Genealogy Chat

I am trying to track donw my grandfather John Moorer. He appears on 1901 cenus together with my Grandmother Clara. He was 28 at that time so I assumed he had been born in 1873. Searched the records No birth registered. With some help I tracked down a John Moorer Born Dublin in 1873 and I traced the parents Marriage cert but found the fathers name was also John Moorer. On my Grandparents marriage cert he names his father as Andrew and says place of birth Lambeth. I found an andrew on 1901 cencus but his father is Thomas ( i thought he might have been and elder brother) On 1881 census there are no Adrew Moorers but there is an Andrew Moores with a son john of approx the correct age. I still can trace no details of birth. In 1891 there are 2 John Moorers I the Irish John and the other is from a completely different family. The family all think my grandfather was a soldier and joined as a drummer boy. Anyone got any suggestions?? Can anyone help with the search. Most of the Moorers on Ancestry.com are in America. Any assistance greatly appreciated

Kathleen I assume you've looked on 1837 for the birth record? You may find that any information on Ancestry could have been mistranscribed and he could be listed with a variation of the spelling of the surname. I've just looked and there was a John Moore born in Lambeth in 1873 which could feasibly be him but you wont know without getting the certificate. Where have you looked for him so far, just to narrow it down a little? Ali

Just to say that the census dates make a difference to which years you need to look at. Mostly they were on a Sunday at the turn of March/April and the age was your age at last birthday. (1841 was June/July time, and the ages were supposed to be rounded down to the 5 below - eg 24 given as 20 -, apart from those under 15). Someone who was 28 for the 1901 census could have been born any time from about 1 April 1872 to 31 March 1873. (You'd need to find the threads with census dates to get an exact pair of boundaries). Christine

And children weren't always registered promptly. Or at all, according to some threads here! Christine

nudge

thanks for your replies. I searched the records for 1873 and late 1972 with no luck. I will try earlier. He was married in 1901 as well and his age was 28 the same as the census so I would presume that is correct. I am still not sure that the John Moorer born in Ireland is not him. An old aunt said she though he was born in Ireland but why would he say his father was Andrew on his marriage certificate. He was only born in Ireland and the family were back in London by the time he was 8. Any one who has any other ideas please let me know.

Kathleen Did his father possibly have 2 names and he sometimes used the middle name, which is why you have some records as John and others as Andrew? Ali

I do not know if he had a middle name. On his marriage cert. it just says John Moorer but his profession says private 4th regiment. His father is William Moorer- Customs house Officer The marriage was in Portsea Dec 1872. My granfather joined 4th regiment Northamptonshire Fusiliers in the WW1 seems bit of a coincedence.

My thanks to alyson Platt who it seems has tracked down my grandfathers birth for me in 1872. I was looking in the wrong year. I would like to thank everyone who offered their help. I think its just great when people help each other like this.