DianaCanada
01-01-2007, 10:32 PM
After looking at a brickwall for 18 years it finally crumbled. Here's what I knew less than a year ago:
Nancy Burrows/Barras/Barrass (multiple spellings never help) b. either Blacko or Barrowford, Lancs. ca 1830. From marriage certif. (to Robert Dixon, in Burnley) - father John, a weaver. One known brother, 2 known half-sibs.
About 18 years ago I searched through censuses for my families in Burnley, where my father was born. I found Nancy, married, with a brother/lodger, Abraham Barras, b. ca 1818, Nappa/Gisburn, Yorks, in 1861/71/81.
In 1851 Abraham was listed in the household of Edward Hoyle and his wife Elizabeth and several Riley children, in Burnley, as a lodger. Listed under him was a Robert Burrow(e)s age 17, "half-brother". Naturally I assumed that he was Abraham's half-brother.
Well I was right, but it's not what the enumerator meant.
A couple of weeks ago, after putting together info. that I have found on the internet in the past year (including Nancy's christening), mostly new entries from the IGI and various censues, I have discovered that Nancy was one of at least 13 children from two marriages of John Burrows. Abraham was a half-brother and Robert was a full-brother.
Back to my point. I had a Eureka (or was it yikes!?) moment when I realized that the wife of Edward Hoyle back in 1851 was Elizabeth Riley - the children with her were illegitimate and they all appeared with John Burrows in 1841 - she was his stepdaughter. This confirmed my suspicions of a marriage I'd found in Clitheroe to a Mary Riley. The IGI coughed up a christening for Elizabeth to Mary (apparently single) in 1814 in Halton Gill, Yorks., which matched her bp given on the census.
So in actual fact, Robert Burrow(e)s was the half-brother of Elizabeth Riley Hoyle, not of Abraham Burrows (though he was actually his too!). Now if only that enumerator had thought to write "step-brother" after Abraham's name, I might have knocked down that brickwall a long time ago : ).
I found this info. 2 days before Xmas so it was a great present. Last night I found another Barras listed as a relative to one of John's grandsons - she's the right age to be John's sister. Onward!
I guess the moral of the story is - check those census entries from every angle you can think of!
Diana.
Nancy Burrows/Barras/Barrass (multiple spellings never help) b. either Blacko or Barrowford, Lancs. ca 1830. From marriage certif. (to Robert Dixon, in Burnley) - father John, a weaver. One known brother, 2 known half-sibs.
About 18 years ago I searched through censuses for my families in Burnley, where my father was born. I found Nancy, married, with a brother/lodger, Abraham Barras, b. ca 1818, Nappa/Gisburn, Yorks, in 1861/71/81.
In 1851 Abraham was listed in the household of Edward Hoyle and his wife Elizabeth and several Riley children, in Burnley, as a lodger. Listed under him was a Robert Burrow(e)s age 17, "half-brother". Naturally I assumed that he was Abraham's half-brother.
Well I was right, but it's not what the enumerator meant.
A couple of weeks ago, after putting together info. that I have found on the internet in the past year (including Nancy's christening), mostly new entries from the IGI and various censues, I have discovered that Nancy was one of at least 13 children from two marriages of John Burrows. Abraham was a half-brother and Robert was a full-brother.
Back to my point. I had a Eureka (or was it yikes!?) moment when I realized that the wife of Edward Hoyle back in 1851 was Elizabeth Riley - the children with her were illegitimate and they all appeared with John Burrows in 1841 - she was his stepdaughter. This confirmed my suspicions of a marriage I'd found in Clitheroe to a Mary Riley. The IGI coughed up a christening for Elizabeth to Mary (apparently single) in 1814 in Halton Gill, Yorks., which matched her bp given on the census.
So in actual fact, Robert Burrow(e)s was the half-brother of Elizabeth Riley Hoyle, not of Abraham Burrows (though he was actually his too!). Now if only that enumerator had thought to write "step-brother" after Abraham's name, I might have knocked down that brickwall a long time ago : ).
I found this info. 2 days before Xmas so it was a great present. Last night I found another Barras listed as a relative to one of John's grandsons - she's the right age to be John's sister. Onward!
I guess the moral of the story is - check those census entries from every angle you can think of!
Diana.