What do I know about her?
- Was Catherine Briggs before becoming Catherine Wiseman (or Katherine according to the 1911 census)
- Married Richard Wiseman on 10 January 1883 at St Peters Roman Catholic Church, South Bank, Normanby (Middlesbrough)
- Had 5 children, 2 died before 1911, other 3 are William (b. 1884), Katherine (b. 1891) and Teresa (b. 1896)
- Teresa is my great grandmother
- On Teresa's birth certificate there is no father listed
- On Teresa's marriage certificate her father is listed as Dick Wiseman
I looked into the church where she got married, and it was located in an area that served the Irish and Lithuanian immigrants who worked in the smelting works by the River Tees. Teresa lists her fathers occupation as steel worker on her marriage certificate, so is it possible either of them were Irish or Lithuanian?
My questions:
- Is Richard / Catherine Irish? - How do I find this out? Are there passenger lists for ships into Middlesbrough?
- What are the names of the other two children? - I have been through free BMD and found names born in Middlesbrough. Many of the Wiseman babies have two names suggesting they belong to one family. My best guess is John (b. 1887, d. 1887), but I don't know on the second missing child.
- Why is she not on the 1901 census? - (Or any of the family for that matter)
- Why is she not on the 1891 census? - (Or any of the family for that matter)
- Why is she not on the 1881 census?
- Why is she not on the 1871 census? - (There is a theme!)
- Why is Richard not on any censuses either?
- Where was she born? - I have found a record from 1860 that matches James as her father, but it's in Middlesex... Could she have moved so far? The 1911 census states she was born in Middlesbrough, but it also spells her name with a K so I'm not convinced...
So there are a lot of questions! If anyone can offer any advice I would be very grateful!
