James Henry Phillips - Norwich

[Berrybrook]

Help! Have struggled for years to prove or disprove a connection (father - son) between James Phillips born circa 1828 variously in Poona/Tamil Nadu, India living Mill End Lane, Eaton, Norwich in 1861 Census with son James Henry Phillips aged 5 at the time, birth certificate says born April 1855. My Great Grandfather was James Henry Phillips born in Norwich, never married my Grandmother, because she was already married, so no marriage certificate. His age recorded in various Census' fits roughly. Problem is we have found a marriage cert. for a James Henry Phillips, father James marrying a Henrietta Francis White in 1883 (both of full age), father James Phillips. At this time we have him living with my great grandmother and one child, few of the further 11 children they had together bore his name on their birth certificate. Have failed to find a Henrietta & James Phillips in the 1891 Census or one or other's deaths in that period. I know it is probably a vain hope, but can anyone help?

[Geoffers]

[James Phillips born circa 1828 variously in Poona/Tamil Nadu, India living Mill End Lane, Eaton, Norwich in 1861 Census with son James Henry Phillips aged 5 at the time, birth certificate says born April 1855.]

What was occuaption of James senior? Would he have left a will/admon? Have you tried searching for that? Similarly have you seached for the death of James Henry Phillips the son? (This could be a long search) Does he turn up in the 1901 census and any directories to narrow down teh time period in which he may have died?

[My Great Grandfather was James Henry Phillips born in Norwich, never married my Grandmother, because she was already married

If the mother of his children was married, I don't see why he should not have also been married.

[At this time we have him living with my great grandmother and one child]

Was he definitely living with her - or living with a wife at another address and just supporting the mother of his children??

[Have failed to find a Henrietta & James Phillips in the 1891 Census or one or other's deaths in that period. I know it is probably a vain hope, but can anyone help]

Have you tried the surname idnex to the 1891 census which is online at:
http://apling.freeservers.com/CensusInfo.htm
There is a global index linking names to places and then each place is indexed individually lisiting the piece, folio and page numbers.

Geoffers

[Berrybrook]

Thanks for the suggestions. Will try these out. As you say he wasn't legally married to my grandmother, so there was nothing to stop him marrying someone else, maybe as suggested by my cousin, it was a marriage of convenience for Henrietta, perhaps in order to inherit. We have found the death of a Henrietta Phillips, wife of Harry Phillips in 1901 although her death was reported by a sister-in-law. James senior on the marriage certificate in 1883 is recorded as a market gardener (my mother says she has been told her grandfather was in that line of business), in the 1861 Census he is a Primitive Methodist Minister, can't find him in the 1851. In the 1881 James senior is described as a shop keeper.

My great grandfather James Henry is variously described in the census' as 1881 General Labourer (this is where we first discovered my great grandparents living under the assumed name of Smith with their first daughter in Kings Lynn), 1891 - fitter groom, 1901 - gardner. We know James Henry died in 1921.