Genealogy Chat

Just thought (am I thick or what - 2 large glasses of Tesco's finest isnt helping). But it may be that Ellen was married before and that James is in fact the first child by William - note there is a 6 year gap betwen Sarah and James. It may be the first bunch of kids are the first husbands and she was a widow when she married William? In which case they would be registered under first hubbys name. Do let us know, Im intrigued now. If that is so and James isnt your direct ancestor, you may have to branch out another way once you get the birth cert as hopefully if she were married previously you may have her earlier married name on there. Good luck - never straight forward is it!!

This must be Florence's birth, as Easington included Castle Eden which means the one Heather found for James should be the right one too): Births Jun 1890 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Holroyd Florence Easington 10a 453 I'm working on the rest.... Kate.

Okay, I think I have solved it. Here is a marriage, from FreeBMD: Marriages Dec 1881 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cochran Ellen Auckland 10a 312 HOLROYD William Auckland 10a 312 JOHNSON Rachel Auckland 10a 312 Wright William Auckland 10a 312 and three births, also from FreeBMD: Births Jun 1874 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cochran Eunice Dewsbury 9b 699 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Births Sep 1875 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cochrane Lilly Ann Dewsbury 9b 714 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Births Dec 1878 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cochran Violet Dewsbury 9b 636 and just to prove that William and Ellen married each other, this is the marriage from Durham BMD: Surname Forename(s) Year District HOLROYD William 1881 Durham Western COCHRAN Ellen 1881 Durham Western (Durham BMD gives the spouse's name rather than having more than one marriage per page number!) So Eunice, Lilly Ann, and Violet were Cochranes before their mother married William Holroyd. Not worked out where Sarah came from yet. If you want to know how I did it, I read this in a magazine a long time ago - search for each birth with just first name, district and approx year (ancestry is best for this) and cross-check to see if one surname crops up in the list for all the first names. In this case it was Cochran or Cochrane. Then I just checked for an Ellen Cochran(e) marrying a William Holroyd. And now I must be off to bed! Goodnight. Kate. P.S. Maybe somebody who stays up later can find them on the 1881 census - I can't!

Oh well done Kate. I have to say I had thought about using just first names, particularly Eunice as it was so unusual but I was being summonsed by husband to do his quotations for tomorrow. I went to bed and just got up to check for a little while on Eunices in Durham but saw your message first. That should save £7 for Maureen and now to find the marriage of Ellen and Mr Cochran, but not right now its less than 5.5 hours before Im up again. Well done, Im glad this worked out. Felt quite stupid when it became obvious we should be looking for an earlier marriage - though always at back of mind a few kids may have died in that 6 year gap. Lets hope Mr Cochran isnt Irish!! Though that name ....... Though, thinking about it - if that marriage is right in December 1881 (Freebmd)- Sarah born 1882 should be Williams, so there is still a gap with no kids? Right, I must get on, sorry Maureen I cant find them in the 1881 - may be she went back to Ireland if hubby died? I wish you luck, though I think you do have a lot to go on now and at least you wont be following the wrong line! Now, must work!

The only other thing (!) which occurred to me Kate as I sit here supposedly completing quotations and survey reports, is that we assume that Ellen is the first 3(?) girls mum but there is always the possibility she was the second wife of Mr Cochran! As we havent found the marriage to him yet. Oh well, it will be interesting to hear what Eunices birth cert says when Maureen gets it. Oh, I love this dont you! Now I must get on.

Maureen has mailed me to say she has now found Ellens baptism in Ireland (hasnt she done well!) The bad news is she was born a Cochran.