Genealogy Chat

I am trying to trace John Wixon who was born around 1849 at Pyrton Oxfordshire, son to Thomas Wixon (born 1823 at Pyrton) and Elizabeth (born around 1827 at Shirburn, Oxfordshire).
In both the 1851 and 1861 census John was living with his parents in Pyrton, Oxfordshire.
I cannot find an entry for John in the 1871 census but in the 1881 census I have found an entry for "Loveday John Wixon" living in Hammersmith London and born around 1849 in Pyrton Oxfordshire. He was a police constable and was living with his wife Elizabeth aged 37 and his 2 daughters Lizzie aged 11 and Edith aged 8, both born in Sunbury Middlesex.
At this point if this is the John I am looking for, why has he put his name as "Loveday John Wixon". It almost certainly is the right one as I cannot find another John Wixon who was born in Pyrton around the time of John's birth and certainly no Loveday John Wixons at all in Pyrton.
In the 1891 census I find an entry for John Wixon (again no Loveday) who is a patient in the Atkinson Morley Convelescent hospital. This entry shows John as being married and being a police constable further strengthening the fact that the Loveday John Wixon in the 1881 census was in fact the John Wixon I am looking for..
I can find no entry for either John Wixon (b c1849 in Pyrton) nor Loveday John Wixon in the 1901 census, However there is an entry in the marriage index Jan - Mar 1868 for a Lovedy John Wixon getting married at St Martin Middlesex along with Elizabeth Down.
Any thoughts or ideas would be most appreciated.

This is why he isn't on 1901 census

Name: Loveday J Wixon
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1849
Year of Registration: 1900
Quarter of Registration: Apr-May-Jun
Age at Death: 51
District: St George Hanover Square
County: London, Middlesex
Volume: 1a
Page: 318

1901

Name: Edith Wixon
Age: 26
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1875
Relation: Daughter
Mother's Name: Elizabeth
Gender: Female
Where born: Sunbury, Middlesex, England

Civil Parish: Ealing
Ecclesiastical parish: Christchurch
Town: Ealing
County/Island: Middlesex
Country: England


Registration district: Brentford
Sub registration district: Brentford
ED, institution, or vessel: 11
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 29
Household Members: Name Age
Edith Wixon 26
Elizabeth Wixon 52 b. Callington. Cornwall

LOVEDY JOHN WIXON
Marriages:
Spouse: ELIZABETH DOWN
Marriage: 30 MAR 1868 Saint Martin In The Fields, Westminster, London, England

ahh, thank you.
It certainly appears that when Loveday J (or John) Wixon appears in the Census, John Wixon doesn't and vice versa.
If this is the John im looking for, why would he change his name I wonder?

Order the marriage certificate from www.gro.gov.uk


that will tell you his father's name and his age.



and will answer your questions!


It will cost you £7


Otherwise, you're just guessing.



Have you got his birth certificate to see what he was named when he was born .... or his baptism to see what he was christened as??


sylvia

Here is his birth registration .... Henley is the registration centre that includes Pyrton

Births Jun 1849 (>99%)

WIXON John Henley 16 93


sylvia

Thanks for the info Sylvia
I have been considering getting his marriage certificate as you say that should also tell me his fathers name and confirm that the Loveday John Wixon is in fact the John Wixon I am looking for (hopefully).
I shall have to wait a while though because it is not quite so important as other certificates I need to order, in addition to the problems the GRO are having getting certificates delivered at the moment

If you do a general search of the birth index for given name "Loveday", you'll find it's a bit of a Cornwall/Devon phenomenon. I don't have any in my own family that I know of, but in my Cornwall and Devon searches I encounter it a lot. As a surname, it's more widely spread.

Don't know how that might help (or not)! Just thought I'd mention the apparent geographic connection.

Thanks KathrynB, I had noticed this and dismissed it because of its location being so far away from John's location, however now that you mention it, it appears he started using the name Loveday after he got married, and his wife was from Cornwall. I wonder if there is a connection

That's what I noticed, his wife being from Cornwall. I wondered whether maybe his parents were, but I see not from what's in the thread.

I've always been curious about the given name Loveday in that area, just from having noticed it so much -- more often for girls, btw. So if you find out what it's about, let us know!

1871 England Census
about Louday J Wiscon
Name: Louday J Wiscon
Age: 22
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1849
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Elizabeth
Gender: Male
Where born: Oscon, Pyrton
Civil Parish: Sunbury
Town: Sunbury
County/Island: Middlesex
Country: England
Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Disability: View image
Registration district: Staines
Sub registration district: Sunbury
ED, institution, or vessel: 11
Household schedule number: 133
Household Members: Name Age
John Bryant 22
Elizabeth Wiscon 30
Lizzy Wiscon 1
Louday J Wiscon 22

Johns family have all been traced back as far as 1717 in Oxfordshire so no west country influence as a result of ancestors. I wonder if one of Elizabeths parents were called Loveday or even what Elizabeth's middle name was.

Thanks Jim Soton, I thought I had tried every variant to cover the 1871 census, but obviously not. Mind you, it didn't help that both first name and surname were spelt wrong :)

Ok, that's knocked that theory on the head.
In the 1851 census Elizabeths mother was Joanna born in Cornwall, and her fathers name was Thomas Down. Thomas was born in Pyrton but living in Cornwall with his wife, 2 daughters and son.
So not one of Elizabeths parents names then.

I thought that maybe Loveday was his mother's maiden name - so took a chance on FreeBMD and found this:

Marriages Jun 1848 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Loveday Elizabeth Thame 16 177
Wickson Thomas Thame 16 177



Maybe she died and he used her name as a mark of respect or something?

oh thank you, this looks really promising. I guess that in this case there is also every chance that Loveday may have been his middle name. I have found so many poeple who for some reason or other swapped around their first and middle names

That's a more likely idea Iain.

If he was given Loveday as a middle name it's possible that some of his siblings also had that as a middle name as well. I've found that in a few families.

Would be interesting to know when his mother died.

Jill

just had a look at my microfiche of Thame parish register transcripts.....the marriage entries stop at 1837 :(
I have the Pyrton transcripts as well but they stop at 1840 so no good looking there for a burial date
John appeared to have no siblings (I guess something pretty rare in those days) so can't investigate that. Nice idea though.
I will follow this up as I am sure this is the answer.