ROBERTS: an intriguing possibility

[pipsqueak]

It pays to keep going back to look at things again.

On another website, I looked up who I believe to be my g-g-g-gm, SARAH MIDDLETON, born in Kinlet, c1800. She was married to my g-g-g-gf, GREGORY EDWARD ROBERTS. Someone did have her on their family tree, but born in 1802. I decided to contact the person who had her on his family tree to find out if she was indeed my Sarah and to my surprise, this person's surname was ROBERTS.

Then I looked for my grandma's cousin, HARRY ROBERTS, and to my surprise, I saw that the same person had him, too. Then I looked to see who else this person had on their family tree. Due to the nature of the listings, I had to trawl through a lot of Roberts (none of my immediate relatives were listed except by my sister and me). Eventually I found this Mr Roberts had one more name that intrigued me: GREGORY ROBERTS, born 1777, Warwick. What puzzled me is that my g-g-g-f , GREGORY EDWARD ROBERTS who (I think) married SARAH MIDDLETON, was born in Middlesex. Or was he.......?

I looked back at his only census appearance, which was in 1841 and sure enough, under "whether born in this county" it said "yes". Fine, except that it also said "yes" to the wife and all three children. Later census' reveal that the wife was born in Shropshire, and the eldest child was born in Sussex. Only the younger two are consistently born in Middlesex!

Now I am faced with the intriguing possiblility that my GREGORY EDWARD ROBERTS was born not in Middlesex, but in Warwick, and his father might have been this other GREGORY ROBERTS.

Mr Roberts has not replied to my email but I am wondering how to find out whether my GREGORY EDWARD ROBERTS was born in Middlesex or in Warwick. Does anyone here have Warwick Parish Registers?

[benny1982]

Hi

I also have a Roberts ancestor born in about 1777. Thomas Roberts. He wed in Kent in 1805 and died in 1835 in Kent. But he was a butler and his wife was from London. Pity he died before 1841. I assume he was from London also. I wonder if there is a connection?

How old was your Gregory Roberts in the 1841 census? Was he the same age group as Sarah b1802? If he was, maybe his father before him was the 1777 born one in Warwick.

Frederick Middleton Roberts birth middle name confirms the mothers maiden name. Now you need to look for a marriage of Gregory Roberts to Sarah Middleton.

Ben

[pipsqueak]

My Roberts are not thought to be anything to do with Kent. However I just realised that my Gregory Edward Roberts is said to be 55 at the time of the 1841 census which really makes him a bit old to be the son of Gregory Roberts born in 1777. (*rolls eyes* at my own incompetence)

[benny1982]

Hi

If Gregory Roberts was about 55 in 1841, he'd have been born inbetween 1781 and 1786 as adult ages were rounded down to the nearest 5, but he may have been a few years older than that. It could well be that the 1777 one was the one who was wed to Sarah Middleton in around 1825ish. This suggests that he may have been married before if he was a lot older.

Ben

[pipsqueak]

That's a point too. Lateral thinking can be useful. Sarah's own age varies by ten years in the census. She is 40 in 1841 and 40 again in 1851, then jumps to 60 in 1861. Obviously the first 40 and the 60 are most likely to be right, especially given that her husband was already 55 when she was 40. That's assuming that he was her husband at all!!!!

Is it possible that there is a dead husband somewhere and Gregory Edward Roberts was actually 65 and not 55 and was the grandfather not the father?

Where to now? |banghead|

[benny1982]

Hi

Yes maybe there was a Gregory Edward Roberts born in around 1800, and his father was the one born c1777. By the way, did you send off for the 1847 death certificate? If so, that could help you decipher one Greg Roberts from the other in the family.

My Thomas Roberts bc1777 lived in Kent in 1807 but I dont think he was from there as his wife was a Londoner and they were only in Kent due to being in service there.

Ben

[pipsqueak]

I ordered the death certificate 11 days ago and I'm still waiting for it to arrive. I don't know what I am hoping for it to say - except to give me a more accurate age than the census gave!

[pipsqueak]

Today the death certificate of EDWARD GREGORY ROBERTS arrived and I was correct in thinking that he and GREGORY EDWARD ROBERTS are one and the same.

Furthermore, his age at death is stated to be 72 (which would put his birth year at about 1775) and the informant is one ANN MIDDLETON. The 1851 census says that Ann Middleton was a monthly nurse, born c1800 in Kinlet, Shropshire which is a hopeful sign BUT the Kinlet baptism register does NOT show an Ann Middleton. Sadly.

If this Greg Ed / Ed Greg is the father of my Fredk. Mid'ton Roberts he would have been 46 at the time of the birth of first child, Jane, and his wife would have been 26 years younger than he. I wonder how likely that would be.

[benny1982]

Hi pipsqueak

All the above is feasable.

You say that Gregory could have been 26 years older than Sarah? Very likely. My 3xgreat grandfather Thomas Roberts wed Mary Ann Walder in 1864 when he was 51 and she was 24. They had their first child already as she was concieved while his wife was dying of TB explaining the illegitimacy. Once they could do they wed shortly afterwards.

I think Gregory Edward Roberts b 1775 is the father of Frederick and was 46 when he fathered him.

Ben

[pipsqueak]

Thank you Ben; I do wonder if there was a previous wife. If Roberts was a less common name it might be possible to find out, but for now I'd be happy to discover the marriage to confirm Sarah's maiden name. :)