Marriage of Joseph & Mary

[Danno]

Hi all
hope all is well

I am looking to first locate the marriage details, then hopefully purchase the marriage certificate of:
Joseph Hugh Campbell. born circa 1812. Willington. died 1890. Morpeth
and
Mary Forster. born circa 1813. Melkridge. Haltwhistle. Northumberland. died. 1887.
Their children were:
Ann 17
Eleanor 9
James 12
John 20
Joseph 14
Robert 21 my Great + grandfather. married Jane Ann Wanless 10-12-1861
William 9
as per the 1861 census I am told, some of whom were born in Cramlington.

I really have not had much experience tracking such information, any and all help/advice is much appreciated.

Cheers
Danno.

[pipsqueak]

I found two possibilities on FreeBMD:

1. Joseph Campbell and Ann Forster, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Vol 25/page 387, 4th Quarter 1837
nb - There are six other Newcastle names on the same page and there is no way to know which person married who, so it's a matter of taking an educated guess.

2. Mary Forster and James Kirkland Campbell, Berwick on Tweed, Vol 25/page 7, 3rd Quarter 1837 [again there are other names on the page]

You could do a search for the birth records to see if, for example, Mary was also Ann,

[Pam Downes]

Hi Danno,
First of all can we assume that you have proof of Mary's maiden name -ideally by having purchased the birth certifcate for Robert who is your direct descendant?
If so, then the trick is to work your back through the previous census for 1851 and then 1841, your aim being to find out when their first child might have been born. This will hopefully narrow down the period during which the marriage would have taken place.
So 1851, Joseph, Mary plus Robert aged looks like 11 (12 at a push ) and John aged 9, and three other children. All children said to have been born Cramlington.
1841 census, Joseph, Mary, and Robert aged 2, John 1 month living in Cramlington.
So chances are that J&M married after civil registration started in July 1837 which makes searching a lot easier.
Start with FreeBMD. https://freebmd.rootsweb.com/
It's a work in progress of a transcription of the GRO Index, which in turn is allegedly a register of every birth marriage and death registered in England and Wales from 1st July 1837 to the present day. Note the words 'work in progress' and 'allegedly'.
I searched for Joseph Campbell, married between Sep quarter 1837 and December 1840. Most likely ones were those in Newcastle and South Shields registration districts. Click on the page number and you (should) get a list of people who are on the same page in the register. 1837-1851, maximum of 8 people; 1852+ maximum of 4 people. Equal number of men and women. You should strike lucky when you search for yourself. Then you need to check that the registration details are correct so click on the specs symbol at the side of both Joseph and Mary's names. (You'll see why I've emphasised Mary when you search. )
You are now set to order the marriage certificate.
https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/or...ates/index.asp
As a rule of thumb the less detail you put in the better so there's no need to put both names, just one will suffice.
If this isn't as clear as mud, then yell again.
Pam

P.S. Have just seen pipsqueak's post. Note that I have found two more Joseph Campbell marriages.

[Danno]

Thanks Pipsqueak
I'm gathering as much information before making a choice.
&
Thank you Pam
I have been in contact with a person who has confirmed the names of Joseph & Mary from the marriage details of Robert Campbell to 'Jane Ann Wanless'.

Unfortunatly I have'nt purchased any certificates yet, as I was always stumbling around the various sites with little knowledge of where to look. once I become more familiar with the process it will probably take up the rest of what I thought was my 'spare time' .

Well I followed your guidance through the site and came up with this one which looks to be the most promising so far.
Marriages Dec 1838
Campbell Joseph -- South Shields -- Vol 24 -- page 136 &
Forster Mary -- as above --


Thank you so much once again

ps; I have no idea how to search the census records as yet, it is another area I've not had any 'experience' with at this time.
It is probably the most basic of tools for research, and I will become proficient with in due course. I did only start researching this year .

Cheers Danno

[Pam Downes]

Hi Danno,

I have been in contact with a person who has confirmed the names of Joseph & Mary from the marriage details of Robert Campbell to 'Jane Ann Wanless'.

Not infallible because England & Wales marriage certificates only give the father's name - and as many of us can verify, that ain't always accurate!
There is always the possibility that there could have been two Robert Campbells born in the same place in the same or adjacent years. More common than you think, which is where the census comes in handy.
Have a read of
https://www.dixons.clara.co.uk/Certificates/indexbd.htm
which tells you everything you should know about BMD certificates in England and Wales.
Birth certificate every time, if at all possible and if finances allow to prove parentage.

Unfortunatly I have'nt purchased any certificates yet, as I was always stumbling around the various sites with little knowledge of where to look. once I become more familiar with the process it will probably take up the rest of what I thought was my 'spare time' .

No 'probably' about it. Definitely is the word.

Well I followed your guidance through the site and came up with this one which looks to be the most promising so far.
Marriages Dec 1838
Campbell Joseph -- South Shields -- Vol 24 -- page 136 &
Forster Mary -- as above --

That's the one I would opt for, too.

ps; I have no idea how to search the census records as yet, it is another area I've not had any 'experience' with at this time.
It is probably the most basic of tools for research, and I will become proficient with in due course. I did only start researching this year.

'Tis a foolish man who says he knows it all in genealogy. I remember reading that The National Archives at Kew had found a document dated something like 1470 and they had never seen one like it before. (Sheep tax rings a bell, but don't quote me!)
If you have a Latter-Day Saints (Mormon) Family History Centre (always shortened to LDS FHC for obvious reasons!) nearby, then I think that you can once again access Ancestry for free. Check for FHCs
https://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Libr...ameset_fhc.asp
Alternatively, if it's cold and wet and you're too much of a wimp to venture outdoors, then I would recommend that you try out several sites online. You can usually access the sites for a small fee. You will have to google for the URLs as we are not allowed to quote those of commercial companies on the forum.
Findmypast (all one word) - see 'pay-to-view' at the very bottom of their subscribe page. They don't have the 1851 census at the moment. But on its way, and transcribed by people.
The Genealogist.
And everyone's 'favourite' (as in favourite - not!) - A.......y. If you can get a free trial make sure you print out the cancellation instructions and cancel in plenty of time. Otherwise they do a pay-as-you-go on the co.uk site.
You should always be able to search a site for free, and only have to pay to see transcriptions and/or images. Always opt to view the image, and then choose transcription if you need help with some of the words.
Have a read of some of the posts in the British Census forum to get an idea of some of the creative thinking you have to use to find people at times. And if you're still stuck then yell.
Have fun.
Pam

Added: The census image is always the same. What differs between the companies is the way they present their 'search' results.