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Thank-you so much Garen for your assistance.  Yes I have checked birth, marriage, death, and census records and newspapers too.  However,  your context is very helpful and so I will see if a wider search on the internet will shed anymore light.

Allison

Good evening.

I am helping a friend to discover his family tree.  Being new to both England and Essex I am struggling to figure out the parish boundaries for the county.  I just move to Essex from Canada a year ago so am still learning where towns are but struggling as our map of England does not show the infinite detail that I would like.

I have just recently discovered Essex Ancesters On-Line which has given me the opportunity to look at many registers on-line.  But I have a problem - as I do not know Essex and the parishes well even when I look at an old Essex map I cannot find the small towns which would give me some clue as to where I might find James Fisher and his several marriages starting around 1839.

I have searched the Essex Ancestors On-Line marriages at Great Totham but cannot find one between James Fisher and Mary Ann Rylance.  I know it is listed in volume 12 of the July-Sept 1840 quarter of the Maldon Registration District but in looking through Great Totham and the various contiguous parishes to Great Totham I am unable to find this marriage.  I would really like to see the whole page rather than just the singular entry provided by the Government offices and see who else might be on it.

I found Mary Ann's death in 1843.  There would appear to be a child, Mary Ann, who died shortly after her mother but the baptismal registers have not been digitized yet for 1843.

According to the 1851 census James married Sarah - their first child was born between 1843 and 1848.  Again I have searched the marriage registers for Great Totham and major parishes but cannot find this one. either.  Nor can I find her death before James marries Amelia (I did find the marriage entry for this couple).

Would anyone be able to provide some hints as to where I might look before I head to the government offices?  I am not a novice in genealogy but I am struggling to get my head around Essex!

Allison

So, could someone advise me as to the various

Good evening!

In May, my spouse and I will be travelling to Greenock to celebrate our first anniversary.  Last year, when we were in Greenock to be married, I found the Watt Library with a wealth of information but only a couple of hours to spend looking at it (census records, etc.)  I found the one person I was searching for in 1841, 1851, 1861 and 1871, but I can't find his spouse, their children or the spouse's children by her marriage in any of the census other than 1861. 

I have checked the Roman Catholic and Episcopal church records for baptisms and registrations using the known surnames but no one shows up.  I do have a poor relief application which lists various addresses but the information just doesn't jive.

Would anyone have any suggestions as to how I can methodically go through this material and try to find people., especially given that I am using rather common surnames.  I have been searching registration and old parochial records for close to 25 years in trying to find the births of my great-grandmother (1860)and her sister (1854), the marriage of her mother and father (not sure they were).

My interests are (starting with most recent) are Brown, Gillespie, McDougall, McKellar, McLachlan, based out of Renfrewshire (Greenock) and possibly Ireland.

Your collective pieces of wisdom would be most appreciated.

Chaplain