Gender Check

[Roy G]

Hi, Familysearch lists the following as a DAUGHTER of Thomas Clifton and Frances Butcher.
Frances       b. 09 June 1801       Chr. 09 Aug 1801 West Malling, Kent 

Other than the IGI (familysearch) is there any way of checking whether the above could be a son FRANCIS?   That guy has been eluding me for two decades, and as the baptism year is about right, I felt it worthwhile to ask if Rootschatters knew of any other record that might say this was a male baptism?
Thanks Roy G

[SmallTownGirl]

Hi

If no-one pitches up here who has access to the actual parish registers, you could try requesting a photocopy from FamilySearch via this

https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Photoduplication_Services

STG

[maddys52]

Transcriptions of the parish registers for St Marys West Malling are available free on a google doc here (on the St Mary's website):
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0An5L7tDXoRDddGJPanpzVGJEM19XQ2NBVWdxWklpMVE#gid=0

However, the 1801 Clifton baptism is still transcribed as Frances, (and no baptisms for Butcher in that time period) so I guess that doesn't help you much. 

[Roy G]

Thanks for looking. 
I have already come to terms with the idea that the parish records (as written) were properly transcribed, and was wondering if Frances/Francis Clifton ever appeared on one of those early Napoleonic censuses, was apprenticed or accused of some legal infringement. 

All I have been able to do so far is search for a copy of this other Frances' marriage or death (to verify her existence as a female in tandem with my male) which has revealed nothing, but I have to admit, it's easy to miss things. Ironically, just finding Frances Clifton as a woman in any historical document would be helpful, for it would prove to me that I was following a false trail.

The only records that I have of him are his marriage to Lucy Curd (Card) of Buxted in Brighton (1827 with unrelated witnesses), the baptisms of their children in Brighton, and his death in Brighton in 1838.  (So there is no census info giving a birthplace).   

Regards Roy G

[Pheno]

I wouldn't place too much credence on the familysearch transcription being correct.

In the end I had to travel from the South Coast up to Sheffield to look at the original archive as the birth of Zephania Fisher was transcribed as daughter and it just didn't make sense when following on in other records - its not as if I could have several Zephania's to choose from!

Actual record quite clearly stated 'son of' which demolished one of my brickwalls instantly.

I think there is no substitute for looking at the original register.

Pheno

[Roy G]

You've convinced me.  I've contacted familysearch for a copy. 
What is interesting on that is that the reference headings they use on the request forms, hardly match the references on the IGI and you have to use a lot of intuitive guesswork.  I would have thought a simple copy and paste would have done the trick.  Roy G