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Hi, thanks for coming back to me. I have the 1910 census and yes these are the same Matt and Jenny that I am looking for. The city directories have them both listed but I'm struggling with the 1901 census. Many thanks anyway!

Hi Adrian,
many thanks for taking the time.  the images are attached.  Playing around with a scan of the back of the portrait the signature reads "By Miller" (though "Mill??" variants may be possible).  I was hoping that i might find more information, perhaps a full name of the artist or something to help narrow down the geography but have not come up with anything.

Unfortunately I have nothing more tangible than this to go on.  The portrait comes from my late Aunt without much provenance other than a story 'perhaps' that the family was rich and he was travelling Europe.  Certainly the dress is good quality.  However, my own research into the Raby line we are connected to does not provide for a huge amount of wealth as far as I can see.  The Raby's in my line are from Leicestershire but also Manchester. I can provide some background information to this but so far I haven't made links to any John Raby's.

Best regards

Kevin

Hi Nanny Jan,
that's a good looking candidate to start with... I have no idea why I didn't get that one from FamilySearch before - obviously not paying attention!

Many thanks.

Kevin

Thanks for the reply.  Unfortunately none of the information ties up to mine (yet) but I will keep looking and see where it leads and get back to you if I can make a match.

On another note I see you have McCormick in your research names - my great grandmother was Anne Cormack - variously spelled Cormick and McCormick, she married John Gay, so I'll keep an eye out for that one too.

Regards

Kevin

Wow! So much to take in at once.

All look promising!

Davies Francis otp Fox Rebecca s otp 1818 Nov 06 B Mor
30 Mar 1788 (b. Mar 30) Rebecca FOX d John & Anne
Rothwell 13 Mar 1832 James TAYLOR of Pilton, Rutland, bachelor to Elizabeth WEST   otp,spinster

These are all indexes so I guess I need to visit the records office locally to get more information.  I have never done that for parish records; in your experience, will they yield more information than the index themselves – I guess they will?

To answer Paul, these are the details behind my posting all based on either birth, marriage, death certificate copies (so that I can confirm as much as I can) and Census entries.

I’m relatively new to this so please forgive me if I don’t lay things out correctly. I believe that there are two Pilton’s but these all refer to Rutland.

1.   Pilton Census 1841 lists Francis DAVIES 65 (b. 1776), Rebecca (b. 1791, 50), Sarah (b. 1821, 20). All of the county.
2.   Francis DAVIS, death cert d. Pilton 1848 aged 73 (b.1775). In attendance Elizabeth Taylor). Labourer.
3.   Marriage cert. July 1855 of Richard TAYLOR son of James Taylor (Parish Clerk) and Sarah DAVIS daughter of Francis Davis, (Labourer). Both from Pilton.
4.   Ellen TAYLOR, birth cert. b. July 1857 daughter of Richard Taylor and Sarah (formerly Davis) in Pilton.
5.   1871 Pilton census. Richard Taylor (38), Sarah (48), Frank D (11) and Sarah A (9).  I have Ellen working in service elsewhere.
6.   Richard TAYLOR, death cert d. 1874 aged 42 (b. c. 1832, much younger than wife Sarah Davis).
7.   Marriage cert Thomas Bernard HUNT son of James Hunt and Ellen Taylor dau of “Richard Taylor (deceased)” Oct 1875, Leicester. Thomas and Ellen are my great-grandparents.
8.   1881, Thomas Hunt’s brother James married his sister-in-law (Ellen’s sister) Sarah Ann Taylor. Marriage cert. Son of James Hunt and daughter of “Richard Taylor (deceased)”.

I know the 1841 census used age-rounding (down?) to 5 years.
Age of Sarah Davis would put the marriage of Francis Davis and Rebecca somewhere in c. 1810-20 supposing she were an only child and first born etc. Before Pilton, I have come across an entry for them being in Morcott possibly c. 1818 marriage.

I still need to get Sarah Davis’ death certificate. If she were Sarah Ann Taylor’s mother, which I am sure she is, then this would put the date at or after 1862 since Sarah Ann marriage cert has her aged 19yrs. I haven’t found an index entry yet post 1859 for Rutland.

The Taylor side is more census based, knowing Richard’s father is James and Pilton not being overrun with Taylor’s.

1.   1841 census has Elizabeth Taylor (25), Richard (9), George (7), Elizabeth (5mo) staying in Rothwell, Northants with Thomas WEST (65) and Elizabeth(60).  James Taylor is home-alone on the Pilton census (b. 1801) Perhaps she had gone home to mother! Mary Taylor(4) and Hannah (2)  are ‘staying’ with neighbours John and Judith Lee. This is my clue to James Taylor’s wife being born WEST. If Richard’s age is a guide then they married possibly 1830-32.  Richard’s age matches to the death cert. above.
2.   1848, I believe Elizabeth Taylor is likely to be the witness on the death certificate of Francis Davis.
3.   1851 census has James, Elizabeth, children Hannah, Elizabeth, Thomas and James are living in Wing.  I lose Richard but he is 19 so I guess away working.
4.   1861 census puts James Taylor (Gretton, Northants, age 65) and Elizabeth Taylor (Rothwell, Northants, age 49) in Pilton as well as…
5.   Also on 1861 Pilton census Rebecca Davis (head, widow, 73, Harringworth), Richard Taylor (son-in-law, 29, Pilton), Sarah Taylor (Davis, “son’s wife”, 39, Morcott), grand-children Ellen (my great-grandmother) and Frank.

QED! I think.

As I was ‘passing’ on the A1 a few month ago I detoured to Pilton and walking around the parish church of St. Nicholas I found Francis & Rebecca Davis’ and James & Elizabeth Taylor’s gravestones. On a late autumn evening.. it was unexpected and quite moving.

Yet to prove:
Francis Davis lineage and his wife Rebecca’s maiden name and lineage.
I’d like to confirm Sarah Davis parentage to Francis and Rebecca.
James Taylor’s parentage and marriage to Elizabeth (possibly) West, hence parentage.
Death of Sarah Davis eludes me at the moment.
One final thing is that Thomas Bernard Hunt (Loughborough then Leicester) and Ellen Taylor married in the Catholic Church, his family seems to have been conforming to CofE before his own parent marriage in the Catholic Church, I’d like to know of any Northants, Rutland that might suggest the same for her side of the family.

Thank you all for taking the time.

Best regards

Kevin