Woolaston family query

[flexipet]

Hi Janet,
I have a census record from1851 with the Wollaston family living in Old Mill Court Bradford Street Birmingham.
I am not sure whether the head of the family reads "Francis" or "Thomas" so I am trying to uncover whether there was a Francis to begin with or whether it is just my eyes playing tricks...

[BrianRM]

Hi Brian,
Thankyou for your response.....just to clarify, was Darius Woollaston a relative of John Woollaston????
I am unsure as to whom the Thomas Woollaston is that married Mary either. I am quite sure that Mary is our transported Thomas' sister. Eliza the other sister married William Capewell and father John lived with the Capewell's until he died.
Our transported Thomas had children in Australia to his wife Mary Anne (William Capewell Woolaston) which indicates they were definitely related and (Thomas Claverdon Woolaston) which points towards his origins in Claverdon.
I am very interested in finding out where all the other branches of the "Woollastons" fit in....I am also trying to confirm a "Francis Woollaston" as well.

As far as I have been able find there is no connection between Darius and John. Darius's ancestry is in Staffordshire (north of Birmingham) and John's in Warwickshire (south of Birmingham).

Looking at possible children of John and Mary in FamilySearch, one might assume them to be:

Jane bu. 15 Aug 1806
Thomas bt. 21 May 1809
Mary Ann b. 3 Feb 1811, bt. 23 Mar 1818
Eliza b. 28 Jul 1814, bt. 23 Mar 1818
Sophia b. 8 Mar 1815, bt. 30 Dec 1816
Henry bt. 30 Dec 1816
Sarah b. 28 April 1817, bt. 23 Mar 1818, bu. 26 Jun 1820

The pattern of baptismal dates relative to birth dates is is strange. Why were Sophia and Henry baptised before Mary Ann and Eliza? Were there two separate families with parents John and Mary?

I originally thought that Thomas was from my branch of the family as his brother Jacob Tysall Woollaston was also transported to Australia, but after much correspondence with a number of descendents of transported Thomas there seems little doubt about his origins in Claverdon. However, never say never.....

[BrianRM]

Hi Janet,
I have a census record from 1851 with the Wollaston family living in Old Mill Court Bradford Street Birmingham.
I am not sure whether the head of the family reads "Francis" or "Thomas" so I am trying to uncover whether there was a Francis to begin with or whether it is just my eyes playing tricks...

According to the 1851 census transcript cd there is a Francis Woollaston and family at 10 Mill Ct Bradford Street. William Capewell and family are 9 Mill Ct Bradford St.

However, transcripts are not always correct! and I cannot find him in 1841!

If you look in FamilySearch there are suitable records for their children's births/baptisms with Father's name Thomas.

Hope this helps.

[flexipet]

Hi Janet,
Yes I was very doubtful about "Francis" and had found the children of "Thomas" on the family search records. Nor could I find anything of "Francis" in previous census records...nothing like a little bit of a "red herring" thrown in to make life interesting!

[flexipet]

Hi Brian,
Thanks for your input...not so sure about Sophia and Henry, as Janet helpfully pointed out in an earlier post on this thread that Sophia and Henry lived in Cottage Lane and were children of John Woolaston who was a teaser in a glass house. Our transported Thomas' father John was a cabinet maker and they lived in St Martin's.....possibly relatives????? This does shed light on the reason the baptisms were different....I would love to find out if there is a connection somewhere.

[janbooth]

Nicole,

The 1851 actual census record definitely states Francis WOOLLASTON married to a Mary with children Eliza, Mary Ann, John & Charlotte, so your eyes were not playing tricks. However, as Brian has said, there do not appear to be any baptisms at Birmingham for these children whereas there is one for an Eliza WOOLLASTON daughter of Thomas & Mary, Labourer, Henage? Street, baptised 1 May 1836, one for a Mary Ann WOLLISTON on 31 December 1837 daughter of Thomas & Mary Ann, Gt Colmore Street, Labourer, one for Sarah WOLISTON on 16 May 1841 daughter of Thomas & Mary, Bradford Street, Agricultural, one for a Jane WOLLISTON on 4 June 1843 daughter of Thomas & Mary, Inge Street, Labourer, one for John WOOLLASTON on 23 March 1845 son of Thomas & Mary Ann, Inge Street, Labourer, one for Charlotte WOOLLASTON on 13 February 1848 daughter of Thomas & Mary, Bradford Street, Labourer and one for a William WOLLISTON on 25 January 1852 son of Thomas & Mary, Bradford Street, Labourer, all at St Thomas, so I guess the Enumerator got Thomas's first name incorrect!

Janet