John Whiteside, shoemaker 1777 -1842 Lancs

[Susansudunona]

I am struggling to find the right John Whiteside, a shoemaker, amongst the many of the same name in Lancashire alone. It would help if I could find him in a shoemaker's Guild document for Lancashire, where he seemed to move around a bit between Cockerham, Lancaster, Church Coniston in North Lonsdale and Samlesbury near Blackburn where he died in 1842 from Accidentally Drowning. The coroner's report is missing from Lancashire Archives though and there is nothing in local papers about his inquest. The 1841 census says he was born out of county (Lancashire.)

He enlisted as a volunteer with the 2nd Royal Lancashire Militia from Church Coniston (now known as Coniston in Cumbria) and served between 1812 - 1817, married a woman called Elizabeth Collins from his barracks in Plymouth in 1812 and was then stationed in Dublin where their son Richard was born in 1813. After he left the Militia he returned to Forton in Lancashire where his son was christened in 1818.

Everything else is unknown.

• Is there is Guild for shoemakers in Lancashire? - I cannot find one
• Nor can I find him in a street directory
• Is anyone researching this man as I cannot evidence who his parents were, if he had any siblings or if he had other children as his name is too common and they were all born before 1837 when GRO records began.

Can anyone help with other possible sources I can query?

[Pam Downes]

Hello Susan,

Welcome to British-Genealogy.

Your query seems to have totally stumped our sleuths.
I have a few random thoughts, but can't say that they will be particularly helpful.

I checked Lancashire Online Parish Clerks and a daughter, Agnes, was baptised the same day as Ricard in Cockerham, though the family were living in Forton.
Agnes might have been buried in Preston in 1819.
https://lan-opc.org.uk/indexp.html

I know it's tedious, but have you tried locating all the John Whitesides in Lancashire in 1841 and 1851
born 1777 +/- 5 or 10 years, and by a process of elimination, gradually whittle them down?
As you say John joined the Lancashire militia from Church Coniston, (Cumberland) and the 1841 census saus he was born out of county, I would definitely check for John Whitesides born in Cumberland and possibly Westmorland.