Looking for Margaret Thomas from Coventry

[CovKids]

Hi Karen. Really is a small world. Are you Dereck and Marys girls? If that is correct I also have some wedding photos of your Mum and Dad.   Sue.

[chris_49]

Hi to Gloria, Sue and Karen

Assuming that Eliza really is Eliza Bosworth Hodges then we can find out quite a bit about her. She was registered Sept quarter 1880 Worcester, mother's maiden name Anthony (GRO), and we can find the marriage of William Inkerman Hodges to Eliza Anthony in Worcester in March quarter of the same year,  (almost inevitably!) - FreeBMD. In 1881 we find them in Pitmarton Rd Worcester (RG11 2913) with Eliza given her full name and the helpful exact age of 7 months. William, Baker, has been transcribed as Wm J (26) but the original could be either I or J, and Eliza is 22. Parishes born (St Peter, St John) are all actually in Worcester city.

In 1891 William has become a dairyman in Birmingham and is married to a Sophia. His 2nd marriage to Sophia Williams was in Birmingham 1890 but his other children (William) Frederick Rach(a)el and John all have the MMN Anthony. All b Worcester. Eliza is Eliza O but it takes a lot of imagination to read that as a B - enumerator's mistranscription? Her mother is possibly the Eliza Hodges died aged 30 1889 Birmingham.

In 1901 the same family also has an Albert, 9 - he turns out to be Albert Inkermann Hodges MMN Williams. No Eliza but I did find her as a possible servant, 20, in Birmingham. In 1911 Wm has the full William Inkerman Hodges for the first time, still in Brum.

William I was registered 1855 Worcester MMN Morgan, which implies that he was the son of John Hodges and Caroline Morgan though usual caveats apply, and I found them in 1871 in the city, the only oddity that William 16 was a Glover, but I can't find this family in 1861. Eliza Anthony I found as a servant age 12 (!) in 1871 and in 1861 with her parents James and Eliza in Powick, just outside Worcester, though born in the city - but no meaningful registration.

 I can't see Worcs parish records on A****y but they may be elsewhere. Maybe someone else can have a go.

Chris

[CovKids]

Hi Chris. Wow. You have been busy. I must go through the rest of the certificates and see what else is there. I still have a large amount of papers to go through. I'll let you and Karen and Gloria know what else turns up. My Thanks for all this hard work. Sue.

[chris_49]

No problem, Sue.

And on FamilySearch, free for all to see, can be found the baptisms of William Inkerman Hodges (17 Sept 1856  Worcester, son of John and Caroline) and Eliza Anthony (7 November 1858 St John Bedwardine, Worcester, daughter of James and Eliza).

Chris

[chris_49]

Familysearch only went down for maintenance not long after I posted that. But it's back up now. I've since found that James Anthony probably married Eliza Bosworth 1853 in Upton district - which comes very close to Worcester, including Powick. They seem not to have registered Eliza (it wasn't yet a legal requirement) but her brother George was (GRO). This would explain how Eliza Bosworth Hodges got her middle name.

There's a possible baptism for Eliza Bosworth 12/1/1834 Leigh-with-Bransford, parents William and Mary - which if a slightly late one fits Eliza Anthony's age and birthplace on censuses.

Chris

[CovKids]

Hi Chris, I have gone through some more of the certificates I have here and Eliza was born 8th August 1880. It is a small certificate and does not include details of parents. The birth was registered on the 13th September 1880 at Worcester West.  I also have another registered at Worcester South of William Thomas born 10th April 1878 of 3 King William St. Worcester.  Parents are named as Henry Thomas and Ann Thomas formerly Wright. Not sure what the connection is here. Sue.

[karen59h]

Hi Sue and Chris,
Some great information here. It will help a lot.
Yes Sue. Gloria and I are Mary and Derek's daughters.
We must have a private chat sometime soon (when I can work out how to do it).
Karen

[BumbleB]

You can now send a private message - PM - to Sue.  Under her "CovKids" logo you will see an image that looks like a page of writing.  If you click on that you will be taken to the Message section and you can then communicate with each other.  You may then wish to exchange e-mail addresses.   

[chris_49]

Hi Chris, I have gone through some more of the certificates I have here and Eliza was born 8th August 1880. It is a small certificate and does not include details of parents. The birth was registered on the 13th September 1880 at Worcester West.  I also have another registered at Worcester South of William Thomas born 10th April 1878 of 3 King William St. Worcester.  Parents are named as Henry Thomas and Ann Thomas formerly Wright. Not sure what the connection is here. Sue.

This is looking good, folks, and yes you can chat by private message.  If the birth cert is for Eliza Bosworth Hodges and seems to be an old one rather than one sent for recently by a researcher then there's already enough info about her birth. Frankly, no family historian would send for a short-form cert anyway - lacks that vital parent info.

Likewise for William Thomas. As I posted much earlier there were a lot of Wm Thomases born around Worcester arounsd that time, but this very much pins him down. I'll have a look for him presently. It does seem as if they never married (in England and Wales) unless the entry got very garbled - not likely for surnames this well known. One reason might be that one party was already married - probably William as no marriage found for Eliza.

I'll start looking for William shortly

Chris