Genealogy Chat

Any logical suggestions why William might not appear on any censuses? I've taken to tracing his children and his siblings in the hope that their marriages might shed some light.. not that they have so far!

well, I guess William could be a mariner, eg fisherman, and out on the boat(s) at census time in 1841


The assumption with Ann saying that she is a widow on the 1851 could be that William died before that census ........

........... but we don't actually know what her status was on the 1841 as that detail is not shown on that census



I do wonder whether she was in fact NOT married??



Could all the children be illegitimate, but told that their father was called William?



Could Isaac actually be Ann's brother?

That's an interesting idea.. I did wonder if he existed.. although there is a constant mention of him being an engineer. Isaac had two sisters that I could find.. Mary and Betsy but I have found this family really difficult to trace; particularly the women. I couldn't find a record of Sarah marrying a man with the surname Wells / Wills. It's proving difficult!

I can't find a marriage for Sarah Ann.

I tried to find her in a later census, but without success .... there is a Sarah Ann Wells in the 1881 Census, who is the Master of a Barge .................... but she says she was born in Knutsford



Report issue

Name: Sarah Wells
Age: 39
Estimated birth year: abt 1842
Relationship to Head: Head
Gender: Female
Where born: Knutsford, Cheshire, England
Civil Parish: Penkridge
County/Island: Staffordshire
Country: England
Street address: Penkridge Wharf " Plymouth "
Marital Status: Married

Occupation: Master (Barge)
Registration district: Cannock
Sub registration district: Penkridge
ED, institution, or vessel: 4

Piece: 2780
Folio: 54
Page Number: 16

Sarah Wells 39 Married
Esther Wells 19 b.ca 1862, Cosgrove, Northamptonshire
Moses Wells 6 b.ca 1875, Red Bull, Cheshire
Ellen Wells 3 b.ca 1878, Runcorn, Cheshire




????? a red herring :-)

:-S The Howards are a nightmare!!

The sarah Wells in the 1881 Census that I posted ................ is NOT yours.



I found Esther in 1871 .............

1871 Census

Name: Esther H S Wells
Age: 9
Estimated birth year: abt 1862
Relation: Daughter
Father's name: Mosses Wells
Mother's name: Sarah Wells
Gender: Female
Where born: In Bost 99%)

Lunt Sarah Wolverhampton 6b 578
Wells Moses Wolverhampton 6b 578

Sylvia - U is the first letter of unmarried.

oh dear!


My posting of yesterday, Feb 18 20:17, did not post properly, and I did not check it at the time.


This is what I was referring to, with the census information showing in full ...........


1871 Census

Name: Esther H S Wells
Age: 9
Estimated birth year: abt 1862
Relation: Daughter
Father's name: Mosses Wells
Mother's name: Sarah Wells
Gender: Female
Where born: In Bost
Civil Parish: Church Lawton
Ecclesiastical parish: Church Lawton
County/Island: Cheshire
Country: England
Registration district: Congleton
Sub-registration district: Sandbach
ED, institution, or vessel: 5
Household schedule number: 149
Piece: 3706
Folio: 107
Page Number: 31

Mosses Wells 32 b.ca 1839, Bidford, Warwickshire, Labourer
Sarah Wells 27 b.ca 1844, Allostock, Cheshire
Esther H S Wells 9
Harriett Wells 7
Mary J Wells 5
Eliza Wells 2
Edwin Lunt 15 Brother-in-Law

Address:- Stationary Boat Cabins, Suttons Basin



Marriage of Mos(s)es and Sarah? ..................


Marriages Jun 1862 (>99%)

Lunt Sarah Wolverhampton 6b 578
Wells Moses Wolverhampton 6b 578

mgnv .................



oops!!!


you're right.


Although I think they did use S for most of the others.


But if that is so, then father William is a figment in the sense of being her husband :-(

Hmm.. It's not looking good.. I think I will order Edwin's birth certificate but I'm not sure how much it will tell me.. I only think it is William Howard born 1803 because of the connection to Isaac.. Apart from that, all I have is engineer! Not much to go on :-(