The paper trail vs family stories vs DNA?

[pharmaT]

The match could be via a Gilleard half-sibling of your ancestor couldn't it, but related via May Ann Fisher?

Have you thought about uploading to Gedmatch.  You might get some more matches there and possibly the Gilleard match is there as well.

I was going to say the same thing hurworth.

[Guy Etchells]

I'm not sure where to post this so please feel free to move of necessary :-).

The paper trail is as follows:

Tom Lockwood Gilleard was born in the December ¼ of 1885. His parents were Philip Brittain Gilleard and Mary Ann nee Fisher.

Philip B Gilleard died aged 40 in the June ¼ of 1883

If the above dates are correct then the claim is Tom Lockwood Gilleard was born over two years after his father Philip Brittain Gilleard had died, meaning Philip Brittain Gilleard could not possibly be his father, therefore that particular paper trail must be wrong..
Have you checked to try to find if Philip Brittain Gilleard and Philip B. Gilleard were two different people?

Mary Ann Gilleard nee Fisher married Alfred Lockwood in the September ¼ 1887.

Who is Tom's father?

Family story dictated that Philip Gilleard was a hard man and liked a drink. Tom was given Lockwood as a middle name as Alfred Lockwood was his father but as his mother  wasn't married to Alfred Lockwood at the time he kept Gilleard as a surname. They later married when it was deemed enough time after Philip Gilleard's death.

The dates given point to the family story being correct. As Mary Ann Gilleard’s husband was deceased before Tom Lockwood Gilleard was conceived he must have been born a bastard and would take his mother’s surname name on birth.

DNA has thrown a spanner in the works.
My dads DNA came back today. I was expecting nigh on 100% UK. But it states 60% Western Europe. He has an extremely high match for a 4th cousin who has Gilleard in her surname list. It's quite a rare name in the UK and of heugenot descent. 

So where do I go from here? Is it possible to figure this out or not?

Obviously I need to email this cousin but cannot afford an ancestry subscription right now, it won't let me have another months free trial either!

Any ideas would be gratefully received.

Thanks.

Legs xxx

The DNA percentages are virtually meaningless, there is no DNA for the UK the population of the UK contains individuals from all over Europe and beyond many settlers came from Western Europe including the Germanic tribes and even Vikings often have what is claimed as Western European  DNA as groups travelled all over Europe intermingling as they went.

I would suggest unless you receive the copies of the birth, marriage and death  certificates you mentioned may be sent to you, buy your own from the GRO, that would give you a starting point.
Check out the possibility of two Philip B. Gilleard’s.
Check the location of Alfred Lockwood during the relevant conception period in late 1884 and early 1885 to see if there was a possibility he and Mary Ann Gilleard could have met.

As mentioned the family story seems at first sight the most likely to be true.

Cheers
Guy

[alllegs]

Thank you Guy,

I wholeheartedly agree with all you've written.

My real question, however, was if Alfred Lockwood was Tom Lockwood Gilleard's father then how can this 4th cousin be from the Gilleard's line. Hurworth kindly explained that this cousin was likely to have the link though Mary Ann Lockwood/Gilleard/Fisher and her children with Philip B Gilleard (as there is only one Philip B(rittain) Gilleard) and he had no brothers.

Legs xxx

[venelow]

Tom Lockwood Gilleard's baptism record states he was born Sep 14 1885 and only one parent, his mother is mentioned. Her occupation is "widow". Conceived about Christmas 1884?

If her husband's name is on the birth entry the Registrar was not aware her husband was deceased.

Venelow

[alllegs]

Thank you Venelow.

That's great to know :-)

L xxx

[venelow]

Alllegs

Sorry I forgot the source. Thomas was baptized on 26 September 1886 at All Hallows' Huddersfield.

Cheers
Ven

[alllegs]

Lovely. Thank you so much Venelow. Much appreciated :-)

Legs xxx