Genealogy Chat

Hi Margaret, Don't know if this will help or not. On VRI:- Maria Branson - George Poole married 5/11/1830. Recorded in Haverhill, Suffolk. Collection - Bishops Transcript. Source - FHL Film 989586. Dates - 1687-1837. Then looked at Familyhistory online:- Groom George Poole, status-from parish, Bride Maria Branson, Status-from parish, Married at Haverhill on 5/11/1830. Hope it helps in some way. Tracey x

Thanks Robin. Much appreciated. Jeanette

Robin is correct. You have to look at all the possibilities and being on the borders of counties/parishes is just one of those detective bits. I have mine on the edges of Beds/Northants and Hunts and they are leading me a merry dance around the various record offices. You can often access a kind of marriage cert pre 1837 and although not as informative as the present day ones they can be very informative when you really look at them. They are usually on fiche and you can print off. I have several for the years 1780 through to1837. They always state whether or not the bride and groom are of this parish(OTP). If they are of the parish they will have lived there but not necessarily born there but always worth a check on the christenings fiche to see if they are there. If they are not of this parish it will say which parish they are from. You will also be told whether or not the couple married with consent of parents and whether or not it was by banns or licence. If it was licence you can usually access the licence to obtain more info. There are usually witnesses and these give valuable clues as they are often siblings. You will NOT get this sort of info through the IGI which is why it is always better to go to the record offices when you can. Janet

Hi Her name was Maria Branson and being as she got married in 1830, and on the 1841 census says she was 25 but that could be up to 29 as they rounded the age down or up then, I will look in cambridge and essex to see if there is anyone born aroud that time of that name Margaret

you won't know until you have a look. But Haverhill's in the corner of Suffolk, next to Essex and Cambridgeshire. She could have been born in the next parish and that would be out of the county. This changes the picture a lot because there's no need for anybody to have moved anywhere. You don't say what her maiden surname was, but if it's a local name in that area, forget the county boundaries and just look in the nearby parishes Cambridgeshire is well indexed by the FHS and some indexes are on the website

I know that they got married in Haverhill suffolk, I do not know if there were any siblings for either of them, so I do not really know where to go from that marriage, so if I went to the county office you think I might find out more Margaret

Margaret, you need to see that marriage record. If it does say "of this parish", it's likely the whole family moved and there'll be siblings around. Look for possible sisters' marriages to get their married names. With luck somebody will have lived long enough to give a birthplace in the 1851 census. Or the trail might go cold, but it's not cold yet

Jeanette -- if you use your LDS centre they can order up the film as usual. Or, the Borthwick website says they'll do a lookup for 10 quid, but you won't get a photoprint, just a typed copy

Janet Yes I have been. My CRO is only 10 minutes from me. Unfortunately the marriage records from 1754 - 1812 no longer exist. Jeanette

Hi All I have not seen the original marriage cert. but I do know it is there someone who has seen it told me but on the 1841 census it says of the wife, not of the County. And being it was so early I would not have a clue as to where she was born. Margaret

Jeanette. If you live very close to the place of interest have you thought of visiting the local CRO (County Records Office)? The parish records here will lead you further in to your own family interests as you obtain far more info on the original records than you do on the IGI even assuming the IGI records you look at are correct. Janet

Janet Yes Folkton did, and still does, exist. It's only about 40 mins drive from me. Robin Thanks for that. I am currently trying to verify some research done by an English researcher for an American rellie. Some of it has turned out to be pure fabrication, but your info explains where some of the dates could have come from. Is it possible to order a copy of the film for the BTs for Folkton, or will I have to go to the Borthwick to view them. Jeanette

Jeanette -- the LDS have a film of the Bishop's Transcripts for Folkton -- these are the backup copies of the registers, and in this case they're kept at the Borthwick at York. The IGI batches for Folkton were all transcribed from this film, under the Controlled Extraction Programme. (Follow the Source Call link, or do a Place Search in the FHL Catalog) Obviously all transcriptions have errors, but the CEP batches are generally as good as could be expected. As you say it's likely there's a mistake, but it could easily have been made by the vicar when he copied out the BTs at the end of 1797, probably not his favourite chore.

Margaret Do you know where the groom's parish might be? If so you could check it through the parish records and seeif there is anything about both being Of This Parish(OTP for short)? Can you look at the original parish record as this may help? Jeanette Yes, IGI is really only for last resort to give you an "Idea" as to where your folks might have been. Most of mine are NOT on the IGI so you should check EVERYTHING with the parish register. Are you sure that Folkton ever existed? I have come across some weird and woderful names on the IGI which has often made me wonder where I live because they were certainly not part of anywhere in the British Isles! Janet

William That's so true. If they had have done their research properly they would have known that the couple christened their children with the surname Green, not Greenley, and would surely have been married as Green too. It wasn't until about 30 years later that they started using the surname Greenley. Jeanette

Hi to you both, It appears after 1841 census they never filled another one in and although I don't know for sure I think she died and the wedding took place in the grooms parish Margaret

I have a similar problem with a groom Margaret. Marriage appears on IGI as 23rd July 1797 in Folkton. No fathers name , no place of birth for groom. Strange thing is that the parish register for marriages of this time and place no longer exists, so how on earth does it appear on the IGI? Jeanette

What siblings are there for 1841? Go sideways to see if you can find marriages, births to give you hints. What is the adress of your last "siting" as this will give you a county? Any army/ navy connections? Any trades so as you can look in Kellys or other directories? Sit down and look at all the certs/census that you have from present day back to 1841 and see what clues you can find. The 1881 census will give you a county. When I started my tree, I had no clue of where mine might have been but finding him in the army was my clue. I even had to wait for the 1881 census to find him in London only to discover I should have been looking at Surrey! Janet

I will have to stop looking now because a marriage in 1830 and the census for 1841 does not tell me what county the bride came from and I don,t know how I could possibly find it anyone got any ideas thak you Margaret