Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Messages - dsjturner

Pages: [1] 2 3 4 ... 32
1
The Common Room / Re: George French
« on: Sunday 06 February 22 13:47 GMT (UK)  »
Previous topics-
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=828545.msg6926703#msg6926703
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=611971.msg4611133#msg4611133
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=413724.msg2802571#msg2802571
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=398310.msg2684143#msg2684143

Hi thank you for your reply! Yes I’ve asked before, but i don’t think I’m explaining myself that well this time  (admittedly It’s something I’ve never been that good at!) so I’ll try again!

All I knew about my great grandad was his surname was French and that was all. It was only when I obtained my grandmothers birth certificate that I found out his first name was George. My grandmother was put into an orphanage after her father died when she was a baby and didn’t like me looking into it, so out of respect for her I didn’t look nor ask when she was alive. From her birth certificate I found out her mothers name too and from that I ordered their marriage certificate. That’s when I discovered George’s father was also George and was a coal miner.
For years that’s all I had to go by. I ordered a birth certificate which I believed was him but now I know more I’m having some doubts.
With the help of the above posts I was able to find George’s death certificate. There were two people with the same name, in the same area who died at the same time so with the kind help of others I managed to find the correct one (it was confirmed when the certificate arrived as the informant was his wife so I know I have the correct one).

Now my doubts stem from here. Before I had the death certificate I only had his marriage certificate which put his year of birth as 1883, therefore the birth I found and assumed was him was from 1883 in oldbury. The death certificate puts his year of birth as 1887. That’s my first concern. Obviously one of them is wrong but I don’t know which one. If we go with the 1883 oldbury birth it lists him as a coal miner for most of his working life. He lived in the midlands and also Yorkshire which would make sense with the coal mining. In the 1921 census I found him in a workhouse in the midlands. My next concern is how did he go from coal mining and the midlands/Yorkshire to London and a hotel cook in a matter of years (4). Could he have moved, changed career, got married, had three children (one died in infancy) all in a matter of a few years? I just can’t seem to get my head around that and that’s why I’m stuck. Would it be an easy transition from coal miner to hotel cook? Would someone who obviously didn’t have much risk a guaranteed income and livelihood to move to an area where he couldn’t continue his trade (unless there were coal mines in Southwark?)

I’m happy that I have the correct marriage and death certificates, it’s the birth I’m questioning. I don’t want to spend a lot of time and resources trying to locate his birth when the one I already have is correct. I’ve been looking at my tree for years but I’m still very inexperienced and I access ancestry and findmypast at the Library which only lets me have an hour access at a time. I’ve found from experience on here that people who are more experienced can often spot things that are seemingly glaringly obvious but which I don’t see at the time! I’m keen to find out about him as it’s clear dying in the workhouse he didn’t lead an extravagant life and I know he was buried in a mass grave. If I personally don’t look and find him he will be lost forever as other family members have no interest in it at all. He’s the only great grandparent I know very little about (his wife remarried after he died and had more children and I’m in contact with a granddaughter of one of those!)

I hope that makes sense? I just really want to make sure I’ve got the right person, but the little doubts stop me from being completely happy with his birth! I can confirm the marriage and death are the correct ones but I have nothing to tie the birth to and I can’t quite accept it as fact until I’m able to, that was the first piece of advice I was given on here, never believe it’s 100% unless you have proof.

Daniel

2
The Common Room / Re: George French
« on: Saturday 05 February 22 22:49 GMT (UK)  »
Oh dear! Thank you very much for that! I knew he was in London from 1924 at least but I always suspected he moved there from somewhere else!

3
The Common Room / Re: George French
« on: Saturday 05 February 22 17:45 GMT (UK)  »
Oh yes that could be it! Am I allowed to take a photo from a birth certificate? I’m not sure if that’s permitted or not?

4
The Common Room / Re: George French
« on: Saturday 05 February 22 17:22 GMT (UK)  »
The writing is so hard to read but it looks like Eugene George (something ending …egan) and w Barber. Both names I don’t recognise

5
The Common Room / George French
« on: Saturday 05 February 22 16:25 GMT (UK)  »
Hi all,

I’m getting really muddled trying to find out about my great grandfather and I’ve had such great help in the past I thought i’d ask here!
Unfortunately, George died when his daughter (my grandmother) was very young so we know nothing about him. My grandmother ended up in an orphanage and never discussed her past. Anyway with help from members here I managed to find his death certificate. He died in a workhouse in Southwark in 1929 and his age in listed as 42 and he was listed as a head plateman. It’s definitely him as his wife was the informant.
He married Annie Wilkins in 1924 in Southwark and his age is listed as 41. This is obviously different to the age on his death certificate, but again it’s him as his wife is correct. He’s listed as a hotel cook. His father is listed also as George French and listed as a collier and was deceased.
I found a birth for a George French with a father also George listed as a coal miner in 1883 in Oldbury Worcs. I’ve always assumed this to be him but now I’m really not sure! I tried looking up a George French born in 1883 and 1887 and there were hundreds of results, I don’t even know where to start! I wonder if anyone could shed any light and maybe see things I’ve overlooked (which is quite often the case!)
Many thanks in advance for any help

6
Occupation Interests / Re: LPWR
« on: Thursday 13 January 22 19:15 GMT (UK)  »
I finally bit the bullet and downloaded the original. It states L.N.W.R (out of work). He had 6 children some born in Watford and some in Birmingham so that really makes sense why he moved around especially to those areas. His wife was the breadwinner (literally she had a bakers shop) for years so maybe they moved to reading in order for her to start a business. She is listed as a general dealer employing her eldest daughter and only herself and eldest daughter were bringing in an income.

7
Berkshire / Re: Huntley and palmers?
« on: Thursday 13 January 22 19:03 GMT (UK)  »
Thank you very much for that, it’s very interesting! I bit the bullet and paid for the original image! It does state Bloomfield hatch farm as place of work and address they lived at states “Lambwood hill.” I’ve looked it up and it’s 2 miles away so perfectly reasonable! Many thanks for looking that up I really appreciate it!

8
Berkshire / Re: Huntley and palmers?
« on: Sunday 09 January 22 17:39 GMT (UK)  »
Oh thank you very much for looking! Yes I fear it’s another transcribing error! I’ll look up the original soon and see what it really says! Thanks again for your help!

9
Berkshire / Re: Huntley and palmers?
« on: Saturday 08 January 22 17:21 GMT (UK)  »
Yes it says Bloomfield Heath farm Mortimer

Pages: [1] 2 3 4 ... 32