How can I confirm the records?

[timfoster]

I'm still very new at this and so figive the stupid questions I ask.

I have, quite quickly, been able to trace my family back through the census records to the early 1800's.

I am reasonably confident that my great-great-great-grandfather, William Foster and his wife Mary are the correct people. However, I went to the Nottingham archives to see if I could get anything more. I found a marraige record for William and Mary which seemed to fit, but I'm not 100% certain. I don't know why, but I get the impression it's not them. The parish record shows William's father as Thomas, but I want to be certain that it'sthe correct one before I go chasing off on a wrong line.

Any advice?

[Sandyhall]

I'm still very new at this and so figive the stupid questions I ask.

I have, quite quickly, been able to trace my family back through the census records to the early 1800's.

I am reasonably confident that my great-great-great-grandfather, William Foster and his wife Mary are the correct people. However, I went to the Nottingham archives to see if I could get anything more. I found a marraige record for William and Mary which seemed to fit, but I'm not 100% certain. I don't know why, but I get the impression it's not them. The parish record shows William's father as Thomas, but I want to be certain that it'sthe correct one before I go chasing off on a wrong line.

Any advice?

Hi
Did you find any other Records of a marriage of a William Foster to a Mary around the same time, area, etc. if you did find others then its a possability
its not them, but if you can't find anymore then it is probably them but we can never be 100% sure about anyone that late back.

Don't forget in those times their weren't so many people around as there are now, where as now a days you might find 20 or 30 people with the same name in one area (not all the same age of course) in those days their was probably only 2 or 3 and then its usually Father & Son.

What I'm saying is don't discount what you have found just yet go and have another look.

Sandy

[janbooth]

Hi Tim,

Can you find any other corroborative evidence, e.g are they likely to have left any wills, were they married by licence, were any family members witnesses at weddings, were any of the family apprenticed, what were their occupations as often these run in families (admittedly not much help if they were Ag Labs!!), have you checked any monumental inscriptions as often details of other family members are mentioned or buried nearby.

Janet

[timfoster]

Hi Folks,

Thanks for the replies.

Sandyhall - I haven't found any others with the approximate dates of birth and names, but it just seems to be a little too convenient for some reason.

janbooth - Where would I get copies of that sort of stuff?? I'd love to be able to get copies of wills etc. The ones I've found so far (on the census) seem to have been involved in the lace making trade (as most people in St Mary's, Nottingham tend to have been).

I took copies of the entry and so I have the parish records. The lady at the archive said that I need to get copies of the marraige certificates from the National Archive (at £7 a time!!!!). I guess that would confirm it as much as possible. Where would I get the kind of detail that other people seem to have though?

How can I find their parents details? This would take me into the 1700's. If the record I found is correct, then my great-great-great-great-grandfather (William's father) would be Thomas Foster. It's not exactly an uncommon name and I have no idea of a date of birth or death. If I get the marraige certificate, would that give me dates of birth, so that I could get a birth certificate (and thus father's DoB)?

Finally, (and probably for another forum), is there is anyone in Northampton that would be prepared to meet with me and perhaps help me with some pointers as to where (and what) I should be looking at? The problem I have is that I don't know what I should be looking for. Somebody with some experience could probably help me enormously.

[Pam Downes]

Hi Folks,

Finally, (and probably for another forum), is there is anyone in Northampton that would be prepared to meet with me and perhaps help me with some pointers as to where (and what) I should be looking at? The problem I have is that I don't know what I should be looking for. Somebody with some experience could probably help me enormously.
Hi Tim,
Are you sure you want to meet someone in Northampton - or do you mean Nottingham? :)
Pam (who has also been known to sufer from the odd senior moment! and who is unable to meet you in either place)

[timfoster]

Hi Pam,

No, I do mean Northampton. I live in Mexico, but I'm in Northampton for a while and so I want to do as much on this as I can whilst I'm here.

I just re-read my post and realised how creepy and dodgy it sounded! lol

I'm not some weird phsyco nutter. Honest!

I did a similar thing a couple of years back. I was having a UK band fly out out to play my venue in Mexico. I'm never met them, but via email I asked them if they'd be happy to collect some computer equipment and bring it to Mexico for me. Only after I re-read it did I realise that it probably wasn't the best question to ask someone I've never met!

[Pam Downes]

Hi Tim,
OK Northampton it is then. :) (Just confused me because earlier in the thread you were talking about Nottingham, but I think what you mean is that you want to meet to learn some general pointers, not actually visit Northamptonshire Record Office/Archives.)
Probably would be best to put a message in the Northamptonshire forum.
You can also have a read of http://british-genealogy.com/
In the meantime, what information do you have for William and Mary? e.g. calculated birth dates from the census, birthplaces, where and when children were born, have you found them on any census - if so, reference numbers would be handy - and we'll have a look for you and see if we conclude what the chances are that the marriage you've found is the correct one.
We might still come to the same conclusion as you, but is is surprising what a difference another pair of eyes can make. :)
Pam

[Andrew Mead]

The lady at the archive said that I need to get copies of the marraige certificates from the National Archive
You don't if you know the church where they married - you could see the original marriage register, but if you only know it was Nottingham, there would be many churches to choose from - try the Nottinghamshire (http://www.british-genealogy.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=116) forum?
Certificates come from the General Register Office (http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/), not the National Archive - different places! You can also get them from the local Register Office, in this case probably Nottingham, but again you would have to know the church for a marriage.

[timfoster]

Hi, Folks,

Thanks for the quick replies again.

Pam, that's exactly what I meant. The more I can learn from someone with experience the easier I think it will be for me to do my own research going forward.

As for the details I have, they are as follows:

I found a baptism record which I think could be my William listed as 1 Dec 1820. He appears on the 1841 census on Haywood St, Nottm. I've also got him on the 1861 and 71 census in the same area of St Mary's/Sneinton in Nottingham. I actually went to where William, and indeed loads of my ancestors, lived at some point in their lives. The street no longer exists (South Street). There is a large block of council apartments there now, so it doesn't look like the area has changed much from the mid 1800's to now. Different buildings, same people :)

The St Mary's records showed a marraige of William to Mary Walton on 2 Jun 1844. It's from this that I get William's father as Thomas. I'm looking now for a birth index for Mary Walton in the approximate year I think she was born (1816).

Andrew, you mention the church. The records I found all came from the St Mary's parish. There is a really old (1300's ish) St Mary's church in Nottingham which is in the right area. but when I looked at some old maps (from around the mid 1800's) South Street ran from the corner of St Albans church. I tried to visit St Albans church when I was there, but it's now a Ukranian church (and was closed anyway). I don't know if this is the church I should be looking at instead. It certainly existed when South Street existed, but I don't know if it existed in the early part of the 1800's. William is listed on the 1841 census living on Haywood Street. This street is still there, and is just round the corner from where South Street was, so would they be related to the St Albans church or the main St Mary's church?

Any help that you guys can offer is hugely appreciated.

[Pam Downes]

Hi Tim,
First lesson coming up. :)
Re the churches, most Archives/Record Offices have an online list of the parish registers they hold. Some, like Nottingham, make you really search their website to find the list, but perseverance always wins. Nottingham's list is here (http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/home/leisure/archives/archivescollections/parishregisterfindingaid.htm).
Fortunately you'd included the magic word Sneiton in your message, so when I couldn't find St Albans listed in Nottingham it was easy to guess it came under Sneiton.
There's also a very handy site called Church plans online (http://www.churchplansonline.org/). Click simple search, search by place, letter N, then click on Nottingham St Alban Sneiton in the drop-down menu. Now you should know which parish registers to search. :) (I hasten to add that it doesn't work with every parish.)
Plan B in finding iin which parish church someone might have been baptised, etc, is to look in the boxes along the top of the census pages. There's a box (or in 1841 just a line) for the ecclesiastical parish in all the census up to 1901, though they're not always fillled in on every page.
Um... hit a big snag now, as I'm trying to find William and Mary in 1861, and I've found a William and Mary in Freeman Street. But they do seem to be the same William and Mary living in South Street in 1871. Am I correct?
Also, just going back to that marriage record you found for William and Mary Walton. Just how much detail of that record did you copy? Tell me everything you've got recorded - and be prepared to have your wrist slapped if you don't give me 24 or 25 details. :D Reasons given when you reply. :)
Pam

[timfoster]

Hi Mary,

Thanks for helping with this.

I have the William & Mary on Freeman Street (1861) recorded as the same ones as on South Street in 1871. There are some discrepancies with regard to the children, but I think they are the same people. The children seem to be different ages on the 1861 and 1871 (and I don't mean just 10 years older). The children seem to be in a different order.

As for the marriage, I guess I'll be getting slapped as I'm not sure what 24-25 details. I didn't think there were even that many things recorded. I have a print out of the actual document.

The record is on Page 89 of the register.

The top section says (italics are the handwritten bits):

1844 Marriage solemnized at the parish church in the parish(?) of Saint Mary in the County Town of Nottingham.

The boxed areas are:
No. 177
When Married: June 2nd 1844
Name and Surname: William Foster, Mary Walton
Age: Full age, full age
Condition: Widower, Spinster
Rank or Profession: Gardener, -
Residence at time of marriage: Narrow Marsh, Narrow Marsh
Fathers name and surname: Thomas Foster, William Walton
Rank or profession of father: Labourer, Seator(?)

Below that it says:
Married in the Parish Church according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Established Church by Banns by me, J. (undetermined signature)

Finally, the last section says:
This Marriage was solemnized between us,
William Foster x his mark
Mary Walton

in the presence of,
S. Dickinson
Elizabeth Robertson x her mark

I hadn't picked up on the condition of William before now. He was born in 1820 and so to have been a widower by the age of 24 means there is a previous wife for me to find too.

The address for them both is Narrow Marsh. This is very close to Sneinton so kind of fits.

Am I also right in assuming that William couldn't write? I'm making this assumption based on the words "x his mark" by his name in the last section.

Regarding the parish records. Thanks for the link to the Nottingham Parish list. I found St Albans. Christening records begin in 1881 and marriages in 1888, so I guess William and Mary above in St Mary are in the right place.

I'm not sure how the church plans help though. The plans of St Mary the Virgin seem to be the right church (I spoke with a helpful curator when I was there), but what is it telling me? (forgive my ignorance).

[Pam Downes]

Hi Tim,
Excellent. No slapped wrists this tiime - though as you have a print out of the document that's a slight cheat.:) But if you don't get a print-out of a document, all those little details are what you need to record, because one of them might just prove to be the key to proving or disproving something. Things like page and entry numbers you need so that you know immediately how to refer back to something easily - sometimes the date itself is a bit vague. (Also helps if you want someone to double-check something for you.)
You admit that you've only just picked up on the fact that William is a widower. If you have access to a census, look at 1841, HO107/870 book 6, folio 34, page 62. There's a William, aged 20 (so in reality 20-24 as ages above 15 in the 1841 census were rounded down to the nearest 5 years) with a Susannah aged 25 (therefore 25-29) living in Beck Street. No relationship is given in the 1841 so Will and Sue could be brother and sister, but could equally be man and wife. So that William could well be the one who married Mary Walton. Especially as I couldn't find a William and Susannah on the 1851 census.

I then looked in the 1851 census for William Foster born 1820 +/- 10 years, living in Nottinghamshire. Had a choice of 33 to choose from (on Ancestry, which we all write as A** or something similar), but some I instantly dismissed because their wives weren't Mary. :) Number 16 on the list seemed to tick all the boxes, and I found a William 31, with a Mary 35, William 5, Thomas 3, John 1, living with William V(?) Alsop 11, Henry Alsop 7, the latter two listed as 'son-in-law'. (A phrase usually used in those days to mean step children.)
Compare those names and ages with the 1861 census, and add in the fact that the William in 1851 is an F.W.K, same as the William in 1861 and 1871. Now add in a search of FreeBMD for a marriage of a Mary Alsop in December quarter 1846, and I think that your doubts about the marriage you've found of William to Mary Walton being 'wrong' are well on the way to being proved.
1851 census ref is HO107/2132 folio 526 page 26.

What I have to emphasise here is that you MUST be sure that your link to this William and Mary is correct. If you ain't sure, stop now, and go back and review all the stuff you have. Ask for more help in getting stuff confirmed.
If you are sure, or 99% so, then go ahead and order the marriage certificate for William Foster and Mary Alsop. I don't know how long you're in the UK for, but I think I would phone the GRO and ask how long certificates are taking at the moment. The aim always used to be issued within 4 days, but that has been known to slip very badly. When orderiing a certificate you must order it with the spelling exactly as it is on the GRO Index, and if you quote the GRO Index ref (ask the forum if you don't know what this is) you get it for seven quid instead of about eleven. Don't phone them first thing on Monday morning - evening is cheaper, and the phone queue is usually shorter. :)
Start here (http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/order_certificates/index.asp), and then click fifth link - 'how to order and pay for certificates'.

Until someone is brave enough to meet you in Northampton, :) keep reading this forum (not so much the Scottish/Irish/other countries thread, nor probably the more 'specialist' threads), and also try the local library for books on genealogy. Mark Herber's 'Ancestral Trails' will keep you occupied for a few days. ;)
Pam
(who hit a hiccup so the 'puter didn't work - but who managed to solve the problem all by herself.)

[timfoster]

Wow, thanks Pam. You've been a huge help.

I was going to ask what FWK meant, but then looking at the census image, I realised it was Framework Knitter.

I think you're right about the 1844 marriage being wrong. The 1846 record feels much better. The children on the census fit better too. Of the Alsop children I think that Henry may have been adopted by William as there is a Henry that suddenly appeared on the 1861 census with the same approximate dob as Henry Alsop. Perhaps his older brother, William V, was too old by the time they decided to adopt Henry. He was already 11 in 1851 and so would be leaving home sometime before 1861.

I think I'll try getting the marraige record for William and Mary so that I can confirm 100% they are correct. I'm also going to look for the Alsop family. Mary was probably also married before if she had two kids.

I'm glad you mentioned about the son-in-law thing too. I would have been puzzling for ages over that, probably assuming that they were the children of one of Mary or Williams brothers/sisters.

[Sandyhall]

Hi
I have been looking for the other William Foster & Mary Walton on the Census

not found them yet but just come across this -Source Citation: Class: HO107; Piece: 2134; Folio: 40; Page: 40;

William Foster 27 - Wheelwright
Meranna Foster 27 (Sussanna on the original page)
Anne Foster 25
Ann E Paling 1
Mary Parr 24

You might like to look at
Sandy

[sueannbowen]

Hi Tim

I really hope that this earlier post of yours wasn't intended to be as offensive as it came over:

......St Mary's/Sneinton in Nottingham. I actually went to where William, and indeed loads of my ancestors, lived at some point in their lives. The street no longer exists (South Street). There is a large block of council apartments there now, so it doesn't look like the area has changed much from the slum of the mid 1800's to now. Different buildings, same people."

I have omitted the smiley 'cos I think that is what was most patronising about your statement. Are you assuming that none of the people who live there read or subscribe to these fora?

People living in council accommodation in Uk don't think of themselves as living in slums - (nor do those who don't) and, heaven forefend some might have helped you today with taking forward your research. Soooooo, Pam omitted a slap earlier, but I have awarded you one|nutkick|! If you want the help of the most generous bunch of people in the FH world who subscribe to these fora, think about what you write before you write it.|scold|

[Sandyhall]

A couple of marriages for you to look at

Marriages Sep qtr 1837
Susannah Banwell, Radford, 15 649
and on the same page
William Foster, Radford 15 649

Marriages Jun qtr 1844
William Foster, Nottingham 15 823
and on the same page
Mary Walton, Nottingham 15 823

Marriages Dec qtr 1846
Mary Alsop, Nottingham 15 1102
and on the same page
William Foster, Nottingham 15 1102

Deaths Jun qtr 1861
Susannah Foster, Nottingham 7b 166

I think we have more than 1 William Foster here
Sandy

[Sandyhall]

Hi Tim

I really hope that this earlier post of yours wasn't intended to be as offensive as it came over:

......St Mary's/Sneinton in Nottingham. I actually went to where William, and indeed loads of my ancestors, lived at some point in their lives. The street no longer exists (South Street). There is a large block of council apartments there now, so it doesn't look like the area has changed much from the slum of the mid 1800's to now. Different buildings, same people."

I have omitted the smiley 'cos I think that is what was most patronising about your statement. Are you assuming that none of the people who live there read or subscribe to these fora?

People living in council accommodation in Uk don't think of themselves as living in slums - (nor do those who don't) and, heaven forefend some might have helped you today with taking forward your research. Soooooo, Pam omitted a slap earlier, but I have awarded you one|nutkick|! If you want the help of the most generous bunch of people in the FH world who subscribe to these fora, think about what you write before you write it.|scold|


Lots of councils don't own any houses now, we been sold off cheap as chips to Housing Associations, but get this you still have to apply to the council to get social housing.
Just don't get me started on this|soapbox||soapbox| (I'm a big girl literally and need 2 soap boxes, loud & proud me)

I'll get off |soapbox| now be for they break.

Sandy
PS I'll help any one too who ever you are if I can.

[Sandyhall]

Christening for Susanna

SUSANNA BANWELL - Christening. 30 MAR 1814, Saint Mary, Nottingham, Nottingham, England

Father: WILLIAM BANWELL
Mother: SUSANNA

Just a question is Henry Foster married to Sarah with Daughter Lena b 1870 in USA in your other Thread, is he this William Foster's Brother

Sandy

[timfoster]

Just a question is Henry Foster married to Sarah with Daughter Lena b 1870 in USA in your other Thread, is he this William Foster's Brother

Sandy

Hi Sandy,

I think that with Pam's help I have been able to determine that the this is indeed the correct William. He married Mary Alsop in 1846. There are two Alsop children living with them on the 1851 census. One of these is Henry Alsop. There isn't a Henry Foster on the 1851 but there is on the 1861. My guess (and it is just a guess at this stage) is that Mary's son, Henry Alsop, was adopted by William. Can anyone tell me where I might be able to confirm this? The elder Alsop child was probably too old to be adopted by this time as I guess he would be almost ready to start working and so becoming independent.

I think the William you're referring to as Henry's brother is the oldest son of William (Snr). Looking at the dob, I think it may have been a shotgun wedding as he was born in 1846 and the marraige wasn't until the final quarter. I'm going to get the original parish record and also try to order the marriage certificate to be certain.

He seems to have spend a portion of the time between 1870-1881 flitting between the UK and the US. I'm struggling to find out more details, but I have his wife and daughter on the SS Indiana going back to the US in 1896 (without Henry, who I think may have died by then)

[timfoster]

The previous postings with the marriages etc of Williams, Marys and Susannahs (from Sandy), does indeed seem to indicate two William and Marys.

I originally though the that the William who married Mary Walton in 1844 was correct. But after reading it again (at the prompting of Pam) I noticed he was a widower. Pam, very helpfully, pointed me towards the 1851 census (which FindMyPast don't have |banghead|) which shows William and Mary with two Alsop children. The Foster children match those that have from later census searches and so I think this is the correct one.

William and Susannah appear on the 1841 together, and so I think that this is the William that married Mary Walton. I don't think (at this stage) this William is "one of mine", although he may prove to be a cousin of the William I have as a direct relative when I get back a few more generations.

[timfoster]

I really hope that this earlier post of yours wasn't intended to be as offensive as it came over:

......St Mary's/Sneinton in Nottingham. I actually went to where William, and indeed loads of my ancestors, lived at some point in their lives. The street no longer exists (South Street). There is a large block of council apartments there now, so it doesn't look like the area has changed much from the slum of the mid 1800's to now. Different buildings, same people."

I have omitted the smiley 'cos I think that is what was most patronising about your statement. Are you assuming that none of the people who live there read or subscribe to these fora?

People living in council accommodation in Uk don't think of themselves as living in slums - (nor do those who don't) and, heaven forefend some might have helped you today with taking forward your research. Soooooo, Pam omitted a slap earlier, but I have awarded you one|nutkick|! If you want the help of the most generous bunch of people in the FH world who subscribe to these fora, think about what you write before you write it.|scold|

Hi Sue Ann,

It wasn't meant to be offensive. Just calling what I saw. I didn't say anything about the character of the people living there. I'm sure some of them are very nice. I suspect that others won't be, but even in my little fishing village in Chelem we have some nice and some not so nice people (not all of them Mexicans either).

The street that used to be there (South Street) was, by any definition, a slum. Driving around the area now, its still a slum. Again, I'm not casting any aspersions on the individuals. I don't know them at all, but the area is, in my opinion, a slum area, and the part that used to be South Street appears to be the worst part of the area.

At the risk of offending you again (which wasn't my intention and still isn't), I think people, especially in the UK, should stop taking everything so personally and stop blowing everything out of all proportion. The national pastime of the UK seems to be complaining about things. Every time I come to the UK, the newspapers seem to be full of outrage and disgust at what seem, to me, to be the most trivial and petty matters. Slightly off-topic, but even the current mass-hysteria about swine flu is a typical UK massive over-reaction. You have 60 ish people feeling "a bit poorly". There aren't masses of bodies piled up in the streets, or even a single body. 0.00001% of the country have a bit of a sniffle and the whole country thinks the world is ending!

Offence should only be taken when the intent is to cause offence. Otherwise, it's just opinion. Again off-topic, but the Jonathan Ross saga is another example. My understanding was that only 3 people complained at the time. The other 400 ish that complained actually sought it out on the internet in order that they could be offended by it!!! The UK may be a financial powerhouse, but socially, it's playing non-league football.

Sorry if I've offended you again Sue Ann. It's not my intention, I assure you. I am very grateful for the help that people have given me here. I don't ask their social standing before accepting their help, I'm just grateful that they have offered advice. I'll take help from anyone that offers. I really don't care about their position in society. Whether I would mix in the same social circles, who knows. Forums are annonymous in that respect and so a great social leveller. If you are poor but have advice, great. If you're stinking rich but can't contribute anything, no biggie.

Rant over |soapbox|

[Sandyhall]

Hi Pam.
I take it I've had my wrist slapped & I have stood in the corner again.

Hi Tim
Can you tell us how you came to get to William Foster marring a Mary in the first place.
What I'm really asking is what evidence do you have.
Did you already have them on the Census with Children, if you did can you post details, then we can look for a birth/births of the children, you can then get a Birth Certificate this will give you more clues as to the mother's maiden name & fathers occupation.
You can then look for the marriage.

Sandy

[Pam Downes]

Hi Pam.
I take it I've had my wrist slapped & I have stood in the corner again.

Hi Tim
Can you tell us how you came to get to William Foster marring a Mary in the first place.
What I'm really asking is what evidence do you have.
Did you already have them on the Census with Children, if you did can you post details, then we can look for a birth/births of the children, you can then get a Birth Certificate this will give you more clues as to the mother's maiden name & fathers occupation.
You can then look for the marriage.

Sandy
Just very quickly, because I'm in the middle of something else and shouldn't even be peeking at the forum! - but why is the obvious answer usually overlooked? |doh| |dunce2| |dunce2| |dunce2| I feel a right idiot for not pointing out about the birth certificate in the first place. Can only think it's because of how the 'evidence' was presented in the first place, i.e. Tim only mentioned a marriage, and didn't even mention the word children, so I focused (focussed?) simply on the marriage angle.
Pam |dunce2|

[timfoster]

Hi Pam, Sandy, and everyone else that I haven't horribly offended |hug|,

I found the relationship with Mary through the census forms. One of Williams children (Thomas G Foster 1847-1917) is the father of my great grandfather (William Foster again). My father remembers him and so I was able to find his relatives on the census going back to William. I'm fairly confident of the line going back to William and Mary, but rather inconveniently, there seems to have been two William and Mary's around the same time. The kids of the one I have all fit though, so I'm happy that bit is right. I have William and various of teh children on 1861 and 1871. I can't find him on 1881, but the kids are still around and living with various wives/husbands. Thomas G Foster, for example (my great-great grandfather) is on the census from 1851 through to 1911. I think I have a BDM Index ref for his death in 1917 too. It's a shame that the only thing available online is the BDM index and not the actual certificates. That would make life much easier. I'd happily buy a subscription to that data. £7 a time though strikes me as being horribly expensive (especially when you consider the index isn't always correct)

It would be helpful if the parish papers were online too. Having them on fiche in Nottingham is great, but only if you can get to Nottingham easily. When I went to the archive, the people were very helpful indeed, but it's just not very easy for me to get there. An online subscription would be so useful. You'd think that councils would invest in putting these records online as it would be a great revenue generator. How much would it cost to transcribe the records? Not that much I wouldn't think. Maybe £50k-£100k. Farm it out to people like Ancestry or FindMyPast to make it cheaper, or even get volunteers involved. (sorry, I'm drifting off topic again :o)

[sueannbowen]

You can buy the transcripts of most Nottingham parishes on CD for Baptisms, Marriages and Burials from the Nottingham FHS. If you have a number of people to research they are definitely worth the money.
Sue

[Sandyhall]

Hi
Just to make sure I've got the right people this is the 1881 Census

Source Citation: Class: RG11; Piece: 3347; Folio: 63; Page: 19; Line:
William Foster Age: 7
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1874
Relation: Son
Father's Name: Thomas
Where born: Sneinton, Nottinghamshire, England
Civil Parish: Snenton
County/Island: Nottinghamshire
Country: England

Street address: 1 South St

Occupation: Scholar

Registration district: Nottingham
Sub-registration district: Snenton
also in the house
Thomas Foster 33 ( Your Gt Gt Grandfather) Frame Work Knitter
Elizabeth Foster 36 ( Your Gt Gt Grandmother) Lacemaker
Sarah Foster 13
John Foster 10
William Foster 7 (Your Gt Grandfather)
Thomas Foster 8
Elizabeth Foster 3
Mary Foster 1
John Foster 31 Brother - Frame Work Knitter
Elizabeth Foster 32 Brothers wife - Lacemaker

Sandy

[timfoster]

That looks like them Sandy, yes.

Thanks for the link Sue Ann. They seem to have the full set available for £50. That will be a huge help I suspect.

[Sandyhall]

Just a couple of births you might like to try...

Sneinton is in the NOTTINGHAM REGISTRATION DISTRICT

Births Jun qtr 1852
Mary Ann Foster, Nottingham, Vol no 7b, Page no 206

Births Jun qtr 1854
Hannah Foster, Nottingham, Vol no 7b, Page no 242

You could ask for a check to be done when you order the Cert. from the GRO Fathers name William Foster Mother's name Mary, once you have got one of them you will find out Mary's maiden name.

Sandy

[timfoster]

Just a couple of births you might like to try...

Sneinton is in the NOTTINGHAM REGISTRATION DISTRICT

Births Jun qtr 1852
Mary Ann Foster, Nottingham, Vol no 7b, Page no 206

Births Jun qtr 1854
Hannah Foster, Nottingham, Vol no 7b, Page no 242

You could ask for a check to be done when you order the Cert. from the GRO Fathers name William Foster Mother's name Mary, once you have got one of them you will find out Mary's maiden name.

Sandy

Hi Sandy,

Thanks again for all the help with this. These two both seem to be the children of William and Mary. I'm going to get the certificates if I can. I'm waiting for a call back from the archive people at the moment to see how long it'll take to get the certificates for me. I go home at the end of this month, so if they can't get them before then, I'm stuffed.

I think that from the help Pam gave me, I'm fairly sure that Mary Alsop is correct. The chidlren on the 1851 census seem to be a match for those on the later census. What is interesting is that Henry, who in 1851 was Henry Alsop, seems to be Henry Foster by 1861. Maybe a coincidence, but the birth year seems good. Is there anywhere I can get confirmation of adoptions from that time? This is the same Henry that I have floating between the UK and US in 1870-1881

[janbooth]

Hello Tim,

From the Notts FHS Baptismal Index of Nottingham St Mary:

23 April 1848 Thomas FOSTER, son William & Mary, Brook Street
3 February 1850 John FOSTER, son William & Mary, Brook Street, FWK
10 October 1852 Mary FOSTER, daughter William & Mary, Brook Street, FWK
31 March 1858 Catherine FOSTER, daughter William & Mary, Parrotts Place, FWK

There is also a baptism at Nottingham St Mary on 25 February 1821 for a William FOSTER son David & Mary FOSTER, Pennyfoot Lane, FWK but perhaps a better date match is a baptism on 1 December 1820 for a William, son Joseph & FOSTER, Stoney St, Warehouseman - any good?

From the Notts FHS Marriage Index:

16 November 1846 at Nottingham St Mary William FOSTER married Mary ALSOP. The only male ALSOP marriage to a Mary I can find on the same Index in the relevant timespan is one at Mansfield on 24 January 1838 of a Henry ALSOP & a Mary Stubbs GRATTON. But I do not think that Mary was married before because .......

From Notts FHS Baptismal Index (Mother's name only):

7 February 1844 at Nottingham St Mary Henry ALLSOP son Mary, Leen Side
26 January 1846 at Nottingham St Mary William Foster ALLSOP son Mary, Union Street, Seamer - looks as though William no 2 arrived before the marriage. I can't find a baptism for William no 1 but my copy of the Index is a relatively old one and the newer cds might hold more records.

HTH

Janet

[timfoster]

Hi Janet,

Do you have parents for the William and Mary Alsop marraige by any chance? I think the baptism on 1 Dec 1820 is the most likely, especially if these are the same parents as showing on William's marraige. I have a copy of this baptism entry already.

The Henry Alsops you have, I think is the correct Henry that appears with William and Mary on the 1851 census. I think this Henry may also have become Henry Foster by 1861 too. This is the same Henry that went to the US around 1870.

[janbooth]

Sorry Tim, it is only a marriage index, so doesn't have full details. To get them, you will either have to buy the certificate or view the original parish register entry.

Janet