Tuesday 16 August 2011

Certificates and confusion

In the past month I've received four new certificates, with each one being intriguing.

First John Redvers' birth certificate gave me no new information, but it's nice to know his birthday!

However Teresa's certificate had no father listed! Very interesting!

After these certificates I ordered the marriage certificate of Teresa's parents Richard and Catherine (Richard from the marriage certificate and Catherine from the 1911 census). They were married in a church popular with Irish immigrant workers, so maybe there is some truth in the Irish ancestry! It also gave me the names of their fathers, another Richard Wiseman and James Briggs.

I am trying to trace these families but it is proving difficult! Richard seems to have dodged all the census' he could have been in, and there are no records of his death prior to 1911. I have found a Briggs family with the correct name in Middlesex in the 1871 census, but then I can't track them further. Also the 1911 census states Catherine's birthplace as Middlesbrough (but her name is also down as Katherine so I'm not sure I believe it..!).

The final certificate I now own is of John Redvers' father, also a John, who died aged 31 of pneumonia when his son was 4 years old.

The next certificate on order is for Norman Sanderson, son of John, who was possibly born after his father died. I had to order the certificate to know for sure if baby Norman met his dad.

I am currently writing up my findings in a more formal way which is focusing my research and getting me to check and verify everything I have done previously. Best get back to it!!

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