Alan, at 14:00 26/11/2002, you wrote:
Stephen
Thank you for your prompt and helpful reply. Yes, I did know that Amelia
was also known as Emily and I think I must have a copy of the 1881 census
return that you helpfully found (how did you do that so quickly?).
I have the whole of the 1881 Census on my hard disk. I purchased the set
of CDs from LDS Records a couple of years ago (about £25.00 for the whole
set of 26 CDs) and then fiddled around to make it work from the hard disk
so that it is not necessary to change CDs all the time. (It takes up about
14GB of disk space though :-) )
Although I can't put a hand on it at the monment (it is some
time since
I last looked at all this), I have kept a careful record of my futile
attempts to trace her husband, Joseph Wootten, and that includes a
reference to the 1881 census.
I have copied some of my notes on him below because he his my other big
brick wall and if you have any ideas on how to progress either I'd be more
than grateful:
Joseph WOOTTONs birth - When? I now believe he was born in Alresford or
Winchester somewhere between 1842 and 1850 and should therefore appear in
the 1851 census.
Although the IGI Index indicates that the parish registers from Alresford
have been transcribed, I can find no reference to the Wootten name therein.
However, as a matter of interest, there was a Wooton family at Tichborne
(about 3 miles from Alresford) at about the right time, and one of the
daughters, Sarah, is recorded in the registers there as having two
base-born children, one on 1840 and another in 1851 (neither of which is a
Joseph) so she is a possibility for the mother.
The 1870 marriage certificate for Joseph Wootten and Amelia Carter
only
gives their ages as full (i.e. more than 21 or more than 18?) and
although her fathers name is given, the space for his fathers name is
left blank.
It sounds suspiciously like he was a base-born child. That was the most
common cause for there being no father's name on a marriage certificate.
The certificate was badly completed because under his profession
it
states spinster and under her profession it states Labourer. They
were married at the Parish Church, Hounslow, Middlesex. and copies of the
original church records (from which the above are copied) are held at the
Metropolitan London Archives. I've looked at the original (from Holy
Trinity, DRO/16, 1708, film X001/088, record 104) and it contains the
same information but is completed correctly.
The various suggested dates of birth for Joseph, along with my (source) are:
- 1842 (based on his Death certificate)
- 1843 (1891 census for Hounslow)
- 1845 Alresford, Hants. (1871 census for Hounslow)
- before 1849 (marriage certificate if full = 21)
- 1850 Winchester (1881 census for Hounslow)
- before 1852 (marriage certificate if full = 18)
I've tried every where to find Joseph without success and am begining to
suspect he may have been adopted.
Have you come across FreeBMD? (
http://www.freebmd.org.uk ) I have checked
the records that have been transcribed already, and there is no Joseph
Wootton at the right time yet, but several of the quarters around that time
have not yet been transcribed, so it may be a bit of a waiting game on that
one.
As a matter of interest, I am one of over 2000 transcribers involved in
this project at the moment - working my way through 1882 marriages!!
I looked at your web site because I love Ironbridge and it is very
impressive. Our church does not have a web site - do you find it attracts
worshipers?
I don't think it brings in the locals, but it certainly helps the tourists,
and a simple parish site is something that most parishes ought to be able
to organise these days. It doesn't need to be bells and whistles :-)
Stephen
Revd S H Carter
stevecarter(a)bigfoot.com
United Benefice of Coalbrookdale, Ironbridge and Little Wenlock
http://www.rectorshouse.org.uk