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Hello all.
I'm looking for details of my great great grandfather and wondered if anyone would be able to help me please.
His name was John Cowling and the details we do have are as follows;

May 26th 1890 Kirkthorpe parish of Warmfield, county of York
John Cowling, 24, Batchelor, Labourer, Warmfield, father - James Cowling, Mason
Mary Paver, 25, spinster, Warmfield, Father - Robert Paver, Miner
Witnessed by Richard Child, Sophia Ford, Robert Paver

On the 1891, 1901 and 1911 census it says his place of birth is Ripon, Yorkshire. I just can't seem to find him before he marries in 1890.

From what my nan remembers his actual birthday was celebrated on the 25th October and as a young man he'd worked/lived on a farm at some point but that's all we have. Apparently he was a very quiet man and didn't talk much and never mentioned any other family members etc so we don't have any other clues to go on!

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this.

For ref.


1911 England Census about John Cowling
Name: John Cowling
Age in 1911: 45
Estimated birth year: abt 1866
Relation to Head: Head
Gender: Male
Birth Place: Ripon, Yorkshire, England
Civil Parish: Warmfield with Heath and Newland with Woodhouse Moor
County/Island: Yorkshire-West Riding
Country: England
Street address: Goosehill Normanton
Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Chemical Works Labourer
Registration district: Wakefield
Registration District Number: 504
Sub-registration district: Normanton
ED, institution, or vessel: 11
Piece: 27434
Household Members:
Name Age
John Cowling 45
Mary Cowling 46
Robert Cowling 18
Susan Cowling 11
Lucy Cowling 4

Thanks alviegal. Could anyone advise me how I may be able to confirm/discount if a John Cowling I've found born in Goole 1865 may be my missing John Cowling? The one from Goole is on 1871, 1881 and select births/christenings but I can't find him after 1881 where as my relative can not be found before 1890 so it would make sense if it is him.
1871 England Census about John Cowling
Name: John Cowling
Age: 6
Estimated birth year: abt 1865
Relation: Son
Father's Name: James Cowling
Mother's name: Harriet Cowling
Gender: Male
Where born: Old; Goole, Yorkshire, England
Civil Parish: Goole
Ecclesiastical parish: Goole St John
Town: Goole
County/Island: Yorkshire
Country: England
Registration district: Goole
Sub-registration district: Goole
ED, institution, or vessel: 3
Household schedule number: 120
Piece: 4730
Folio: 42
Page Number: 21
Household Members:
Name Age
James Cowling 31
Harriet Cowling 31
William H Cowling 7
John Cowling 6
Emily Cowling 5
Mary Eliza Cowling 2
Thanks in advance

The fathers' occupations on the records conflict - on the 1890 marriage your John Cowling's father is a stonemason whereas on the 1871 you've posted the father James Cowling is a tailor.

I know people can sometimes change occupations but that switch would seem rather extreme.

Thanks marieceleste. I've checked all the James Cowlings who were masons and none had a son called John. Likewise mine says his birthplace is Ripon and the other is Goole but I'm beginning to think maybe the info on the marriage certificate may not be 100% accurate.

Goole and Ripon are at virtually opposite ends of Yorkshire

Perhaps his "father's" details were invented

Thanks reggie. I've come to the conclusion that something isn't quite correct on the documents we do have. It's just knowing where to go next! I have photos of John Cowling but no birth certificate or anything from his earlier life which may give a clue.

Found this one on the LDS site.............Richmond is nearer to Ripon than Goole is.

It isn't exactly conclusive, though

Name: John Cowling
Age (Original): 15
Gender: Male
Birth Year: 1866
Birthplace: Richmond, Yorkshire, England
Relationship to Head of Household: Lodger
Marital Status: Single
Occupation: Scholar
Address: ?
Event Place: Grinton, Yorkshire (North Riding), England
Disability:
Record Type: Household
GS Film number: 1342174
Affiliate Publication Number: RG11
Piece/Folio: 4878 / 63
Page Number: 8

Head Jane Alderson F 53 Grinton, Yorkshire, England
Daughter Jane A Alderson F 20 Grinton, Yorkshire, England
Son William Alderson M 18 Grinton, Yorkshire, England
Lodger John Cowling M 15 Richmond, Yorkshire, England

I'll see if I can see him on other censuses, for elimination, or not

Have you ruled out this birth reg?



England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915


Name:John Cowling

Date of Registration:Apr-May-Jun 1865

Registration district:Pateley Bridge

Inferred County:Yorkshire West Riding

Volume:9a

Page:55



Edit:

This man seems to be on censuses with a different wife

Another speculative post

First Name JOHN
Last Name COWLING
Relationship NEPHEW
Condition -
Gender Male
Age 5
Occupation -
Year Of Birth 1866
Birth Town -
Birth Place -
Birth County YORKSHIRE
House Number -
House Name -
Street FREMINGTON BANK HOUSE, HIGH
Parish REETH
Town -
City -
County Yorkshire, Yorkshire (North Riding)
Country ENGLAND
Registration District REETH
Archive Reference RG10
Piece Number 4873
Folio 16
Page 25
Record set 1871 England, Wales & Scotland Census
Category Census, land & surveys
Record collection Census
Collections from Great Britain
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Other Household Members
First Name Last Name Relationship Age Year Of Birth
DOROTHY COWLING SISTER 30 1841 Image Transcription
DOROTHY A HAMMOND DAUGHTER 6 1865 Image Transcription
GEORGE W HAMMOND SON 4 1867 Image Transcription
ISABELLA HAMMOND DAUGHTER 3 1868 Image Transcription
JANE HAMMOND WIFE 30 1841 Image Transcription
MARK HAMMOND HEAD 35 1836 Image Transcription
MARY E HAMMOND DAUGHTER 2 1869 Image Transcription
SARAH J HAMMOND DAUGHTER 0 1871

Dorothy is 'married',

Marriages Dec 1863 (>99%)
Hammond Mark Reeth 9d 993 Scan available - click to view
Richardson Jane Reeth 9d 993

It doesn't seem that Dorothy was Mark Hammond's sister

First Name MARK
Last Name HAMMOND
Relationship SON
Condition -
Gender Male
Age 15
Year Of Birth 1836
Occupation LEAD MINER
Birth Place -
Birth Town HARKERSIDE
Birth County YORKSHIRE
House Number -
House Name HARKER SIDE
Street -
Town -
Parish GRINTON
City -
County Yorkshire, Yorkshire (North riding)
Hamlet HARKER SIDE
Parliamentary Borough -
Municipal Ward -
Registration District REETH
Archive Reference HO107
Piece Number 2380
Folio 379
Page 17
Record set 1851 England, Wales & Scotland Census
Category Census, land & surveys
Record collection Census
Collections from Great Britain
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Other Household Members
First Name Last Name Relationship Age Year Of Birth Birth Town
ANN HAMMOND DAUGHTER 21 1830 HARKERSIDE Image Transcription
EASTHER HAMMOND DAUGHTER 8 1843 HARKERSIDE Image Transcription
ELIZABETH HAMMOND DAUGHTER 13 1838 HARKERSIDE Image Transcription
GEORGE HAMMOND HEAD 49 1802 FREMINGTON Image Transcription
GEORGE HAMMOND SON 6 1845 HARKERSIDE Image Transcription
THOMAS HAMMOND SON 19 1832 HARKERSIDE Image Transcription

I'll take that back

1841 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
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First Name MARK
Last Name HAMMOND
Age 5
Year Of Birth 1836
Gender Male
Occupation -
House Number -
House Name -
Street DIKE HOUSE
Parish GRINTON
City -
Town HARKERSIDE
Registration District REETH
County Yorkshire, Yorkshire (North Riding)
Country ENGLAND
Birth County YORKSHIRE
Archive Reference HO107
Schedule 493
Piece Number 1253
Folio 9
Page 14
Record set 1841 England, Wales & Scotland Census
Category Census, land & surveys
Record collection Census
Collections from Great Britain
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Other Household Members
First Name Last Name Age Year Of Birth
ANN HAMMOND 11 1830 Image Transcription
DOROTHY HAMMOND 35 1806 Image Transcription
DOROTHY HAMMOND 1 1840 Image Transcription
ELIZABETH HAMMOND 3 1838 Image Transcription
GEORGE HAMMOND 35 1806 Image Transcription
MARY HAMMOND 7 1834 Image Transcription
THOMAS HAMMOND 9 1832 Image Transcription

The snag now is that there isn't a marriage for Dorothy to a Mr Cowling

She could have just called herself Cowling, I suppose

Deaths Mar 1914 (>99%)
Cowling Dorothy 73 Reeth 9d 896


This census shows that the JOHN found in two earlier census records is the same boy on both

First Name DOROTHY
Last Name COWLING
Relationship SISTER
Condition MARRIED
Gender Female
Age 60
Year Of Birth 1841
Occupation LIVING ON OWN MEANS
Birth Town GRINTON
Birth County YORKSHIRE
Birth Place -
Street FREMINGTON
Town FREMINGTON
Parish REETH
City -
Country ENGLAND
County Yorkshire, Yorkshire (North riding)
Vessel Name -
Municipal Ward -
Registration District REETH
Archive Reference RG13
Piece Number 4608
Folio 29
Page 4
Record set 1901 England, Wales & Scotland Census
Category Census, land & surveys
Record collection Census
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Other Household Members
First Name Last Name Relationship Age Year Of Birth Birth Town
JANE ALDERSON HEAD 73 1828 GRINTON


She is living with Jane Alderson in 1911 also.......................

1881 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
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First Name DOROTHY
Last Name COWLING
Relationship SERVANT
Condition MARRIED
Gender Female
Age 40
Year Of Birth 1841
Occupation HOUSEKEEPER (DOMES)
Birth Town HARKERSIDE
Birth County YORKSHIRE
Birth Place -
House Number -
House Name FRENCHGATE
Street -
Town -
Parish RICHMOND
County Yorkshire, Yorkshire (North riding)
Country ENGLAND
Registration District RICHMOND
Archive Reference RG11
Piece Number 4879
Folio 32
Page 18

1891 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
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First Name DOROTHY
Last Name COWLING
Relationship SERVANT
Condition MARRIED
Gender Female
Year Of Birth 1841
Age 50
Occupation COOK DOMESTIC SERVANT
Birth Town -
Birth County YORKSHIRE
Birth Place ?
House Name HIGH FIELD
Street DENTON PARK
Town DENTON
Parish DENTON
City -
County Yorkshire, Yorkshire (West Riding)
Registration District WHARFEDALE
Vessel Name -
Archive Reference RG12
Piece Number 3527
Folio 73
Page 5

Nowhere does she show up as living with her husband - you may think it worthwhile to get her death cert, to see if his name is on it.

It should normally say 'wife of' or 'widow of', and the man's name

Marriages Dec 1852 (>99%)
Alderson Hannah Reeth 9d 927 Scan available - click to view
Alderson Thomas Reeth 9d 927 Scan available - click to view
Hammond Jane Reeth 9d 927 Scan available - click to view
WOODWARD Ralph Reeth 9d 927

First Name DOROTHY
Last Name COWLING
Country England
Record set Cleveland Memorial Inscriptions
County Yorkshire, Yorkshire (North Riding)
Year 1914
First Names Dorothy
Year Of Birth 1840
Age 74
Place GRINTON
Notes -
Year 1914
Year Of Death 1914
Years 74
Description St Andrew

James Cowling born 1840 in Pateley Bridge /Ripon.
he is a Stone mason married O/N/D 1864 to Eliza Needham only thing is they have no son John!!
Parents of James were Thomas Cowling (Stone mason) and Ann.

Maryb.