Am I really a STAPLETON??

[cathycelt]

Hopefully this will clear up some questions , or make more of them for other STAPLETONs from this line. This is going to take some space..I'll try to keep it short! My maiden name is STAPLETON. My father's father Albert E. was born in Greasley, Nottinghamshire, England ,March 8,1881. I have his birth cert.(copy) so am sure this is correct. His parents were Artaxerxes Spaulton(sic) STAPLETON and Sarah Jane HARROLD who were married in 1872, Basford District. I checked the index and they are on it. Their children were Grace, Ernest,Albert(my Grnd. Fath.),Maud,Frank (as of 1891 Eng. census). Artaxerxes STAPLETON was born in Greasley, Nottinghamshire, England in 1853. He was referred to by family as "Taxee" so I will use that name from now on. His mother was Grace STAPLETON. In 1856 (when Taxee is 3 yrs. old) she married William Spaulding in Basford, Derbyshire, Nottingh. They appear on the registry index. In 1861 the three appear as a family on the census all under the name SPAULDING. Taxee is now 8 yrs. and has no siblings. In 1871 the SPAULDIG(misspelled Spanltan) household includes Taxee now 18 yrs., William, Grace, and Elizabeth HENSON, a niece, but no other children. In 1872 Taxee got married, and "reversed" his surnames, now using Stapleton for the rest of his life. (Are you still with me? we're just coming to the good part!) I backtracked Grace Stapleton, b. 1826 Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, Eng. to find her parents and in 1851 she is listed with John and Ann(PEARCE) Stapleton in Greasley, Nottshr.,Eng. as a daughter, 25 yrs. So, jumping back to 1841 I expect to find Grace at age 15 living with John and Ann. But, instead I find a George, age 15, "son". It is definitely the same family and the page is very clear, it says George and Grace is nowhere to be found. So, my question is, did someone really mistake a 15yr old girl for a boy? did someone play a prank on the enumerator? were George and Grace twins?, if so where was she in 1841, or was Grace a Stapleton by marriage to George after 1841?? If so where was he in 1851?? He would have been 25yrs. old. This is only half of the "question" and it is becoming to lengthy for this post so I will make another one titled "Who is Taxee??", and tell the rest of the story. Any help with Grace will be appreciated. Thank ya'll!

[Sue Mackay]

So, jumping back to 1841 I expect to find Grace at age 15 living with John and Ann. But, instead I find a George, age 15, "son". It is definitely the same family and the page is very clear, it says George and Grace is nowhere to be found. So, my question is, did someone really mistake a 15yr old girl for a boy?


Remember that in the 1841 census ages were rounded to the nearest 5, except for very young children, so it is quite common to find siblings born a couple of years apart who are both listed as 15. Grace was probably working somewhere nearby.

[cathycelt]

Continuing on: I just realized that I skipped a small detail. In the 1851 Census Ann and John STAPLETON now have another son named George who is only 8yrs. old. Also it appears that Grace is unmarried. That's what made me think something happened to the first George, I don't understand why parents would name two sons the same. Getting back to Artaxerxes or "Taxee". I'm pretty sure that William Spalding (Spaulton, spellings differ on the transcriptions) was not Taxee's natural father. He appears to be a kind, open minded man who cared a lot for Grace, married her and raised Taxee as his own child. That leaves the question..Who was Taxee's father? One point that I find a bit odd is the name that Grace gave her baby. In a family of coal miners and factory workers, where the men are named John, James, George, William, maybe Stephen or Richard, how did she come up with a name like Artaxerxes? In a time when children, especially sons, were named after their father, the mothers father, or a grandfather, how does Artaxerxes fit in? And, if that is the name of his real father, how do I find out his last name? I do have some anecdotal information that Taxee was "born on the wrong side of the blanket". I searched the England Censuses for other Artaxerxes close to Eastwood and Greasley about the time of Taxee's birth and only two came up, both with the same surname. It's neither STAPLETON, nor SPAULDING. However one of the men fits the story I was told. What kind of record would have his birth father's name on it? How can I access the record? Does anyone else have any family stories concerning Grace and Artaxerxes? How can I find out if Grace was ever "in service" and where she served? Any and all information or suggestions would be gratefully appreciated.

[Geoffers]

Artaxerxes Spaulton(sic) STAPLETON and Sarah Jane HARROLD were married in 1872, Basford District. Artaxerxes STAPLETON was born in Greasley, Nottinghamshire, England in 1853. His mother was Grace STAPLETON. In 1856 she married William Spaulding in Basford, Derbyshire, Nottingh

From Grace's marriage certificate, what is recorded for her father's name and occupation? Was she widowed or single?


I backtracked Grace Stapleton, b. 1826 Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, Eng. to find her parents and in 1851 she is listed with John and Ann(PEARCE) Stapleton in Greasley, Nottshr.,Eng. as a daughter, 25 yrs.

Is this definitely the correct census?


So, jumping back to 1841 I expect to find Grace at age 15 living with John and Ann. But, instead I find a George, age 15, "son". It is definitely the same family and the page is very clear

It defintely couldn't be HO107/857/5 f18 p28 - Kettlebank, Greasley? John aged 64 and Ann aged 49 along with several children - no Grace (there is a Mary, could she have been Mary Grace?), but she could have been in service somewhere, in an institution and only recorded by her initials, just missed from the census, recorded on a page which is damaged and not indexed on any web-site, etc.


it says George and Grace is nowhere to be found. So, my question is, did someone really mistake a 15yr old girl for a boy?

It depends on the quality of the writing, the enumerator need not necessatily have seen the whole family. The writing on the schedule he received and which he then wrote up into his book, could have been fairly difficult to read in good light, let alone by candle light at the end of a long day. Mistakes are/were easily made.

[bjelkier]

It was very common in familys where a child died for the next child born, of that sex, to be given the same name.

[cathycelt]

Hello Geoffers, Thank you for responding. From reading your posts to other’s questions it seems you’re considered a resident expert researcher. As to Grace’s marriage certificate I was not able to (or didn’t know how to) access it on the search site I was using. The big “A”.com. If you have any tips on doing that I’d appreciate them.
I was able to extract Grace’s birth year, town, county, parish, and registration district from the 1881, 1871, 1861, censuses that showed her with Artaxerxes(son), William Spaulding(husband), and Elizabeth Henson(niece). Her vital information also matched the 1851 census. In 1841 the only person who matched her vitals was a George Laphton. Just to be on the safe side I clicked on that entry and the Household Members list of names matched those of Grace’s family, with the ages being exactly ten years younger. This was HO 107/857/3 p.5. As I read it Laphton is Sapleton.
Please excuse my ignorance, I just assumed that the enumerators went door to door with their big book and spoke to the families personally and wrote down the vitals then and there. Now I can see that would have been near to impossible. If they did it the way you described then I shudder to think that my ancestor’s handwriting was so illegible. Actually the English Census Records were vastly superior to the US version. Finding my English ancestors was easy, discounting the Grace thing. Are there any online censuses prior to 1841 and how does one access those? Your comments were very helpful. Thank you again for your time. cathycelt

[cathycelt]

Thank You Sue, I did not know that, and will try to remember. cathyaelt

[cathycelt]

Thank you bjelkier, that could certainly explain the two Georges. cathycelt

[Geoffers]

Hello Geoffers, Thank you for responding. From reading your posts to other’s questions it seems you’re considered a resident expert researcher.

That's greatly over estimating my contribution, others here know far more.


As to Grace’s marriage certificate I was not able to (or didn’t know how to) access it on the search site I was using. The big “A”.com. If you have any tips on doing that I’d appreciate them.

Sorry, I won't use the site that you mention so cannot give you any tips for searching it. However, in looking for any entry on the General Register Office (GRO) index, it is always worthwhile trying to do some background research to limit the period you have to search. When carrying out a search, I always record what I am looking for and then what I have done, listing a year and quarter and next to that either entries that I find which may be of use, or recording that nothing was found. That way, I can always come back to that search and know exactly what I did.


In 1841 the only person who matched her vitals was a George Laphton. Just to be on the safe side I clicked on that entry and the Household Members list of names matched those of Grace’s family, with the ages being exactly ten years younger. This was HO 107/857/3 p.5. As I read it Laphton is Sapleton.

The surname is definitely shown as SAPLETON on the census enumerator's book. I note that there is a second SAPLETON family on the same page, also with a John, but this time aged 66. One of the problems with the 1841 census is that no relationships are recorded, so just on the evidence presented therein, it is not possible to draw definite conclusions that someone was married to someone else, or a child was someone's son/daughter. As you've realised, you need to refer to other sources of information.

The matching of names and ages between census returns certainly acts as circumstantial evidence that this is the same family group. Do I take it that you cannot locate a George in later census returns? If so, can you identify any possible deaths of this chap in the GRO index?

It is quite possible that Grace was not at home at the time of this census and was in fact missed off the census. Some pages (often end pages) of books have been damaged/destroyed over the years and so may be missing from an index. The obvious problem then being in proving that an entry which no longer exists relates to someone you are after - it cannot be done.

In your shoes, I would try to see if the parish registers are available, either for purchase in fiches/film form from the Record Office, or in transcript from the local FHS, or failing that if a film can be hired at a mormon church (LDS) record centre - if you have one near you. I think you need to check baptism, marriage and burial registers.


Are there any online censuses prior to 1841 and how does one access those?

Census returns exist back to 1801 - BUT - prior to 1841, they were just headcounts, no names were required to be recorded. In a very, very few cases, thoughtful enumerators did make some notes, but these are the rare exception, not the rule.

There are some earlier surveys which equate to a census of households and include some detail, mostly names. These are the Tithe Commutation Returns from the 1830s, the Land Tax Returns from the 1790s, prior to that the militia ballot lists, and in earlier centuries, various, musters, and types of tax returns called subsidies (16th and 17th centuries) and tenths/fifteenths (mostly pre 17th century), which sometimes come with associated surveys.

[Procat]

As to Grace’s marriage certificate I was not able to (or didn’t know how to) access it on the search site I was using. The big “A”.com. If you have any tips on doing that I’d appreciate them.

Hi Cathycelt,

If you mean you could not see the image of the certificate you cannot do that on the subscription sites (they are different to Scotlands People where you can download the certificates for Scottish registrations).

You need to purchase the certificate from the GRO (http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/) using the quarter, year, name, district, volume and page number that I am assuming you found in the index.

[cathycelt]

Geoffers, Thank you for the suggested sources, I made note of them and will see what I can find. The online LDS site did have a Christening record for a Grace Stapleton with matching b.yr. etc. and gave parents names as John and Ann (Pearce) Stapleton, encouraging but not official. Will have to cross match with birth certificate. Procat, is my face Red! When viewing the index on “that site” I wrote down everything except the Vol. and page. Didn’t know I need it. Won’t make that mistake twice! Now I’ve cancelled my subscription. Can anyone look that up for me? Marriage 1856, O,N,D. Basford, Derbyshire, Nottings., Grace Stapleton and William Spalding. Many thanks, Cathycelt.

[Sue Mackay]

When viewing the index on “that site” I wrote down everything except the Vol. and page. Didn’t know I need it. Won’t make that mistake twice! Now I’ve cancelled my subscription. Can anyone look that up for me? Marriage 1856, O,N,D. Basford, Derbyshire, Nottings., Grace Stapleton and William Spalding. Many thanks, Cathycelt.

Dec qtr 1856 Basford Volume 7b page 209

[cathycelt]

Thank you for the look-up, Sue. You are truly Super! Cathycelt.

[astapo]

Yes is probably the short answer. There is a local saying that we are probably related "if your cat ran up our entry" An entry is a passageway in a group of linked or town houses leading to their " back yards and back doors" (brick or tiled areas in the rear of the houses ). I have only just started but may be able to help you in the future as I learn more. I can see Ilkeston Awsworth and Eastwood from the hill above me! beyond that is the fabled land of Greasley!!!