Gillam/Lowden Families of St Helier

[Stewart Hill]

Hi Lucinda

As I mentioned to you I decided to effectively start again by listing all the Gillam births between Charles and Mary Mayford/Mugford’s marriage in 1841 and 1861 and then go and look at the certificates and see who their parents were.

I had found 10 births and whilst waiting with the Registrar for the books to be found he tells me something that I didn’t know before (or had forgotten) and that was although Civil Registration started in 1842 it did not become a legal requirement until c1880! So if you were poor there was every chance that the birth wasn’t registered due to the cost. These are the births I found and it was interesting to note that whilst the baptism record shows the wife’s name as Mary, the birth certificates show Elizabeth Mary.

Elizabeth Sarah Gilliam, born 7th Sep 1843 (mother surname Mugford)
Elizabeth Mary Gillam, born 29th Nov 1845 (mother surname Mayford)
Caroline Sophia Gillam, born 13th Jul 1855 (mother surname Mugford)
Alice Gillam, born 12th Sep 1858 (mother surname Mugford)
James Mugford Gillam, born 13th May 1861 (mother surname Mugford)

Additionally there is a pre-registration baptism for a Charles Bowdidge Gillam with a father of Charles Gillam and a mother of Mary (no surname). I don’t think this forms part of the direct family.

I then cross referenced this with 7 Gillam deaths from 1841 to 1861 and none of them related to the births so I discounted them.

All of the births gave the place of birth as George Street except James who actually gave a house number – 7, George Street. I then went to FindMyPast (because you can search via an address) to see who was living at this address in 1861. The census was taken 8th Apr 1861, remember James was born 13th May 1861. This completed the circle because who should be living there but the Gilham family!!!!!

So who are all these children? I suspect that as some had the first name Elizabeth they were referred to by their second name. The ages are a bit out but who knows who gave the enumerator the information. As Ellen is the only one I can’t figure out I researched her and found her to be the daughter of John Charles Gillam and Mary (no surname mentioned but probably Cressard) born 8th Feb 1846. John was a hatter and they appear to have had a daughter Jane Elizabeth 24th Sep 1841 where the surname is mentioned.

This then led me to ask what happened to James? In the 1871 census he is there with his mother Elizabeth (carefully filed by Ancestry as Elixa). Elizabeth is listed as a widow aged 47 and a charwoman. James is aged 9. They are living at Columbas Street.

I’ll let you digest all that but I think there is light at the end of the tunnel!

Stewarrt

[lucinda]

Hello Stewart and thank you again for your efforts. The details you have found for us are very interesting once more and we will have to give some thought to exactly what they add to what we know of Gt Grandmothers family. It now seems certain that there were at least two Gillam families in St Helier at this time. Our family had Charles Gillam and Eliza (Mugford) as parents and the other
had Charles Gillam and Mary (Mugford) as parents. If we can make sense of this situation we may then be in a better position to decide the way forward. Hope to come back to you very soon. Once again, many thanks. Lucinda