Secker Family

[brendalh]

Hi can anyone help me, im new to tracing my family tree.. I think my family of Seckers came from Cambridgeshire.... Is there anyone whose family of Secker also come from Cambridgeshire. My Great G.father came from Camberwell Surrey. Has anyone got any information they can share with me to get me started Pleasssssssssse........ Brenda

[Darcy]

Hi Brenda,
welcome to RootsChat There are many helpful people on this site who will do there best to assist you.

The more information you can give the easier it will be to point you in the right direction.

So, find out as much as you can about your Seckers and then post the details here and we'll do our best to get you started.
Darcy

[trish251]

Hello Brenda

You may be lucky and find a relative online who is researching your family, but it is much more likely that you will get help from family searchers, who simply like to help other folks research their roots. Many folks on here have lots of resources available, but a little more information would help them research your family. e.g. What was the name of your great grandfather - approximately when was he born. How many children did he have - do you know any of their names. Approx when were the family living in Cambridgeshire. What was the name of his wife. Do you have a copy of his death certificate?

A brief search gives about 100 Seckers (and variations) listed on the IGI from 1570-1832 in Cambridgeshire. FreeBDM gives about the same number born there in the period 1838-1900. The first birth date for a Secker in Surrey on freeBDM is 1848.

Read the getting started tips here
http://www.rootschat.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=3996.0 - especially in relation to finding out as much as you can from current family members, then post any details you have and I'm sure you'll get much assistance.

Trish

[brendalh]

Hi Trish, thanks for all the advice, which I will certainly do.All I have managed to find out if my Great Grandfather was William Secker who was born 1838 in Cambridge and he had 5 children who I think was all born in Camberwell Surrey. His Father I think was James who was married to Sarah, and then I can get no more information.. I seem to be going round in circles... but I will look up the sites that you have kindlly given me and carry on with my research. Thanks again Trish.... Brenda

[trish251]

Hi Brenda

You should be able to use some census data to find out more of your family. The 1881 Census is online at the LDS site, but if you ask in the census forum here people may well be able to help with earlier census.
What you have so far is William b. 1838 with parents  James and Sarah. So in 1851 William would be 12/13 and probably still living with his parents (with luck) and perhaps in Cambridge. William had 5 children (one of whom is your grandmother/grandfather) whose approx birth you may know.  William presumably married 1860-70, so in 1881 is probably living with a number of his children. You know the name of at least one of them. In 1871 he is also probably with some children in Surrey.
I am having no joy with the LDS site at the minute (perhaps the US election has jammed all the lines to the states??) so will check later - and you could also look at the 1881 Census.

Starting is often circular but it doesn't take long to head in the right direction.
Trish

[Kazza]

Hi there,

I am moving this topic into the Cambridgeshire board where it will be seen by those with interests in the area.

Good Luck,

Kazza.

[bedfordshire boy]

Hi Brenda
There is a William Secker on the 1871 census as follows

10 Athen? Road Camberwell
William Secker head married 33 Clerk stock exchange born Cambridge
Sarah Secker wife 29 b Surrey Rotherhithe
William Secker son 1 b Camberwell
Emily M Secker dau 7mths b Rotherhithe
Jacob Harrison visitor unmarried 19 b Rotherhithe

William's age fits with your birth of 1838 so it looks like the right one.

There is a marriage on FreeBMD

http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/cgi/search.pl

between William Seckers and Sarah Harrison in the Sept quarter 1868 at Rotherhithe

Cambs FHS has a very good web site at
http://www.cfhs.org.uk/Search.html
with indexes for the 1841 and 1851 censuses, plus baptism and burial indexes for the periods 1801-1937.

Unfortunately I cannot see a William Secker in either 1841 or 1851 so presumably they had moved away from Cambridgeshire by the time William was 3.

Regards

David

[brendalh]

Hi David, thanks for all that information, some I had some I didnt, so that was a great help. I am now trying to trace Williams Father who was I believe James Secker...Dont seem to be getting anywhere with him. Anymore advice would be fantastic. I will keep going........ Thanks again David....

[bedfordshire boy]

Hi Brenda

You say you "believe" William's father was James and his mother Sarah. Do you have anything concrete to substantiate this? In the absence at this stage of William's birth details the only sure way is to order his 1868 marriage certificate from which you will get his father's name. You can get the reference from the FreeBMD site and order online from the GRO.

Cambridgeshire is not particularly well covered on the IGI which does not make your job any easier.  Do you know if William had any siblings? Sometimes a lateral approach can help to fill in gaps, or confirm what you already know.

Do you have details of William on the 1891 census? If not I have them - at least he was consistent with his age and birthplace of Cambridge - the same  on the 1881 as well. Did he die in the last quarter 1899? There is a death on BMD age 62 at Camberwell which fits, and I cannot find him on the 1901 census.

There is a marriage in Camberwell in 1833 between James Secker and Caroline Emmons. This might be a total red herring!

But the first step if you haven't already got it is his marriage cert.

regards

David