Townley - Brooklyn 1870 Census Look-Up Request

[Anna]

William Henry Townley, b. about 1841, Limehouse, Middlesex, occupation painter/decorator, married 1865 to:

Wife Christian Cecilia Edbrooke Townley, nee Gibson, b. about 1847, Plymouth, Devon. She constantly changes her name during the various Censuses so is either Cecilia, Celia, Christian, or Christiana.

On the 1881 UK Cenus they are listed as having children:

Alice Maud, b. Poplar, about 1866
William E, b. Brooklyn, about 1867
Albert F, b. Brooklyn, about 1870
Their next child is born about 1876 in Poplar

They didn't stay in the US for long, between 1867-1875 at the latest.

Could someone do a look-up for me please?

[Sheridanfine]

Hi Anna

Here is the info you wanted, unfortunately there isn't a great deal of information on the earlier census.

Mistranscribed as Tounley

1870 census, Brooklyn Ward 22, Kings, New York

William Townley, age 30, Painter, born England, both parents of foreign birth, US citizen
Cecelia, age 24, keeping house, born England, both parents of foreign birth
Alice, age 4, born NY
William, age 2, born NY
Holbert, age 2 months, born NY

I have found a passenger list with William Townley going to New York on the ship Cornelius Grinnell in 1863, he was alone also you will see from the census that he was naturalized so I will see if an early naturalization record is available.

Best wishes

Yvonne

[Sheridanfine]

Anna

Found William, Christian C and Alice Maud arriving New York, 31st August 1866 on the ship Villa Franca

Yvonne

[Sheridanfine]

Anna

No naturalization records, I'm afraid.....

but did find this on "familysearch"..

Townley
Male

Event(s):
Birth: 08 FEB 1867 Birth Certificates, Brooklyn, Kings, New York

Parents:
Father: William Townley Family
Mother: Cecelia Gibson


Extracted birth or christening record for the locality listed in the record. The source records are usually arranged chronologically by the birth or christening date.


Source Information:
Batch No.: Dates: Source Call No.: Type: Printout Call No.: Type:

C715174


Best wishes

Yvonne

[Anna]

Hi Yvonne,

What a quick reply, thanks so much!

I definitely have Alice Maud as being born in Poplar, Middlesex in 1865, so that's my Christian/Cecilia being fanciful again with the truth I think about her being born in NY!!

The reference to William going alone to US in '63 initially is a little confusing but they didn't marry until 1865. If he was naturalised would not this show up in later UK records?

'Holbert' is obviously Albert on the later 1881 UK Census.

A lot to think about. Any indication of when they left New York to come back to the UK?

Quite fascinating, I wonder why they left?

Anna

[Sheridanfine]

Hi Anna

I don't think that Christian/Cecelia was alone in her "fancifulness" from my personal experience of what was relayed to the enumerator <Grin>

From my own family experience (my father was born in New York and never took up UK nationality although he had it by right through marriage to mom) it was never an issue on any documentation at all.

I really quite liked to see the American enumerator's hearing of Albert and I can well see that the english pronunciation would lead to this result <G>

Unfortunately there aren't any online records UK although I have read that these are being digitised but not sure when. "Passenger lists of people arriving in the United Kingdom by sea kept by the Board of Trade's Commercial and Statistical Department and its successors"

Your last question is probably impossible to answer, we all possibly think that going to the "new world" was a positive thing but even though it was just under a hundred years later than the Townley's arrived in the US, my own mother couldn't cope any longer than six months in New York because of home sickness!

If you need images or anything else, just let me know

Best wishes

Yvonne

[Anna]

Hi Yvonne,

Any images you could provide would be wonderful.

William & Christian's last child Ada was born 1881. In 1891 she is listed as a widow with children Alice, William and Samuel. The other children, Albert, Lottie, Annie and Ada are not with her but I have now found Eleanor and Francis, both away from home as servants, I still can find no death record for William Snr. In 1901 she is with Lottie, Ada, Samuel. I can find no positive trace of Albert whatsoever after 1881. I am now wondering if William went back to the US with some of the children (or I am having a Cecilia moment!) - is it possible for you to look for them between those dates?

Very grateful for your help.

Anna