Help identifying mother

[Gillian57]

Hope someone can help me with this one. I have hit a brickwall in my search for the wife or wives of my ancestor Robert Pettit. I know for sure that one of his sons was a Stephen Pettit, born in Hackney/Homerton in 1816, so I thought my best bet would be to ask if anyone with access to Hackney parish records could tell me his mother's name.

Previously, someone on this forum found births for some of his other possible children: Susannah 1807 and Harriet 1809, in St Johns Hackney, but unfortunately no mother was listed. I do also know that my Robert definitely had a son, James born in 1805 and another son George in 1814. Stephen was one of the later children.

Possible wives names could be Ann Carpenter who married a Robert Pettit in St Mary's, Marylebone in 1801 or Martha Bolt who married a Robert Pettit in 1835.

I am hoping someone may be able to tell me the name of Stephen's mother and then I may find my missing link, or links with all these people.

Thank you.

Gill

[Mutley]

If no one on the forum has access to Hackney Parish records try an email to East London Family History Society
http://www.eolfhs.org.uk/

They may be able to help

[Gillian57]

Mutley,

Thank you. I will try the e-mail as you suggest if no-one can help on the forum.

Gill

[bwarnerok]

I was having this same type of dilemna in about the same time frame as you and the same basic area.

I was looking in the Aldgate area where the father and son were listed as baptised but the wife's last name was never mentioned and her first name was spelled various ways. I finally made a trip to the LMA and found a marriage in St. George in the East.

The data you are seeing online just might not be complete enough to help you. The actual Parish records for these births might give you some info.

The Guildhall library might be the place you need to go to search up the old records.

How about a Will for Robert? Hints to inlaws are often found there.
The old newspapers/mags for an obit? (particularly is Robert was a "gentleman")
If they didn't have money, perhaps the settlement records for the parishes?
Apprentice papers for the father (might give you another parish clue)

Best of luck,
Betsy

[Gillian57]

Betsy,


Thank you very much for the advice. I don't think there would be a will for Robert as he was not a gentleman, but a bricklayer. However, I have managed to find out some further information re in laws for one of his daughters, but it's the mother who remains elusive at the moment. I think the only answer is going to be as you suggest, the LMA for the Hackney parish records.

Gill

[Gillian57]

Just wanted to update everybody on my success this week in finding my elusive great, great, great grandmother, for whom I have been searching for some considerable time.

Following a trip to the Hackney Archives office, which I have been meaning to do for some time, I discovered that the elusive lady was in fact named Louisa Pettit. (Previously I had thought she might be a Martha or an Ann, but these were red herrings). I am so pleased as I discovered who she was for the very first time by looking up the baptisms of all five known children, James, Susannah, Harriet , George and Stephen Pettit. In doing so, I verified that Louisa was mother to all of them, and now I just have to go back and look for the marriage of Robert and Louisa to find out a bit more about her background.

It just shows you that the information is out there somewhere, and it's such a thrill when we find out something we've been looking for for so long.

Gill

[Mutley]

Well done and congratulations... Such a thrill.

[Jan1954]

|woohoo|

Congratulations, Gill!