Asking for a lookup - do a bit of research

[Linda]

If you are asking for a lookup, it would be helpful if you do a bit of research yourself first. e.g. check online resources to see what is available.

I mention this because I recently found myself in an embarrassing situation and wasted precious research time of the kind friend who did the lookup for me.

I found a marriage on the LDS website, an extracted entry from a parish register. It gave the exact date and "Saint James, Westminster, London, England"

A good friend mentioned that she was going to the London Metropolitan Archives so I had a look on the LMA website to see if they held the parish register. Sure enough, it was there "Saint James, Paddington, Sussex Gardens, Westminster" :) so I gave my friend the reference number to save her time.

She looked in the register but did not find the marriage entry, so looked in other parish registers for the Paddington area, but still no luck. Then, kind hearted soul that she is, ran across to the FRC to look at the GRO indexes to check that the year was correct. There it was......in Saint James registration District !!

She had no time left to go back to the LMA, but she offered to look at other parish registers in Saint James registration district! That could take forever!
(continued)

[Linda]

I went back to the LDS website to see if the actual church was mentioned, and after viewing several pages I found the film notes.

It says "St. James' Church (Westminster)"

It would appear then that something is wrong....until I looked at the Author notes......

The church was "St. James', Piccadelly (Westminster, Middlesex)"
(assuming Piccadelly should read Piccadilly)|blush|

After more online searching I discovered that the parish registers are not held at the LMA, but at Westminster Archives! |blush|

I could have saved my friend a lot of time had I delved a bit deeper before making my request.

One good thing came out of this....I now have the GRO reference so I can order the marriage certificate :D

Linda

[Linda]

Oh please no! I haven't yet been on the receiving end of the garlic soup treatment :eek: however I think I deserve it on this occasion |blush|. With a bit of luck though, the carton will be opened by the nice (!) customs officers who want to charge me duty on my "Free CDs" ! :D

[Linda]

Well I now have the marriage certificate and would be none the wiser, had I not gone back to the LDS site and checked the author notes.

The certificate says "Marriage solemnized at the church in the parish of St. James Westminster in the county of Middlesex".

The happy couple both lived at 6 Clifford St.

"Piccadilly" is not mentioned anywhere.

Linda

[Pam Downes]

While we're on the subject, in case you come across them ......

St Anne, Westminster = St Anne, Soho

Saint Mary-St Marylebone Road, Saint Marylebone (as shown on the IGI for most batches) is the same as
Saint Mary, Saint Marylebone (as shown for a later batch)

St Mary Bryanston Square is a later church in Marylebone built in the 1820s, not shown at all on the IGI, not the "St Mary" shown on the IGI dating back to the year dot.

To anyone except the LDS, *their* "St Mary" is not St Mary at all - it's St Marylebone.
(Ever wish you hadn't asked? ;) )

I didn't ask, but I'm very pleased you told us because I'm sure that information will come in useful when I get round to sorting out those rellies who decided to seek fame and fortune in London instead of staying as ag labs in some small village where I could easily find them. :)
Thank you Myth.

Pam Downes

[Wirral]

Is it Old Charlton St Thomas on Maryon Road, Charleton, which is in the Episcopal area of Woolwich & the Archdeaconry of Southwark? I tried Google.

[Linda]

Apologies for not coming back into this thread earlier - busy life getting in the way.:(




As I know that some of Linda's people were the wrong side of the river
Oi! What do you mean..."wrong side of the river" ! ;)

Actually Mythology, it's funny that you mentioned St Thomas - I recently found "my" Robinson family in St Thomas ecclesiastical district in 1871 - later on, young Emma Robinson married Thomas Hyam(s) in 1890, and young George Robinson married Eliza Aicken in 1894 - I'm a descendant of both :D

You may be interested to know that the marriage in St James Piccadilly was that of James Harvey Gaywood in 1853 - he didn't wait long after the death of his first wife Sarah (died 1852) to find himself another (rich?) widow did he!

[Linda]

if it's James Harvey Gaywood, he's getting around a bit, isn't he?Ah yes, but I believe there were Gaywood cousins in Paddington, Marylebone and St. Pancras. In 1861 James was back home in Hatfield Peverel, Essex


Emma Robinson, the ugliest girl in PlumsteadOne of these days I'll send you a photo of a HYAM wedding, taken in the 1920's !:eek:


Thomas Hyam is a fictionI think so! |banghead|


that link that I e-mailed youI have the email and downloaded the info - thanks - haven't had time to read it yet, but I will :D

Linda

[Ken Boyce]

And he did all this without once mentioning North Woolwich which can really confuse the Brits as well as us across the pond!

[Linda]

Thanks Mythology for that tip about James Harvey Gaywood, in other directories that I have seen he is listed as James. I'll keep a keen eye out for "Harvey", although no-one with the surname Gaywood, especially in, of or from Essex, slips away unnoticed.;)


I will admit that I was a bit puzzled with North Woolwich when I came across it many moons ago. I think it was included in a film I ordered through the LDS for Woodham Walter parish registers. Must have been sorted by "Woolwich" and therefore came after, and on the same film as, "Woodham Walter". A quick look on a map told me it was north of the Thames and therefore would probably not include my Woolwich/Plumstead families.

LC

[AnnB]

Linda
I've only just read this thread (bit slow on the uptake sometimes ;) ) but have you got the entry for James Gaywood from the 1841 census of Essex? If not, I can supply details. Also (and I know this is by the by) as regards Woolwich, if you are interested, take a look at http://www.yellins.co.uk/woolwichferry/ and see what I considered a real 'treat' when I was a little girl - going across the Thames from North Woolwich to Woolwich 'proper' on a steam ferry...... :)
Best wishes
Ann

[Linda]

Hello Ann

Sorry for the delayed response - my computer was unplugged and wrapped up for a week because we had decorators in :(

Thanks for your kind offer of info from 1841 Essex census, but I have the full set from Archive CD books (and Essex 1861 too! :) )

Just catching up on messages right now, but thanks for the link - I'll have a browse later when I'm all caught up.

Linda