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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Sussex => Topic started by: Jeffo W on Monday 13 August 18 13:56 BST (UK)
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Hello everyone,
My names Jeffrey Wooldridge, I'm trying to trace information on my Grandfather Dommenick(born Demetrius) Sydney Wooldridge b26 Oct 1892. From the 1911 census his place of birth says Russia, but on all other official documents it is shown as Malta.
From DNA testing (Autosomnal and Y-DNA) I know that my only male line link is John Wooldridge b1769 in Ashurst in Sussex who emigrated to Pennsylvania USA in 1820, and I am in contact with this side of my distant family.
Basically this is as much as I know of my parental line and there are no relatives left alive to ask any questions of, so I've basically hit my genealogical brick wall at only my grandfather...
If anyone has any knowledge depth of the Wooldridge's in Sussex I would really appreciate their help in trying to find this link and the missing pieces in my families tree if possible, for myself and my newly found American cousins.
Yours
Jeffrey Wooldridge
GEDMATCH Kit# A548209
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So in 1911 he is 19-y-old pupil in Margate.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XW67-SQK
Did he wed? Any parental info on that? ID-d the witness names?
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Welcome to Rootschat. I see a marriage in Co Durham to Winifred Firth - is that him. If so if you get a copy of marriage cert from GRO It should name his father
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Thanks for the swift replies,
He was married 19th May 1925 to Winifred Firth at St Peters Stockton on Tees county Durham.
His father is listed as Sydney Frank Wooldridge (deceased) a merchant.
His father in law Thomas Firth an engineer.
The witnesses were Charles E Firth, but the second one is quite illegible.
I have had no luck so far in finding any Sydney Frank Wooldridge in any records...
Regards
Jeff...
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Have you got any details of his WW1 service, he's coming up as Dmetrius Sidney on searches A/Sgt (maybe Acting Sergeant) in Royal Field Artillery as a Driver. He got Victory medal and British medal.
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Hi Lizzie,
I've been to Kew and scoured online sources and from what I can see his records were lost or burnt during WWII bombing, apart from roll cards etc. I have his medals and a case of his WWI memento's but there is very little information we can glean from this.
On discharge from the army he changes/Anglicizes his first name and he joins the Foreign Office where he stayed until he retired in 1953/1954.
He also has a medal from Holland for WWII, Knights Order of Orange and I know from past chats with relatives before they passed away that he worked for one of the MI's (Military Intelligence).
I have been in touch with the Foreign Office archivist but there are no records/records that are allowed to be seen. I know from his passport and other documents he spent a lot of his time in Tallinn in Estonia for work.
This is really as much as we know, he was a very private person, quite the enigma really.
Thanks
Jeff...
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Which documents say he was born in Malta? Could that have been a convenient lie in later life, if he was doing sensitive work involving national security for which a Russian birthplace might look odd?
Did he speak Russian? That would no doubt have been an asset in his line of work.
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Interesting that there is a DNA link to other Wooldridges - which suggests it was not an assumed or adoptive name.
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Hi AVM,
It's his passports that state he was a British subject born in Malta, although from relatives that knew him he sounded Russian to them so we think this is fictitious.
We also have nothing else apart form his entry on the Marriage certification that his father was who he says either.
So at the moment I only have the DNA evidence to base my search on, and it point to Ashurst in Sussex.
Thanks
Jeff...
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From DNA testing (Autosomnal and Y-DNA) I know that my only male line link is John Wooldridge b1769 in Ashurst in Sussex who emigrated to Pennsylvania USA in 1820, and I am in contact with this side of my distant family.
Do you mean that your distant cousin in USA who you matched with on DNA testing, has traced his family tree back to this John from Ashurst? How do you know that your two lines join at this point? Could your line and your cousin's link later and your great grandfather might be from America?
If he worked in Tallinn, Russian speaking is likely even if he wasn't born there.
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John Wooldridge of Ashurst was bapt on 19 Feb 1769 s/o John and Elizabeth. He doesn't seem to have any brothers, just three sisters - Ann, Sarah and Elizabeth. So that looks like dead end as far as Y chromosome carrying on.
There was another Wooldridge family in Ashurst at the same time - parents Abijah and Sarah. They had children John, Thomas and Sarah. But John and Thomas died young, both burial records state they were infants, so no male descendants there
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Abijah and Sarah nee Laker had an earlier child William bapt at Wiston (place they were married and where Sarah may have come from.
If Abijah and John senior were brothers that could provide a link as long as William lived long enough to marry and have male children
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There's a marriage between a John Wooldridge and an Elizabeth Worley at Findon on 25 Jan 1761, so a bit of a gap before Ann's birth - if that's the right marriage - room for another one
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Abijah and Sarah nee Laker had an earlier child William bapt at Wiston (place they were married and where Sarah may have come from.
If Abijah and John senior were brothers that could provide a link as long as William lived long enough to marry and have male children
Abijah and Sarah had an earlier Sarah at Wiston, she was buried on 08 Apr 1750, so must have been first child born shortly after they married
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Hi Lizzie,
Yes my Y-DNA match in the US can trace their whole lineage back to John of Ashurst and Elizabeth.
Your conclusions on the marriage concur with my findings for the date range that it was quite probably to
Elizabeth Worlley 25/01/1761 at Findon in Sussex, and the geographical closeness to Steyning and Ashurst makes it a strong possibility.
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Abijah and Sarah nee Laker had an earlier child William bapt at Wiston (place they were married and where Sarah may have come from.
If Abijah and John senior were brothers that could provide a link as long as William lived long enough to marry and have male children
Well if this the William who dies at Greenwich in 11/12/1832 it looks like a line of enquiry for me to pursue further
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May not be connected but there is a record of an Abijah Woollveridge (sic) born 9 Nov 1723 in the Quaker records. Meeting place Hampshire. Parents William and Ann. Just a transcription on FindMyPast.
added, sorry just realised there is an image. It says they were of Farnborough. Then there is the name of the midwife Mary Gilles and several female witnesses, Hester Carter, Sarah Fuller, Mary Fuller, Joanna Lunn, Sarah Lashford, Eliz Cobbet. One or more may be related to William or Ann
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More Quaker birth record;
Benjamin Wooldridge son of William Wooldridge and Ann his wife of Farnbrow (sic) in Surrey twenty second of ye eleventh month 1714, then signature of official no names of midwife / witnesses. This was recorded at Guildford, quarterly meeting of Sussex and Surrey.
Joseph Woolveridg s/o William and Ann of Farmborow born 6th day of the 10th month 1716 (Dorset / Hampshire meeting
Benjamina daughter of William and Ann Woolveridge of Farnborrow born there 10th: 11th month 1719 witness the mark of Barbara Grimm(?) midwife, Mary Castford (?), Hester Barler's marke.
Daruis son of William and Ann Woolveridge of Farnborrow born there on 21st of 6th month 1722 witnesses Mary Giles midwife, Mary Elcock, Mary Laithford, Eliz Cobbet, Jane Greenaway, Alice Chitty. Hants / Dorset meeting again
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Burial at Ratcliff, Barking for a Darius Woolveridge of Bromley Midx who died of the smallpox buried 6 April 1749
He fits with the baptism on age
Benjamin Wooldridge age 38 of St Saviours, Southwark died 17 oct 1752 of convulsions, buried 20 Oct 1752 Friends burying ground in Worcester street in the park, Southwark
Mary Woolveridge wife of Benjamin age about 32 died of a fever 21 feb 1752, buried same place on 25th feb 1752
(note different spellings of surname!)
burial for Isaac Wooldridge son of William and Ann of Farnborrow died on 26th of 12th month and buryed on 2nd of 1st month at Worplesdon burying place 1728/9. Can't find his birth record, sounds like he was an infant.
William Wooleeridge of Farnborrow husbandman son of William Wooleridge of Frimley and Ann Elcock of Chart??y in Surrey daughter of John Elcock of the same place , gardiner married on 15 April 1714 at Kingston Surrey Quaker meeting. At the bottom of the record are all the names of those who were at the meeting.
Wooldridges are Thomas and Catherine. Elcocks better represented with Mary, Thomas, John, Aprin?, Springell? and Jane.
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William's brother Joseph married in same place in 1706 to Deborah Paul. Wooldridge attendees were a William and a John. Joseph was a sawyer living in Tower Hill London and Deborah was from Wandsworth.
Joseph and Deborah Wooldridge are among attendees of the marriage of Lydia Wooldridge to Edward Burford in Southwark in 1729. Lydia is Joseph's daughter, he is a distiller.
14 mar 1751 Benjamin Wooldridge wine cooper of St Saviour Southwark s/o William late of Farnborrow deceased married Mary Norfolk at Southwark. No Wooldridges among attendees.
added Benjamin's marriage record his mother Ann surviving, so she was still alive in 1751
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burial of a William Wooldridge at Frimley St Peter on 17 Sep 1719. Record says "snr"
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burial in Ashurst 2 dec 1799 Elizabeth wife of John Wooldridge of Wiston.
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An Ann Wooldridge married William Barnet in Wiston on 19 Aug 1798 one of the witnesses was a John Wooldridge. John signed. She could be the Ann b Ashurst, older sister of the John who went to USA. John W the witness could be her father or her brother.
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On 1 july 1764 Abijah and Sarah had a daughter Mary baptised in Tillington, some distance from Wiston and Ashurst (near Petworth)
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burial of a Sarah Wooldridge in Tillington 17 Jun 1794, no age given