The object of sending for a marriage certificate is to gain more information in order to take another step back in time and to gain clues with which to continue the search.
In 1985 (gosh – was it really that long ago) I sent for the marriage certificate of my gt gt grandparents William Naylor and Mary Ann Luddington Sargent. Mary Ann was from Marsh Chapel and her lineage has been interesting to trace with clues and snippets from all over (including valuable help from RootsChat) to take me back that little bit further.
However William Naylor, and his father Albert Naylor, shoe maker of Reedness, Yorkshire (marriage certificate information) has been a different story altogether.
William Naylor and Mary Ann were married at Marsh Chapel, Lincolnshire in 1853 where they had two children including my gt grandmother Amelia Ann. As William was born in 1831 I couldn’t send for his birth certificate and the IGI didn’t have his or Albert’s birth. The 1851 & 1861 census (a trip to London) had no Naylors at Marsh Chapel. It seemed likely therefore, that William was not from Marsh Chapel so could have been born anywhere!
The 1881 proved negative for William, Mary Ann and Albert Naylor although I did find Amelia’s brother living in Hull. I sent for info from the 1871 census for Naylors at Reedness but the only ones there at this time were Robert and his wife Mary, relatives perhaps? I sent for the 1851 census booklet for Reedness & area – negative again – only Robert and his wife Emelia (1st wife?).
The first link came with help from RootsChat finding William & his wife Mary Ann at Reedness in the 1861 census. William had acually been born at Reedness, had married and had then moved back but where was Albert?
He wasn’t there in 1851 but had been named on the certificate in 1853 as being from Reedness. Someone suggested he may have died by then, the registrar only putting down what he was told. No sign of a burial for Albert in the NBI or BMD.
The next stop seemed to be the 1841 census for Reedness.
However I had wanted to find out more about Mary Ann’s mother who had spent 21 years in a mental institution (chronic mania), being committed shortly after the birth of her 13 child! I decided to send to Lincolnshire Archives for her case history (a very sad tale)
and ordered some Marsh Chapel fiches whilst I was there (copies can be made for 90p each) as the IGI doesn’t cover the whole of Marsh Chapel.
I borrowed a reader and started checking out the fiche, finding the original marriage entry of William Naylor and Mary Ann Luddington Sargent.
Guess what I found – William’s father was ROBERT not ALBERT!!!!!!!
So the Robert at Reedness whom I had discovered had had a son William bp 1831 (IGI) was really mine all along.
Now I can see that Amelia was named after William’s mother. If only Robert had been a shoe maker elsewhere rather than an ag lab perhaps I would have cottoned on sooner!
Do you think it’s too late to get my money back!