Son or Grandson?? Not sure and really need some help

[macwil]

Ruskie: i always get the two confused, lol.

Macwil: I have tried to find a baptism but no such luck. Unless I have already found it and dismissed it because i believed that Edward and Frances were William's parents.

Maybe its time to re-look for a baptism. But should I look again for a baptism using the daughters names or would that not be listed because Edward and Frances have chosen to raise William as their own son?
Possibly a will for one of the family.

My gut is telling me that William is the son of one of the daughters and not Edward and Frances's son.

Find the Baptism and check all the family names and the address (if given). The mother is the most likely entrant but it could be the putative grandparents, in which case you may have to consider them as the actual parents, unlikely though it seems, or accept that there will always be that niggling doubt, until further evidence comes to light.
Possibly a will for one of the family may mention him and give a relationship.

[klmadz2301]

the only other inconsistency is that he was listed as being born in Chertsey, Surrey in the 1861 census but around the time of his birth, the family was living in Hounslow, Middlesex. And on later census, William is listed as being born in Middlesex, not Chertsey.

So maybe i need to be looking for a baptism in Middlesex instead.

[macwil]

the only other inconsistency is that he was listed as being born in Chertsey, Surrey in the 1861 census but around the time of his birth, the family was living in Hounslow, Middlesex. And on later census, William is listed as being born in Middlesex, not Chertsey.

So maybe i need to be looking for a baptism in Middlesex instead.

That would suggest a daughter being sent to 'visit relatives' during pregnancy. Do you know if the family had connections to Chertsey?
So yes, a baptism in Middlesex could be a possibility.

[klmadz2301]

Matilda, Edward James, Emma, John, Ellen, Henry, Arthur, George and William were all born/baptised in Surrey, but Frederick and Eliza were born/baptised in Berkshire.
(Im in Australia so not sure about English towns etc and distance). The family eventually settled in Hounslow, Middlesex after George was born and most of them stayed in the area or went back to Surrey. I know that Edward Snr and his siblings are from Surrey, so it is possible that Matilda, Emma, Ellen or Eliza were sent to an aunty or uncle if they did indeed end up pregnant out of wedlock. But my family has never ever mentioned anything about an illegitimate child, and my family is known to gossip, so a story like this would have almost certainly been passed down.

[macwil]

All three counties are adjacent. Chertsey to Hounslow is abt 8 miles/13km as crow flies, abt 12.5 miles/20km by present day roads. Places in Berkshire would be third point on triangle further away west from Hounslow.
Hounslow is now a borough of London E of Heathrow Airport, Chertsey is S of Heathrow and Berkshire to W.

[klmadz2301]

So all relatively close to each other. Edward and a couple of the sons were boot/shoe makers and repairers so they could go anywhere. It seems most of the family became boot/shoe makers and i know that one or two of the daughters would help their father or brother at home where the business was run, until they married and moved out

[avm228]

I see that the baptisms of Matilda Jane (23 Sep 1832) and Edward James (26 Oct 1834) took place in Thorpe, a village adjacent to Chertsey, so the family may well have had ongoing links to the area.

[klmadz2301]

I will have to investigate further and if I cant find anything, I will have to buy the birth cert. Im in no rush, as i said before as William is only the sibling or nephew of my line but I was just curious. I always thought my Fisher line was boring but possibly proving to not be so boring after all lol

[macwil]

Curiosity cost the cat and can prove expensive to us humans too.