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Topic: Ralston mid 1850s England to France (Read 77 times)
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RichardK
RootsChat Member
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Posts: 165
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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I wonder if anyone can help with a brick wall I've been staring at for a while. My 3g grandfather, William Ralston, was a journeyman stonemason. He seems to have been born around 1824 in Lanarkshire, appearing there in the parish of Bothwell in the 1841 census as an apprentice mason. Next time he turns up is 25 Nov 1845 in Birkenhead, Cheshire, when he married Ellen Coghlan or Coughland (who was from Ireland). In the 1851 census he and Ellen are living in Birkenhead and he gives his place of birth as Scotland. When Ellen died aged just 32 on 19 Jul 1858, her death certificate describes her as 'widow of William Rawlson Stonemason journeyman'. In the 1861 census, there are six Ralston children (Catherine, William, Ellen, John, Constance and Joseph), with the youngest being aged 6, living with their grandmother in Birkenhead. This seems to tally with the BMD indices - they appear to have been the only Ralstons on the Wirral at that time.
Question is, what happened to William? Presumably he died somewhere between 1853 and 1858, but I haven't been able to establish where. The William Rolston who died in Liverpool in 1855 was a child and the William Smith Ralston who died in Kirkcaldy in 1857 was roughly the right age but a single tailor.
Someone I was in contact with ages ago said they'd heard a story that William Ralston had worked on the Statue of Liberty. Given that this wasn't built until the 1870s or 1880s that seems unlikely - but I know the statue was built in France and wonder if maybe the story has become distorted over time. Paris in the 1850s was being transformed by Haussman, which would presumably have drawn masons and other craftsmen into the city - I wonder if maybe he went to France and died there.
Does anyone know if there are any records of passports or ships or deaths in France that might help to confirm or disprove this theory?
Any suggestions gratefully received.
Richard.
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« Last Edit: Wednesday 20 February 08 13:42 GMT (UK) by copyright_editor »
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Kelly, Birkenhead & Co. Kildare
Marshall, Luton & area
Reid, Co. Kildare & Dublin
Cox, Barnack Northamptonshire
Edwards, Pagham, Sussex & area
Scott, Roxburghshire & Perthshire
Mitchell, Warwickshire
Savage, Hampshire
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jorose
RootsChat Aristocrat
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Posts: 2930
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I wonder if it might have been his son William who worked on the Statue of Liberty? If he was a stonemason he wouldn't have worked on the statue itself but maybe on the pedestal which was built on-site. Or the story might just have come about because he went to New York as a stonemason and someone got muddle up somewhere.
You can check the overseas death indexes at www.familyrelatives.com (that section should be free), but other than that it would be quite tricky to find records if he did go to France. Passports were not common at the time, and French records are difficult to access unless you know exactly where he was. (Also, many records for Paris in the 1850s were lost in the fire of 1871).
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RichardK
RootsChat Member
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Posts: 165
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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Hi - thanks for that. Unfortunately nothing shows up in the overseas deaths, but it was worth a try. You're quite right it may have been his son and the pedestal, although apparently the metal outer skin of the statue was made by pouring molten metal into carved stone moulds - so could be Paris or New York.
Thanks
Richard.
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Kelly, Birkenhead & Co. Kildare
Marshall, Luton & area
Reid, Co. Kildare & Dublin
Cox, Barnack Northamptonshire
Edwards, Pagham, Sussex & area
Scott, Roxburghshire & Perthshire
Mitchell, Warwickshire
Savage, Hampshire
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