Find Ancestors

Looks like Dawson's first marriage:

Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Mar 1865
Clapham Dawson Halifax 9a 559 <<
KEIGHLEY Sarah Halifax 9a 559 ??
Robinson Margaret Halifax 9a 559 ??
Smith Thomas Halifax 9a 559

Drat - his wife isn't with him on 1871:

CLAPHAM, Dawson Head M 24 1847 Yorkshire married, a picker maker
HODGSON, Booth Boarder M 25 1846 Yorkshire

Piece: 4423 Folio: 58 Page: 11
Registration District: Halifax
Civil Parish: Northowram
Municipal Borough: Halifax

Address: Senior's Buildings, Northowram, Halifax County: Yorkshire

I was just going to say he has a different wife on another census buit the rock cakes distracted me. I may have to make some now as I can't get them out of my head.

1891 England Census
about Dawson Claphaus
Name: Dawson Claphaus
[Dawson Clapham]
Age: 44
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1847
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Emma Claphaus
Gender: Male
Where born: Halifax, Yorkshire, England

Civil parish: Thornton
Ecclesiastical parish: Thornton St James
Town: Thornton
County/Island: Yorkshire
Country: England

Street Address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status: View image

Registration district: Bradford
Sub-registration district: Thornton
ED, institution, or vessel: 4
Neighbors: View others on page
Piece: 3644
Folio: 54
Page Number: 8
Household Members: Name Age
Dawson Claphaus 44
Emma Claphaus 43
Harriet Claphaus 18
Herbert Claphaus 19
John Claphaus 13
Sarah Claphaus 10

It is not a wife it's his housekeeper!

1851 England Census
about Dawson Clapham
Name: Dawson Clapham
Age: 3
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1848
Relation: Son
Father's Name: William Clapham
Mother's name: Julia Clapham
Gender: M (Male)
Where born: Halifax, Yorkshire, England

Civil parish: Northowram
Town: Halifax
County/Island: Yorkshire
Country: England

Street Address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Disability: View image

Registration district: Halifax
Sub-registration district: Northowram
ED, institution, or vessel: 1i
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 33
Piece: 2302
Folio: 164
Page Number: 9
Household Members: Name Age
William Clapham 50
Julia Clapham 46
Jane Clapham 19
Lucy Clapham 17
Fred Clapham 9
Dawson Clapham 3
Elizabeth Jackson 50


1861 England Census
about Dawson Clapham
Name: Dawson Clapham
Age: 14
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1847
Relation: Son
Father's Name: William Clapham
Mother's name: Julia Ann Clapham
Gender: Male
Where born: Northowram, Yorkshire, England

Civil parish: Northowram
Ecclesiastical parish: Coley
Town: Halifax
County/Island: Yorkshire
Country: England

Street Address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage: View image

Registration district: Halifax
Sub-registration district: Northowram
ED, institution, or vessel: 7
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 89
Piece: 3300
Folio: 20
Page Number: 18
Household Members: Name Age
William Clapham 60
Julia Ann Clapham 56
Fred Clapham 19
Dawson Clapham 14

It looks like it was Sarah Keighley that he married, she's with her family in 1871:

KEIGHLEY, James Head M 58 1813 Yorkshire Worsted weaver
KEIGHLEY, Daniel Brother M 50 1821 Yorkshire
CLAPHAM, Sarah Daughter F 24 1847 Lancashire a married housekeeper
KEIGHLEY, Edmund Son M 17 1854 Lancashire
KEIGHLEY, Elizabeth Daughter F 13 1858 Lancashire
KEIGHLEY, Emily Daughter F 7 1864 Yorkshire

Piece: 4384 Folio: 9 Page: 12
Registration District: Halifax
Civil Parish: Hipperholme cum Brighouse

Address: Woodhead, Hipperholme Cum Brighouse County: Yorkshire

The people born Yorks were all Hipperholme, those born Lancs were Manchester

Whats a Picker Maker?

A Picker Maker is a person who cast the shuttle on a loom. Made the "Pickers" - strong leather attachments fitted to each side of a weaving loom to drive the shuttle across the loom.

Mel, it's described in the list on this link:
http://www.andrewalston.co.uk/cottonindustryjobs.html

(But it might be for getting mixed peel out of rock buns)

Don't you like the mixed peel?

having to wipe my eyes from the tears of laughter.

Well, you've got to have a laugh, havent you?

I'm struggling to find a death of Dawson's first wife before his marriage to his second .....

His first marriage was in the papers:

Leeds Times - Saturday 25 February 1865
Miscellaneous marriages
"On Saturday, the the Register Office, Halifax - Mr Dawson Clapham, wood turner, to Miss Sarah Keighley, both of Northowram"

I am not sure if she did die!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I suspected that things may not have worked out for her and Dawson when she was with her family on the 1871.

Can't trace her on later census - she may have taken up with someone.

I would reckon that Dawson's children were with Eliza Emma Ashworth Chapman, his former housekeeper cum wife, going by those baptisms.

Hang on, think I've found her in 1911, marriage overlooked:

ALLEN, Martha Head Widow M 70 1841 Private Means Halifax Yorks
ALLEN, Lucy Daughter Single F 33 1878 Private Means Yorks Hipperholme
RIDIAL, Arthur Cousin Single M 22 1889 Clerk Chipping Lancs
KEIGHLEY, Sarah Servant Single F 64 1847 General Servant Domestic Manchester Lancs

RG number: RG14 Piece: 26375
Reference: RG14PN26375 RG78PN1524 RD496 SD1 ED7 SN221
Registration District: Halifax
Sub District: Brighouse
Enumeration District: 7
Parish: Brighouse

Address: 1 Myrtle Bank Wakefield Road Hipperholme Lightcliffe
County: Yorkshire (West riding)

The location is spot on for where her family were previously living.

She's with her brother in 1901:

KEIGHLEY, Edmund Head Married M 47 1854 Tex Dyers Stuff Finisher Manchester, Lancashire
KEIGHLEY, Martha A Wife Married F 48 1853 Hightown, Yorkshire
KEIGHLEY, John Son Single M 25 1876 Tex Dyers Stuff Finisher Lightcliffe, Yorkshire
KEIGHLEY, Annie Daughter Single F 22 1879 Weaver (Dress Goods) Wyke, Yorkshire
KEIGHLEY, Fred Son Single M 20 1881 Warehouseman (Dress Goods) Wyke, Yorkshire
KEIGHLEY, Walter Son Single M 16 1885 Tex Dyers Stuff Finisher (Apprentice) Wyke, Yorkshire
KEIGHLEY, Sarah Sister Single F 54 1847 Housemaid (Domestic) Manchester, Lancashire

Piece: 4145 Folio: 126 Page: 9
Registration District: Bradford
Civil Parish: Bradford

Address: 43, Parkside Road, Bradford County: Yorkshire (West riding)

There looks like there maybe two Sarah Keighley born 1847ish.

O I was just going to look up Edmund. Well found Marie

1911 England Census
about Sarah Keighley
Name: Sarah Keighley
Age in 1911: 64
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1847
Relation to Head: Servant
Gender: Female
Birth Place: Manchester, Lancashire, England
Civil parish: Brighouse
County/Island: Yorkshire-West Riding
Country: England
Street Address: Myrtle Bank Lightcliffe, Halifax
Marital Status: Single
Occupation: Domestic Servant General
Registration district: Halifax
Registration District Number: 496
Sub-registration district: Brighouse
ED, institution, or vessel: 7
Piece: 26375
Household Members: Name Age
Martha Allen 70
Lucy Allen 33
Arthur Rideal 22
Sarah Keighley 64

This birth ties in nicely with the 1897 marriage:

England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915

Name: Herbert Clapham Ashworth
Date of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 1872
Registration district: Halifax
Inferred County: Yorkshire West Riding
Volume: 9a
Page: 541

His siblings were registered with the same surname combination.