William Henry Jones - Sowerby Bridge/Halifax

[G. Peskett]

I'm hoping someone maybe able to assist with this one.  All of my family that I've been able to trace are from the south, Surrey/Sussex/Hampshire areas.
My great grandmother is the exception.  This is a very complicated family so I hope you can follow along as it involves first cousins marrying.
Sarah Ada Peskett Jones was born Jan 19 1872 at 51 Grange St. New Wortley, Yorkshire. I have her birth certificate which lists her parents as William Henry Jones and Caroline Jones formerly Peskett.  Her baptism is available on Ancestry.

I have yet to find a marriage for William Henry and Caroline. They do appear on the 1881 census in Hammersmith, London. Wm. H. Jones is listed as 48, a joiner & carpenter from Sowerby Bridge Yorkshire. Caroline is listed as 47 from Odiham, Hampshire.  I believe Caroline to be the sister of my 2nd great grandfather William Richard Peskett.  So Caroline's daughter and William Richard's son married. Anyways that's not the purpose of this post.

I'm trying to find more about William Henry Jones.  In 1871 there is a listing that I believe to be the correct family. William H. Jones age 37, joiner, born Halifax and wife Elizabeth age 37 from Odiham, Hants are listed on Main Street in Kirkby Lonsdale in Cumbria. With them is a niece, Mary E. Peskett age 9 from Crondall Hampshire. (Mary was the niece of Caroline Peskett, not sure where the enumerator came up with the name Elizabeth for William Henry's wife)

Anyways, that's all I have on William Henry Jones, two census returns and a listing on a birth certificate.  I believe he died prior to 1891, but have yet to find his death due to the commonness of the name.  I would like to be able to trace his line back further, as it's been a brickwall for many, many years.  I've had no success in definitively tracing him in censuses prior to 1871 or finding a baptism for him.  I had hoped that with the release of West Yorkshire parish records I'd be able to find him, but with no luck.  The fact his birth is listed differently on two censuses doesn't help matters as I'm not familiar with the area, other than looking at a map.

I'm hoping someone familiar with the area and records available might be able to help.  The Peskett line is all traced forward and backwards from this time period, but the Jones line stops dead at William Henry. I would like to find him on the censuses, his baptism and ultimately his marriage (which I've exhausted every available avenue I could find)

Many thanks for you help.
Gerald Peskett
Ontario, Canada

[Pennines]

When you say you have traced the Peskett line backwards and forwards from 1871 -- have you managed to find Caroline Peskett herself in 1861 please --- I can't immediately see her as Peskett on that census -- but I may be just missing her.

Or are we thinking that she had married William prior to 1861?

[G. Peskett]

Caroline can be found on Class: RG9; Piece: 858; Folio: 6; Page: 5. as a cook to Joseph Sheldon Wilkinson in Great Marlow, Bucks.  On Ancestry, she is mistranscribed as Caroline Pickett.

[Pennines]

Ah yes -- I see her now. William Henry and Caroline certainly moved about!

I expect you have seen the William Jones b 1837 in Halifax Low Hill, Yorks, living in Worcestershire in 1861. He's a Boatman, with a wife Fanny, born Kidderminster and a 2 year old son Thomas, born Kidderminster.

However I cannot find this family at the moment in 1871 or 1881. I realise that Fanny and son Thomas may have died prior to 1866 (when birth years shown on the death index) --- or they could be on a boat!

However, as William Jones has given a birth place of Halifax -- I wonder if this family are worth exploring --- if only for elimination purposes.

[G. Peskett]

It might be worth exploring.  The fact that he gives two different locations for his birth, I find is problematic. Although Sowerby Bridge and Halifax are not too distant, it does complicate matters.  I've found that usually when a small town is used for the birth location it is usually the right one.  An enumerator from a distant location may have asked "Sowerby Bridge, where's that" to which he was told "near Halifax".  Knowing where Halifax was the enumerator used that instead. 

I've searched through the Sowerby Bridge registers available on Ancestry, but couldn't find him.  The fact that I can't locate a marriage certificate is the most bothersome as it would confirm my theory on Caroline's lineage along with William Henry's.  The fact that both individuals were far from home might indicated that the names might have been completely hashed up, and they're under something completely different.

Gerald

[Pennines]

Hi Gerald --- your ancestor isn't making things easy is he!

I also checked the West Yorkshire and the national non-conformist baptisms. If his parents/ancestors happened to be from Wales -- then they may have been non-conformists. No luck there.

I've just been following another William Jones on the 1851 census - aged 17, born Yorkshire but living with his mother, Sarah (also born Yorkshire) - and step-father, John Haines -- in Middlesex (erroneously shown as Son in Law instead of Stepson).

Sarah Jones marriage to John Haines was in Sept 1841 (with Banns in July) - she was a spinster at her marriage - so her son, William, was illegitimate. The marriage is amongst the London marriages on Ancestry.

Therefore looked for a William Jones b West Yorks with a mother Sarah ---- no success.

Just thought I'd give you an update on my lack of success so far!