Where was my g/grandfather born?

[josie7644]

Hello,

For months, I've been searching for the birth of my great grandfather, Abraham Marchant. In 1846/1847, he was born into a Prestbyterian family. His parents were Edward Newman McNeil Marchant and Sarah Marchant (maiden name unknown), both born about 1821 in Ross, Scotland and York, respectively.

In 1861, he appears as a fifteen-year-old brass-finisher, living in Deansgate, Manchester, with birth place Scotland. In 1911, he is in Nell Lane Workhouse, aged 65, with birth place Londonderry.

I have searched IGI and various Irish Genealogy sites, but without success.

Any help/suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Thank you in anticipation.

Josie

[JAP1]

Hi Josie,

Is it possible that Sarah was Edward's second wife and not Abraham's mother.

1841 Feb
Edward MERCHANT (sic) m Helen HAMILTON, 12 Feb 1841, Govan, Lanarkshire, Scotland (IGI)

1841 census Scotland
1 Coronation Lane, Gorbals, Lanarkshire
Edward MERCHANT, 20, Brass Founder, b in Scotland but not in Lanarkshire
Helen Hamilton MERCHANT, 20, b Lanarkshire

1841 August
Edward MARCHANT & Helen HAMILTON had William, b 28 Aug, bap 26 Sep 1841, Hutchesontown, Lanarkshire, Scotland (IGI - submitted entry)

1851 census England
HO107/ Piece 2320/ Folio 498/ Page 12
1 Dunns yard, Leeds, Lancashire, England
MERCHANT
Edward, Head, Widower, 30, Brass Founder, b Rothsea (sic)
William, Son, 9, Scholar, b Scotland
Janet, Daughter, 7, Scholar, b Ireland
Abraham, Son, 5, b Ireland
James, Son, 2, b Ireland
Janet, Lodger, 31, Housekeeper, b Scotland

1852
Marriage: Edward MERCHANT, Jun qtr 1852, York, Vol 9d, Page 59; a Sarah ROBINSON is on the same page

Perhaps Sarah filled in the 1861 census schedule and simply assumed (wrongly) that Abraham, like William, had been born in Scotland.

Over to you,

JAP

[Pam Downes]

I am seriously impressed JAP.
I thought 'I wonder if Marchant was ever indexed as Merchant - but then forgot to look for Merchant in the 1851 census.
Pam

[JAP1]

Thanks Pam.

However, if I remember correctly, the way I actually came across it was by looking at the 1861 census, and then looking in the IGI for the birth in Scotland ca 1840 of William MARCHANT.

Came across the submitted entry for birth of William MARCHANT, parents Edward MARCHANT & Helen HAMILTON.

So looked for a marriage for this couple and - courtesy of the lovely way the LDS so often combine different spellings - there it was as MERCHANT.

So, thanks to a submitter and the LDS , it was easy then just to search all censuses for Edward M*RCHANT - and thus got him in 1841 and 1851.

Submitted entries most certainly don't always deserve the opprobrium which is so often heaped upon them!

Cheers,

JAP
PS: And by 1871, Edward seemed to be on to wife #3

[josie7644]

Thanks Pam.



JAP
PS: And by 1871, Edward seemed to be on to wife #3

Well, my dear JAP, thank you so much for all that info. What can I say? In a short time you have provided me with so much that I'm jumping for joy!

I didn't know that Abe had a sister called Janet - I can feel another search coming on.....

As to Edward's third wife, he married Elizabeth Gorman (widow) in Salford in 1865. Interestingly, Abe married Elizabeth's daughter Margaret shortly afterwards and had eleven surviving children, one of whom was my maternal grandmother, Elizabeth.

Thank you again.



Josie

[josie7644]

Thought I would continue on this thread, rather than start a new one!

Through my own research and with thanks to JAP, I now have my g/grandfather on every census except 1901.

In October 1897, Abraham's wife Margaret (Marchant) died (in Chorlton) at the age of 46 and I wondered whether Abe had gone off the rails!

For months, I have searched for variations of Marchant and for Abraham (born about 1847) with no surname. I have also located several of his 11 children, but he isn't with any of them.

Any ideas would be very much appreciated.

Many thanks,

Josie