James Patrick RUSH - advice on what to try next

[TobyRush]

Hello! I've been researching my 3rd Great Grandfather, James Patrick RUSH, and I've just this past week traced him to Worchestershire and found some wonderful information. I'm still missing some important details, though — his exact dates of birth and death, and his parent's names.

All I know from his time before moving to Worcestershire is from census records and vital records of his children:

- born abt. 1805 in County Mayo, Ireland
- married Dorcas BARNETT on 20 May 1833 in Surrey, England
- son Thomas born in 1835 in Holborn
- daughter Jane born in 1838 in Holborn
- daughter Dorcas born in 1840 in Kent
- worked as a shoemaker in St Giles without Cripplegate in 1841
- had son James Jacob (my 2G grandfather) in 1843 in Ombersley
- had daughter Mary Ann in 1847
- worked as a police officer in Leigh Sinton in 1851

Finding out that he was a police officer in Leigh Sinton led me to search the British Newspaper Archives (http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) and I was able to find many reports of his activities on the job. Piecing together these 30 or so finds (all of which are so charmingly written!) shows that he was stationed in or near Ombersley (one report has him encountering a thief as he was walking home near Hampton Lovett) through at least June 1847, then at Leigh Sinton until mid to late 1853, then Fernhill Heath from 1853 on.

A newspaper report in October 1855 refers to him receiving £50 as a pension owing to an "permanent illness" which he contracted on duty and which forced his retirement, and immigration records show his wife and children arriving in America in July of 1857, so I am inclined to think he died sometime in between, though I've read every death notice posted in the Worcestershire Chronicle for that span with no mention of him.

I'm not sure what to try turn next. I'd like to think that death records might give me a few more bits of information to go on toward finding his birth records and tracing the line back further. If someone can point me in the right direction, I'm happy to do the legwork (or at least anything I can do from here in the US). Thank you!

[Yegvard]

Hi,

There's nothing obvious I can see on FreeBMD http://www.freebmd.org.uk/  Don't forget to also try searching with phonetic surname search switched on.

It's occurred to me that James may well have left for America, but not arrived.  As far as I know, most shipping, for America, left via Liverpool.  Many ships calling in a southern Ireland port.  Perhaps he was buried there.

See if you can trace a passenger list.  If you are very lucky there may be one for leaving England and another arriving in America.  That may say where the ship stopped over if it did.

Goodluck

Mike

[TobyRush]

Thank you, Mike! I hadn't considered the fact that he may have died on the trip... that's an excellent point. I'll see what I can find.

[TobyRush]

It looks as though the ship's manifest which shows the names of Dorcas and the children is one which was completed in England before the voyage; the captain's signed attestation at the beginning is that "these are the people who were on board when I left port" so it looks as though James never boarded (I did learn that the family resided in the upper decks, though!).

A search for death records (in case he died before boarding) doesn't list anything promising, but I'll keep looking. Thanks again for your help!

[Yegvard]

Remember, he and Dorcas probably had very strong regional accents, and if he died here, they would be listening in a Worcestershire accent.  Unless of course the vicar or registrar was from elsewhere!

I would recheck the burial records at his last known abode.  Also try checking with a first name(s) only search...

If they were married in a Roman Catholic church check out local RC burial arrangements.

Mike

[TobyRush]

Wow, excellent point. Thanks for your continued help. I'll let you know if I find anything!