puzzle, so back to the drawing board for me. PS, Yes, Ive seen the entry for Nicholas and Jane on the 1881, he is named as a" Son" in the Will - yet he is a humble weaver! Perhaps Daddy was dead tight with his money?I still incline to the idea that these were not his children, but a collection of poor relations, working for their keep, and they just happen to have the same names as his children! Believe me, that's quite possible with the Holdens, they only chose from 10 names for their children for 800 years. Thanks again everyone who replied.

Hi, The term "Gentleman" at this time meant a man who didn't work for a living (I have several in my ancestry). His family were working the farm and he was living off the income and had retired. He was probably still the named tenant or owner of the farm. Gwynne

Thankyou very much Lou, I have emailed you. Marjorie

Majorie Send me your e mail and I'll forward the image Lou

Could any kind person help me out with this? From a usually very reliable source I was sent some information, which I did not bother to check. But the more I look at it, the "wronger" it seems, so I checked on the 1881 on the LDS site, which also seems to give some odd information. I need to look at the original image to see if there has been a mistranscription. I have Nicholas Holden, Head, b 1807 Darwen (Lancs) Gentleman, of Higher Sunnyhurst (Farm) Darwen. His wife Mary, b 1808 is described as Gentleman's wife. So far so good. Then follows a household full of adult, unmarried children, with some very odd occupations indeed for the children of a Gentleman. I now think most of these adults were not in fact their children but were "Poor relations". Does anyone have access to the original image? Thnakyou in advance Marjorie.