St Thomas baptism lookup please - Henry Ridley

[annieb22]

The IGI has a baptism for Henry Ridley on 26 MAY 1839 at Saint Thomas, Birmingham, Warwickshire. The child was apparently born on 28 APR 1839 and the parents' names were William John and Lydia Ridley.

I've been having a very difficult time of tying down my gg-grandfather, Henry Ridley. All I know is that he was born in Birmingham and was a blacksmith in 1871. His age on the census looks like 30 but it's difficult to read. I can't identify a suitable birth in FreeBMD. I'm hoping the baptism record might give an abode and the father's profession which then might tally with earlier censuses.

Any help with my brick wall will be gratefully received.

[donaldridley70]

Perhaps you have resolved your question now but........
William John was a Gun Finisher as described on the Census of 1851. Henry is described as 21 on the 1861 Census while still with his mother and father. I guess you found him on the 1871 Census after he'd left home ? and his age would have been 31. His father was by that time deceased. William John was born in Whitechapel Middlesex and was son of a William Ridley who was a gunsmith and Ann Fraser.
They appear to have been a rather extensive family spanning Birmingham and Whitechapel, London.
Hope this is of value. If you discover more of the Birmingham Ridleys perhaps you'd let me know. I'm trying to tie them all together.
Don

[annieb22]

Thank you for your reply Donald. My Henry Ridley remains a brick wall. I have not managed to tie down who his parents were as there are several Henry Ridleys about during that period. The one census I can be sure of is when he is with my 2 x great-grandmother in 1871. They never married and so I cannot send for a marriage certificate to get an idea of who Henry's father was.

There was a Henry Frederick Ridley born and baptised in Birmingham in Jan 1840. He was the son of Joseph and Mary and the reason why I'm considering these as Henry's parents is because he has children called Joseph and Mary. However, I realise this is very tenuous.

If you have done a DNA test, it would be worth comparing as my dad (who has taken the AncestryDNA test) is Henry's great-grandson and is bound to carry some of his DNA.

I can be contacted at http://www.hibbitt.org.uk/contact.html

[trish1120]

May I ask if Henry turns up in Lancs in 1881?

Henry Ridley, 36, Head, Mar, Blacksmith (Colliery), born Birmham, Warwickshire
Elizabeth Ridley, 30, Wife, Mar, born Sheffield, Yorkshire
Edward Brazenall, 32, Lodger


1891/1901 Henry Ridley is born c 1840 Birmingham.

Baptism: 5 Jul 1880 Christ Church, Ince, Lancashire, England
Joseph Henry Ridley - [Child] of Henry Ridley & Elizabeth
Born: 30 Jun
Abode: Windleshaw Street
Occupation: Blacksmith

GRO Index has his Mothers mn as SHIPMAN

His Birth/Death are reg Wigan Sept 1880 Wigan

2 more children on LancsOPC;

Baptism: 1 Sep 1889 St John the Evangelist, Blackpool, Lancashire, England
Jane Ridley - [Child] of Henry Ridley & Elizabeth
Abode: Blackpool
Occupation: Blacksmith

Baptism: 15 Oct 1890 St Mark, Hulme, Lancashire, England
Joseph Henry Ridley - [Child] of Henry Ridley & Elizabeth
Abode: 3 Riga Street
Occupation: Engine Smith

Both Joseph Henry and Jane have Mothers mn as SHIPMAN on Gro Index

Joseph Henry 1890 seems to have Mother as Dodds though!

[trish1120]

There is a Ann Elizabeth Shipman birth reg Oct 1851 - Selby, Yorkshire West

1861 she is with her Parents in Derbyshire as Elizabeth
1871 she may be a Servant in Sheffield, as Elizabeth Shipman born c 1853 Jerby

And a Marriage
Sept 1873, Sheffield, 9c 484
Henry Frederick RIDLEY and Anne Elizabeth SHIPMAN on same page

Trish

[trish1120]

So not sure if this rules in or out your Henry being Henry Frederick.

But as yours disappears after 1871 Census (I have seem it and followed his partners trail) it is a possibility he is yours.

[donaldridley70]

Hello there Ann or is it Annie

No I haven't participated in the DNA test.  I think my link is ar too tenuous to consider a relationship and most unlikely.

My search was for an Alfred Ridley's (b. 1837 Stepney) although I'm not even sure he was my grandfather as there are doubts about my fathers origins.  Such are the frustrations and pleasures of research.

My interest or collected background on various Ridley's comes from the fact there was large family of them in Whitechapel. Predominately gunsmiths although there were watchmakers, wheelwrights, hatters, and musicians among them. The records I have of these stems from late 1700's and I thought I might find a link to my grandfather........no luck though.

Your search interested me  because among the Whitechapel Ridley's I'd found this link to Birmingham with William John and Lydia which I thought surprising. Such a distance. It's possible the whole family migrated from Birmingham but still had some relatives there and so returned to visit.

I did find the Henry b.1840 you referred to with his wife Ann and children........  looking at where they were born he appears to be a sort of Journeyman Blacksmith. I do think this Henry naming his children Joseph and Mary is significant.

Sorry I see no more at the moment........however I note Trish has come up with some leads.

Good Luck....I'll keep watching in case I can be of help.

Happy New year

Donald

[annieb22]

Thank you to you both Donald and Trish.

Trish, I have seen Henry with Elizabeth on a few censuses and have hypothesized as to whether he is mine. You seem to have found some interesting information which I haven't got, it's been a little while since I explored my Ridley side. Might I ask where you found the Baptism details? That marriage took place the year after my great-grandmother was born which is really quite sad if this is indeed my Henry.

Something that had struck me before was in 1891 his next door neighbours were called Cottrell. My great-great-grandmother was Hannah Maria Cotterill - she's the Ann he had the five children with. It could just be a coincidence of course. I have been unable to say for certain that this is my Henry but your new information looks like something definitely worth persuing. Thank you so much.

Donald, you are probably correct in that if we are related at all, we might be too distant to show up as a DNA match depending on how far back in time we might connect. However, if you are looking to find out who your grandfather was, it might well be worth persuing. It is such a close relationship that I should have expected some cousins would show up in your matches to help narrow the search. It's dependent on who has tested, of course.

Good luck with your research.

Annie

[trish1120]

The Baptisms are on LancsOPC as I noted earlier

Its a tangled web if it is your man!