Brick wall heeeeeelp?

[helenc]

hi i have a seemingly unsolvable problem?my g grandad x3 was either thomas YORK b1818 lewisham kent or James York b 1814 lee in kent it seems they both had the same wife elizabeth b1812 in devon.i have no idea of elizabeths surname or when/where they married but on one census she is married to thomas and 10yrs later to james, they were living in london and probably met and married there, they had 5 children emma b1844 southwark, edward b1846 southwark, thomas b1851 stratford, ann b1852 stratford and george b1855 bow middlesex. i have been unable to trace james or thomas's births or find their marriages etci belive the lived in the same road in london and were possibly brothers? please help! anything appreciated!!!!! helen

[Procat]

Hi Helen,

A birth certificate of a child should give the mothers maiden name.

[Paul Watts]

Suggest that you obtain the birth certs and hunt for marriage and deaths using FreeBMD in the first instance. This should enable you to identify other events and obtain the certs.

[helenc]

thanks guys will give it a go!!

[jeeb]

Hi Helen,
I have looked at the censuses and found the York family on 1861/1871 and James on 1881. I think you will probably find the 1861 is a mistake and the husband was James York. On the 1881 census James is aged 67 and in the asylum as a patient, it also gives his place of birth as Lewisham. I cannot find Elizabeth on 1881 census nor a suitable death on BMD. On the 1871 census James is deaf. Remember the enumerator would not know the families he was recording and I have found wrong names recorded many times, also remember a son was named Thomas and the enumerator would have this name in his mind. All this is conjecture of course so you will need a bit of concrete evidence, so here goes:-
Emma Daughter of James & Elizabeth York bap. 8 Oct. 1843 @ St. Mary Magdalene, Bermondsey. This is next to Southwark where she was born.
There is also a George & Mary Ann York baptising Children here at the same time.
Just to add a bit salt to the wound there is James son of William & Ann bap. 25 Dec 1817 at St. Mary, Lewisham.
Also there is James & Mary York bap. Maria 1811, George 1813 and Matthew 1815 at St. Mary, Lewisham


Something for you to think about. Hope it all helps.
Cheers, Jeremy.