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Hi
I had exactly the same thing. It does pay to be persistent.
My ggggrandfather Thomas Roberts wed Sussex born Mary Ann Walder in Stoke Newington, London in 1864. Thomas was a widower and Servant whose father was also Thomas Roberts, deceased, a Servant. Obviously the family liked that trade and Thomas took after his dad.
On the 1871 and 1881 censuses he gave inconsistent ages but gave his birthplace as Kent. I made sure it was the same man as all the wife and childrens info tallied in 1871 and 1881. I struggled to find his baptism and anything about him before 1864. But, he gave one of his daughters the name of Elizabeth Emily Goodacre Roberts. A clue. There were no Goodacre's on Mary Ann's side so it had to be on Thomas's side.
I found that Roberts, a pretty common name, was quite rare in rural Kent, and even Deptford etc. I found a 47 year old Thomas Roberts in 1861 in Brighton in Sussex, a servant and Army out chelsea pensioner, born in Kent with wife Esther and daughter Ann. I found out what regiment Thomas served in and his birthplace was Kemsing, Kent and his signature on his army records was virtually identical to the actual handwritten signature Thomas wrote when he wed Mary Ann Walder in 1864 as I got a phtocopy of the original marriage entry to view their actual signatures, not just the GRO one which is just copies made by the registrar for the GRO. Kemsing born Thomas Roberts baptism says his father was Thomas Robets and mother Ann. Bingo.
Esther died in 1863 and Ann was living in London in 1871 as a servant, and the family she was with turned out to be her aunty and uncle. When Ann wed in 1873 she said her dad was a "Soap maker" which is what my Thomas Roberts was at times of his life.
I typed in Goodacre into the first and middle name section and Roberts in the last name section. Interestingly, I found the death of a Frederick Goodacre Roberts in the Mar Qtr 1861 in Brighton of all places and that is where Thomas Roberts lived. I asked for a BIVRI lookup and Frederick Goodacre Roberts was the son of Thos and Esther bap June 1860 St Nich Brighton.
The Thomas Roberts who was in Brighton in 1861 who gave Goodacre as a middle name for his son and my ancestor Thomas Roberts who wed Mary Ann Walder in 1864 gave Goodacre as a middle name for one of his daughters. It had to be the same Thomas Roberts.
When my Thomas Roberts died in 1889 his year of birth points towards 1813 which is when the 1861 Brighton living Army Thomas Roberts was born.
Thomas Roberts father Thomas Roberts had wed Ann GOODACRE in 1807 in Kent by license and it says that he was a servant. My Xmases had all come at once. That proved that I was dealing with the same Thomas Roberts who wed Mary Ann Walder in 1864.
Ben
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This marriage is on BVRI which gives another spelling of Hookway/Hookay:
BOARD, Frederick Marriage
Wife: Jane Hookay HAM
Marriage Date: 14 Sep 1842 Recorded in: Bristol, Gloucestershire, England
Collection: St Philip and St Jacob
Husband's Father: Francis BOARD
Wife's Father: John HAM
Source: FHL Film 1596923 Dates: 1840 - 1854
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Know how you feel Teresa, I share computor with 13year old daughter, who is always on MSN chatting with friends, last night I even went to bed early as OH was watching football {for a change} and 13year old on MSN, so off I went....... seriously considering getting her a laptop........
Nicky.
Great news on your new findings!!
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I makes a difference when I can spend nearly a whole day using MY computer too without having any interruptions!
2 Grown up children 28 & 32 still at home always wanting to use MY computer.
One daughter and son free to good homes!
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Hi Teresa,
Well done. Persistence pays off. As others have said although I hate the saying, It pays to look outside the box.
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I've finally discovered who my Gt Gt grandmother's father is.
I've spent so much time in researching my Irish side of the family that I haven't spent that much time following up my English Grandma''s mother's family.
I knew that one of Grandma's grandmother was Jane Han/Hamm c.1820 so I thought it was time I found out once and for all what her surname was for sure.
Trawling through the Free BDM.s I discovered that my Grandma's mother's sister, Jane, had the middle name of Hookway. Big clue!
I already knew that her middle name began with an H from the census records. ...I will be sending off for her birth certificate this week just to make sure that she is my Grandma's mother's sister.
I then did a search on the IGI records looking for a Jane Han and Hamm. I didn't expect to find anything as I had searched before thinking that Jane Han/Hamm (from Somerset) was married before 1837 as there is one child on the census records born c.1837.
Bingo...Jane Hookway Ham married Frederick Board in 1842 in Bristol. I already knew who Frederick's father was and the record matches. Jane's father was given as John Ham. This is an 'Extracted record from the locality'.
Found the death registration of Jane Hookway Board too which ties up with the district she was living in on the 1901 census as a widow. Frederick died in 1897. 2 more certificates to order!
I did another search looking for John Ham and found that he married Jane Hookway in 1819 in Weare Somerset. This is one of those dreaded 'submitted by a member of the LDS church' but it does look promising as an exact date is given. So all I need to do now is check out the Parish Records....
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