Genealogy Chat

Hi

We have been stumped by Alfred Midgley. He is in the 1871 census, 27 years old married to Priscilla. We know he is Priscilla's second husband and that her first husband Joseph Teal died. Alfred is the father of Clara - my great grandmother. On the freebmd.rootsweb website there is an Alfred Midgley listed as being born in Leeds in September 1844. However, when we have been to the Leeds record office to get his birth certificate they cannot find it.

I have also found an Alfred Midgley, Stepson, living at 40 Ellerby Street, Leeds in 1861 living with Joseph and Mary Pheasey. He is 16 so the right age.

How can I find a birth certificate or some other way of knowing this is the right Alfred? I can't go any further back until I find his parents!

Any tips would be welcome. Thanks.

Can I suggest that if you haven't already, you get in touch with Tim Midgley, who runs the web site

http://members.tripod.com/~midgley/index-1.html

To send an email, scroll nearly to the bottom of the page where you will see a button * Email Me, just to the left of the Friends Reunited Advert.

Have you got Alfred Midgleys marriage cert to see if there is a fathers name?

Here is the marriage reference in case you don't have it

Marriages Dec 1870
ELLIS George Leeds 9b 660
MIDGLEY Alfred Leeds 9b 660
Smith Ruth Leeds 9b 660
TEAL Priscilla Leeds 9b 660

Have you found a marriage for Joseph & Mary Pheasey to see if she was a Midgley before that marriage?

There is this christening on the IGI which could be a possible?

ALFRED MIDGLEY
Christening: 08 SEP 1844 Heptonstall, Yorkshire, England
Father: JAMES MIDGLEY

Mother: GRACE

Is this him on the 1851 census?
47 St. Ann's lane, Leeds, Yorkshire
Mary Midgley, head, single, 32, boot binder
Elizabeth A. Beaumont, sister, married, 27, boot binder
Joseph Midgley, brother, single, 20, butcher
*Alfred Midgley, son, 6, scholar
Joseph M. Beaumont, nephew, 9 months
All born Leeds.

Wow! Thankyou so much everyone. I didn't expect such a quick reply. And so much information - that's great. I'm going to look on the 1851 census now - I'm not sure why I haven't found him on there before. We have the wedding certificate but there is no fathers name on it which would fit in.

Would he definitely have a birth certificate? If there isn't one in Leeds Records Office would there be one at the GRO? Maybe Mary wouldn't register the birth if she didn't want the father identified?

I'll let you know how I get on!

Thanks again, Victoria.

I've just realised - the reason I hadn't looked on the 1851 census is because I'm not a member of Ancestry. Only findmypast and that doesn't have the 1851 census on so thankyou so much for giving me that information Margaret. I'll print this off.

Victoria.

Mary Midgley did indeed marry Joseph Pheasey in 1853 so I'm guessing this must be a match. He was a slipper maker as well. I think we will try and find a marriage certificate which will hopefully take us a layer back on the Midgley side. Will there be any way of tracing a father?

Victoria.
Only Mary will know who Alfreds father is.
Lots of fatherless children even in those days.

This could be the family . Marys brother Joseph was a butcher on the 1851 census
Also in 1851 address is 47 St Anns Lane

1841 census
Joseph Midgley 1796 Yorkshire occ butcher.
Ann Midgley 1811 Yorkshire
. Joseph Midgley 1831 Yorkshire

address Saint Anns Lane Leeds


Incase it helps.
1851 census living a few doors from Mary Midgley is David Beaumont single 1828 Leeds occ pork butcher.

I klooked for a marriage for Mary Midgley to Joseph but couldn't find anything. How do you know that Mary Midgley married Joseph in 1853? Is this calculating from a birth of a child?

I got that marriage from the Yorkshire BMD website. Quite a good site for marriages. We're going to get the marriage certificate from the Leeds Records office and hopefully this will give us Mary's fathers name.

I'm wondering whether Mary Midgley was her maiden name or whether she had been married before and her husband had died. I know she said she was single on the census but she could have been a widow. Hopefully the marriage certificate will clarify this.

Strangly St Anne's Lane is about 10 mins from my house. It seems a few Midgleys lived there.

Thanks everyone, Victoria.

Hi

Just wanted to update the kind people who replied to my 'help' request! I went ahead and got the marriage certificate for Mary Midgley and Joseph Pheasey. I am pretty sure this must be the right family. Mary was indeed a spinster when she got married - her father Joseph was indeed a Butcher!!! So I may never find out Alfred's father, but then maybe he never knew his actual father either! It makes sense why there was no birth certificate. Elizabeth Beaumont is a witness at the wedding and a David Beaumont - presumably her husband.

So thankyou very much for pointing me in the right direction. I can now stop worrying about Alfreds birth certificate and can concentrate on Mary Midgleys side.

Thanks again.

Victoria.

Nice to get confirmation