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Topic: Mercy Best nee Coldwin, Almondbury (Read 148 times)
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goingloco
RootsChat Extra
Posts: 18
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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Can anyone help me trace my great great grannie Mercy Best, nee Coldwin.
I’m working in reverse here. I have just received a copy of her death certificate which gives her death on 12 February 1866, died of phthisis, age 22, wife of William Best who was present at the death. My great aunt did some research back in the 50’s and her papers give Mercy’s maiden name as Coldwin, which is written in a family bible in my possession, so I’m fairly confident there isn’t a mistake in the surname spelling. The death certificate was certified in the sub-district of Almondbury and the address of where she died is Dog Kennel, Almondbury.
Her only child, my great grandfather, Charles Henry Best was born in 1863
My problem is that, working backwards, I can’t find her birth record or any trace of her on any previous census.
I found mention of the marriage of a William Best at Almondbury Parish Church in 1862. I sent for the certificate and found a William Best age 22 married a Mercy Baldwin age 20. I got the certificate and there is a mistake (corrected by the registrar) he wrote Mary crossed it through and wrote Mercy. The dates and ages fit, but not the bride's surname or the grooms father’s details which are left blank. William’s father was Henry Best b 1809 and died about 1859. Wouldn’t the father’s details have been entered on the marriage certificate anyway with the ‘deceased’ qualification alongside? Maybe this is a different William and Mercy altogether.
Mercy’s husband William remarried between the 71 and 81 census and had 9 more children. Unfortunately I haven’t made contact with any of their descendants who may have the answer.
If anyone can help on the Mercy mystery, I’d be most grateful.
Regards
Gill
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CaroleW
RootsChat Marquessate
Posts: 16715
Barney 1993-2005
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Hi Gill
Coldwin and Baldwin - very similar. What was the name of Mercy's father on the marriage cert
Births June qtr 1863
Charles Henry Best Huddersfield 9a 303
A copy of his birth cert will confirm mum's maiden name but I suspect the 1862 marriage is the correct one
Births June qtr 1843
Mercy Baldwin Bradford York 23 168
1851 census for 43 Low Green Great Horton - all b Horton
Jonathan Baldwin 33 stuff weaver - mill
Betty 27
Mercy 7
HO107 Piece 2310 Folio 176 Page 34
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CaroleW
RootsChat Marquessate
Posts: 16715
Barney 1993-2005
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William was b Lancashire 1839/40 and his parents were Henry & Frances as you already know
It is unusual for Henry's name to be omitted from the marriage cert - even if he was deceased
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AMBLY
RootsChat Marquessate
Posts: 4584
Falkland Islands "Desire The Right"
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Hi Gill
(sorry Carole - snap, we posted at same time !)
oh - multiple posts before mine - it didn't warn me there were posts made which I might want to review first like it normally would  )
1862: Marriage BEST/BALDWIN : What was the name of the bride's father? Did William make his own signature? Who were the witness'? What was the address' of the couple? Did Mercy write her own name?.
1863: BIRTH Charles Henry BEST - Jun Qtr 1863 - Huddersfield - appears to be your one..
This should confirm the mother's maiden name for certain. And one hopes the occupation of the father, perhaps even an address of birth ties in with information you know to be your family - it seems likely the address might be "Dog Kennell" Almondbury where William BEST was in 1861(premarriage) and 1871(as a widower with son Charles Henry) with his mother.
1873: MARRIAGE - Hudderfield Mar Qt 1872, Huddersfield
William BEST and Fanny BUTLER on the same page.
This is likely to be your William's remarriage.
If he signed his own name, compare signatures - not foolproof if he was deliberately disguising his identity on the 1862 marriage.
The 1862 marriage certainley seems to be the couple. To have a Mercy COLDWIN (not found) and a Mercy BALDWIN (found) both marrying a William BEST in Almondbury/Huddersfield around 1861/1863 seems highly unlikely.
Which marriage statements are truth and which may be ...fibs or omissions ... and why, is another matter.... The entries in the family bible - who made those entries and when, do you know? The COLDWIN name may simply have been written there by someone who was mistaken about the first wife of William BEST?
The entries on a marriage certificate are down to two things - whoever proivided the information and whoever wrote it down! Declarations of age, address, paternity, marital status etc were not required to be proven. Oft times the registrar knew the family anyway. Couples marrying against parental wishes etc, would therefore often do so in a Parish where they were not known to the registrar or vicar.
The fact they married (in the context of the 1862 marriage being correct) in Almondbury where William's family lived suggests he is not trying to hide himself. It was normal practice, yes, to state the name of a groom/bride/s father as "(deceased)" if he was reported as such (or if the vicar knew he was). But - it is certainley not unusual to :
a) have the father's written down and not be declared deceased when in fact he was.
b) have no father written down because the bride/groom was actually illigitimate (and the person you think is the biological father was a step-father).
It's also not unheard of to:
c) have no father written down at all, because he was deceased. This was a little 'foible' by some registrars/vicars etc.
Cheers
AMBLY
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goingloco
RootsChat Extra
Posts: 18
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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Thanks you everyone for your input. I'm at the office at the moment but will go through the detail at home later.
Re the possible Best/Baldwin marriage in 1862; the brides father signs as Jonathan Baldwin, which ties in with Carole's discovery.
The old bible has 3 'grannie' signatures. My gran Gertrude Best (recognise her script), then Mercy Coldwin (note the spelling!) and then (next mystery) Maria Shackleton, Gt Horton and a date I can't remember at the moment. Will look it up later at home. All signatures are in a different hand, so I'm guessing the ladies wrote them personally rather than a third party filling them in later. So, who is Maria Shackleton? The Gt Horton connection would fit in with the surname being Baldwin (Jonathan/Mercy 1851 census given Gt Horton a location).
More later............
Gill
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goingloco
RootsChat Extra
Posts: 18
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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Hello again
I've gone through the information and everything points to Mercy being Baldwin not Coldwin!! Most curious, as the name in the bible is definitely Mercy Coldwin. The 1862 marriage certificate was obtained via the GRO and all the information is in the same hand - no signatures. Unless the person doing the original entry misread Coldwin as Baldwin and carried the error through the whole certificate (4 times). Would the record held at the Parish Church have the real signatures? Both Mercy and her father Jonathan are signatories, maybe that's where the answer lies - if they both had crabby writing maybe it's just a transcription error. I've uploaded the inside page of the bible - Maria Shackleton writes in ink in a large, firm hand, Mercy's, by contrast, is rather small and in pencil.
Regards
Gill
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goingloco
RootsChat Extra
Posts: 18
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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Can't seem to get the image to upload. Sorry. Will try again later.
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AMBLY
RootsChat Marquessate
Posts: 4584
Falkland Islands "Desire The Right"
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Hi Gill
As far as I know, images can't be posted on the "Lookup Requests" boards. Though it can be posted on the 'mother board named, "Yorkshire (West Riding)"
The thing is, though the other information - Census, BMD, that Carole has found also point to "Baldwin"  It would be interesting to see what is says on the birth cert Charles Henry.
I still do wonder if it was Mercy herself who wrote her name in the bible.
Cheers
AMBLY
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goingloco
RootsChat Extra
Posts: 18
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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Hi Ambly (and others)
I've now posted the bible signature page on the 'Deciphering and Recognition Help' page. Hope you'll take a look and let me have your thoughts. I'm rather hoping it is Baldwin!
Regards
Gill
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