George Benjamin Wilson Portsmouth Hants

[Debbie Scott]

I am looking for info on my Great-Great Grandfather G.B. Wilson. He was born Circa 1824 and died 11th September 1904. He was a scenic artist for Theatres, a Victualler (Landlord of The Black Dog Pub, Arundal st Landport, Portsmouth in 1878) and Music Hall Proprietor. He was married to Charlotte nee Clark they had 11 children

[Coromandel]

Hello Debbie and welcome to the forum

It sounds like you already know a fair bit about George. Is there anything in particular you're trying to find out? Do you already have the marriage certificate for George and Charlotte (which from FreeBMD appears to have been in the Portsea district in the third quarter of 1875)?

Let us know how what you're after and I'm sure our sleuths will do their best to help.

[Raymond M]

Hi Debbie, I don't know how much you have on George but there are several articles/advertisements in the Hampshire Telegraph and Sussex Chronicle of the 1800s. He was obviously a talented artist and associated with The South of England Music Hall in St Marys Street, Portsmouth. This was situated near to what is now the Isle of Wight car ferry car park. He was also called upon by the local authority for the big occasion.

In Hampshire we are able to access 'INFOTRAC' online via our library card membership no. This gives you free access online to various UK newspapers of the 1800s including the Hampshire Telegraph and Sussex Chronicle (code "1ZTQ").

If you can get into your local library they may well have the same arrangement for Dorset Library Services. You need to insert both George Wilson and George B. Wilson to see all the notices.

There's nothing in the papers on his time as publican of The Black Dog. If you insert the latter name you will get reports of 'Inquests' as it was used for that purpose by the Coroner.

Ray

[Debbie Scott]

Hi Raymond thank you for the info. You mentioned the black dog pub I'm sure we have paper clippings about him the research things are currently at my mums house in Pompey next time I go down there I will look them out and maybe send you copies. We do have quite a lot of info but struggling with my Dad's fathers name all we know is his surname was Ball and we have a photo of him on what looks like a naval ship. My Dad was born out of wedlock adopted by his aunt and raised by his Gran. His birth mother is no longer alive and the only one who has this info is my dad's half sister Joan who refuses to tell us anything and wants sleeping dogs left to lay. We think there must be an embarrassing skeleton surrounding my dads conception. My mum and Dad have researched all this for years, my Dad sadly passed away 4 yrs ago and were now picking it up again in my dads memory but we are stuck with what we already know. I need to speak to my mum and see if there is anything she needs answers too and I will get back to you, right now I don't have a clue where to go next.

[Debbie Scott]

Hi Raymond my mum emailed me with a few details about GB that we still need this is her message:WE NEED TO KNOW WHERE GB WAS BORN AND HIS RIGHT DATE OF BIRTH, WAS HE BORN IN HALIFAX OR MIDDLESEX LONDON AND WHERE CAN WE GET A BIRTH CERTICATE FOR HIM.

We have a couple of different ages for him that we found on his marriage certificate but it does not tally with other dates we have. When GB and Charlotte married there was quite a big difference in there ages. There marriage was on 17th July 1875. We know Charlotte was born 10th Nov 1851 and from his age on the marriage certificate makes GB born circa 1824 like I said this does not tally with other ages we have for him. Any help would be really appreciated many thanks
Debbie

[Peter Goodey]

In the 1901 census George B Wilson claimed to have been born in Edmonton and was aged 74 (ie born 1826)

So have you looked at the baptism of George Benjamin Wilson on 22 Mar 1926 in the parish church of Edmonton, the son of Henry Wilson, hatter, and Ann Deborah Wilson. Their address was Fore Street.

[Raymond M]

Hi Debbie, in addition to Peter's question about a 1826 baptism you might also consider the following.

In the 1881 census George is the Licensed Victualler of the Black Dog and it states he is 43 ie born c. 1838 in London Middlesex. He could of course have lied about his age and again similarly in the 1871 census - see below.

Free BMD shows a George Benjamin Wilson birth registered in Q1 1839 at St Luke, Middlesex. I understand from Wikipedia that St Luke's is an area in the London Borough of Islington.

In the 1881 census he is with his wife Charlotte and 5 children. Charlotte is stated to be born in Colchester and is 33 ie c. 1848. Apart from your Charlotte Clark born November 1851 (registered at Tendring, Essex?) is it possible she might actually be Charlotte Eliza Clark registered Q3 1848 at Colchester. Of the 5 children with them the oldest is a Clara Wilson age 11 born Portsmouth.

What is interesting is the 1871 census for Radnor Street, Portsmouth, where George Wilson is a 'Scenic Artist', married and a lodger. It states he is married, age 34 and born Edmonton, Middx. He is lodging with a Charlott Harper (widow) age 22 and her daughter Clara Harper age 2. Charlotte is born in Weeley, Essex which is 10 miles from Colchester.

So could Charlott and Clara Harper in the 1871 census be the same Charlotte and Clara Wilson in the 1881 census? It's only a thought. The problem is that George and Charlotte's wedding in Portsmouth shows her name as Clark on Free BMD. Does her wedding certificate show any other name?

If George Wilson, scenic artist, in the 1871 Portsmouth census states he is married, then to whom was first married? Is he a widower on the marriage certificate?

One final question. If your father's father was a BALL (and you don't know his first name) and his wife was a WILSON, do you know which of Charlotte Wilson's daughters he married?

Ray

[Raymond M]

"One final question. If your father's father was a BALL (and you don't know his first name) and his wife was a WILSON, do you know which of Charlotte Wilson's daughters he married?

Correction. This should have read.

"One final question. If your father's father was a BALL (and you don't know his first name) and his MOTHER was a WILSON, do you know which of Charlotte Wilson's daughters she was?"

[Coromandel]

Even more questions from me, I'm afraid! What exactly does it say on the marriage certificate? It should tell you (for example) the marital status and address of bride and groom, and their fathers' names and occupations. The witnesses' names can be useful clues too.

[Debbie Scott]

Wow so much help a huge thank you to all of you. I have asked my mum to join this site so she can answer some of the questions I'm not sure of the answers of. All the paperwork is at my mum's in Portsmouth and I live in Dorset I just have an xcel spreadsheet here with some of the info about dates of marriage, death etc I need my mum to check on them at her end. When I mentioned to my mum the name Harper it rang a bell to her she said her and my dad had come across it during there searches so she is going to check through all the paperwork we have and see if there is anything there.

I seem to have caused a bit of confusion about my Dad's father. My dad's mother Violet May (nee) Callaghan never married Mr Ball we think it was just a fling in her teen yrs and was before she married and became Violet Goring. She went on to have more sons and daughters, my dad's half siblings. All we know about my Dad's Paternal father is his surname Ball he was in the Navy as a bandsman and played Saxophone that is all the info we have on him and have not been able to progress any further with that and the only person we think that knows his identity is my dads half sister Joan who would not talk about it when my dad asked her if she knew who his father was. We think she knows but for some unknown reason does not want the truth to come out we suspect maybe some skeleton in the closet?
Apparently my maternal grandmother Violet May could not keep my dad because her husband would not accept another mans child so he was adopted by his aunt Rose Ada Scott nee Callaghan but raised by his grandmother Rose Ada Wilson. Rose Ada's maiden name was Wilson, GB's daughter, her 1st marriage she became Callaghan and her 2nd marriage became Wilson again, we know his name was Alexander Wilson he was an engineer in the Portsmouth dockyard what we don't know is if he is related to the GB Wilson clan or the surname Wilson is just a coincedence.
It's all so confusing
I really appreciate your help
Debbie