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Hi, I am trying unsuccessfully to find a birth or parents for Stephen Webb born in Odiham Hants (which I assume is Hampshire in the UK). He has documents showing differing dates of birth- his marriage cert in 1908 shows he is 48 year old (1860), his death cert in 1915 shows he is 59 years old (1856) and in the 1911 census he is 46 year old (1865). On his marriage cert, death cert and 1911 census, he is living in the Bicester area of Buckinghamshire. In all instances of the above he is with his wife Celia Patience so we know that these records all relate to the correct person and she is the informant of his death. I have his marriage to Celia Patience Walker and then he fathers children with her. On his marriage cert his father is registered as John Webb deceased and Stephen is classed as a widow. I am looking for any clues as this has been a line we have been trying to work for several years now! Any previous marriage would also be of interest or previous children. I have seen on someones tree that they have a Stephen Webb born in Hants. Nova Scotia around the right time but have not been able to contact them to check this. I also am not sure where to find records for this area which may be sending me completely down the wrong route, but we are prepared to look into any possibility.
Any thoughts are much appreciated.
Thanks

Odiham is in Hampshire and the registration district is Hartley Wintney.

According to www.freebmd.org.uk there is no birth for a Stephen/Steven Webb born in the north of Hampshire around this time. there are other Webbs born in Hartley Wintney.

Have you found him on any census before 1911?

Hi!

I have not found him before 1911. At this point he is living with Celia Patience in Blackthorn, Bicester. I have not found him prior to this in any census and have tried to find his father John, but have no real evidence or links to go on to try to do this and John Webb is not exactly a unique name! We have found some Stephen Webb's in prior census', but discounted them as we can find them in 1911.

On the 1911 Census, Stephens birthplace is shown as Hants. and then Odium (with this spelling) seems to have been added is slightly different writing. Maybe this is sending us down the wrong route but who knows! We have also visited Odiham but this offered no assistance also! Assuming that this is correct and Stephen was born in Hampshire, we have no idea when he moved to Buckinghamshire prior to his marriage to Celia Patience Walker in 1908.

The only other piece of evidence of his existence I have is that his death was registered in Charndon, Bucks in 1915.

Frustrating as this is only my wifes paternal Great Grandfather. Every other line we have managed to get back significantly further and therefore being so stuck on such a close and recent line is annoying! Part of the fun I suppose!

Thanks for your interest in this!

His birth may not have been registered many weren’t pre 1875

Hi Shirley,

You may be correct. Ultimately, we would like to obtain any information to enable us to confidently locate Stephen to enable us to identify his father (John Webb) to take this line back to earlier generations but ultimately, this may not be possible!

Thanks

Fathers who are ‘deceased’ on marriage certs are sometimes fictional. Bear that in mind

Where did you see the tree with info relating to Nova Scotia?

Hi ErikaH.

Thanks for the info. Note your point about the father on the wedding cert although this is one of only the few scraps of info we have!

Can't recall off the top of my head where we located the tree which had Stephen in Nova Scotia, I will have a check. It was a while ago now. It was on a similar site to this but not Genes.

Thanks

A John Webb married Eliza Ann Boswell in Hartley Wintney in 1849. He was a Butcher in New windsor.

They do not appear to have a son Stephen .

Thanks Namesleeone!

Yes, there are several possible options but none we have found that we have any confidence in that we are correct!

Without seeing the tree, of course I can't be sure, but the entry of Hants, Nova Scotia may simply be a case of someone having typed in "Hants", and then carelessly clicked the wrong option from the resulting drop-down list of places named Hants.

What was his address on his marriage cert?

The marriage was in Bicester (which is either in Bucks or Oxfordshire). I will dig out the cert and find out their address. We have found his wife, Celia Patience Walker / Webb and later Foster in the Buckinghamshire / Oxfordshire area pre and post Stephen.

The two witnesses at the wedding were Edwin Gibbons (an uncle to Celia) and Winifred Mary Slade - sister to Celia (after Winifred had married Joseph Edgar Slade). Unfortunately no clues to Stephen. If Stephens family do indeed come form Hampshire, it is possible that none of his relatives would have attended the wedding from Hampshire.

Stephens death was registered in Charndon, Bucks in 1915.

Bicester is in Oxfordshire but is not far from the boundary with Buckinghamshire.

You say Stephen was widowed when he married in 1908. Have you looked for a prior marriage, and death of possible wife?

Hi ErikaH,

We have not managed to find anything of Stephen prior to the 1908 marriage. We have looked at the logic of Stephens marrying someone who subsequently dies, but I believe that we have manage to discount all of these.

Just to throw a spanner into the works - could ‘Stephen’ not be his first name but one that he was known by.

Hi ErikaH,

We have not managed to find anything of Stephen prior to the 1908 marriage. We have looked at the logic of Stephens marrying someone who subsequently dies, but I believe that we have manage to discount all of these.

Hi Nameslessone.

Yes this is very possible. We have also looked at a couple of John Stephen Webb's but come up with nothing conclusive....

What occupations are listed for Stephen and John on the marriage cert?

Rose

Hiya,

Stephen was a farm labourer, John was deceased...