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I have traced the family tree of my Grandfather (Parker) all the way back to 1680 in Whickham, Gateshead but am having much more difficulty tracing the last two generations , post-war more or less. This is probably because my Grandfather (who died before I was born) did not keep in touch with a lot of his family.

My grandfather was Frederick Parker (1905-1962). He was a pilot at the docks.

His parents were William Parker (1874-1946) and Martha Oley (1875-1926).

There were 13 children in the marriage but 6 of them died between the ages of 1 and 16.

Surviving children were

1) William 1900-83

2) Grace Ann 1901-1978 (married Joseph Deans)

3) Frederick (my grandfather) (married Margaret Jane Scott)

4) Thomas Oley Parker (1907-1959) married Frances Davis

5) James Parker (1908-1982)

6) Isabell Wall Parker (1912-1980) married Thomas Errington and lived in Sunderland

7) Hannah Parker (1916-1978) married Owen McGarrell (1915-1955)and had 2 daughters in 1936 and 1936 . Hannah's second husband, Henry Myers Willis (1904-1967)was the farm manager at Marsden Pit Village.

If anybody knows anything about any of the above people or is connected to them personally, please get in touch, we will be related, either first second or third cousins    

Many thanks

I am trying to trace the ancestors of a relative named James Brennan who married Ellen Mealey in Durham 1901 and lived in Fatfield, Washington, Tyne & Wear.

He was born in Cloneen, Clough, Castlecomer in November,1872 and his parents are a collier named Patrick Brennan and  Maria Slattery.

They had quite a lot of kids, Denis (1871) James (1872) Elizabeth (1874) Margaret (1875) Bridget (1877) Mary (1879) Catherine (1881) Patrick (1883) and Catherine (again) 1884, all baptised and civil registered in Cloneen and the certificates are online at rootsireland.ie

The same names :- Patrick Brennan & Mary Slattery appear on all the certificates.

The problem I have is that there is no record of a marriage between a Brennan and a Slattery ten years either side of the birth dates of the kids, anywhere in Ireland !!!

I have looked on findmypast, ancestry, familysearch.org as well as the Rothe House Records and absolutely nothing comes up.

ALL AT SEA

Apologies for the long post with all the detailed information that follows.

I am having a real headache with my Great-Great Grandfather, Thomas Scott.

Apparently, he was born in South Shields, in 1845 according to the census of 1871, 1881 and 1891 and this fitted perfectly in with a family living in Whitburn, Durham (1 mile from South Shields) headed by William Scott (prof : Sawyer) and Isabella Scott.

I tracked down his marriage to Annie Grieves (also from South Shields), for some reason they were married at ChristChurch , Tynemouth on February 23, 1867.

When I obtained the marriage certificate from the GRO, I was surprised to see that his father is listed as THOMAS Scott, (not William) and by profession a Mariner !

Thomas Scott, the groom, is also listed as being 22 years of age and a keelman (another ship/boat profession involving the transportation of coal on the River Tyne)

Further research has also added to the mystery. I have found a Thomas Scott (Mariner) living in South Shields, in 1851 but there is no record of a son, Thomas.

The same mariner also appears on the 1861 census but again, there is no Thomas junior. It seems too much of a coincidence that there would be two Thomas Scotts, by profession, Mariner, living in South Shields, as there are only between 9 and 12 in the entire country for each census between the years 1851- 1871.

On both the 1851 and 1861 census, the only Thomas Scott born in 1844-45 is listed as son of the William Scott I mentioned earlier in Whitburn.

4 years after his marriage in 1867, when Thomas Junior was a keelman, he has now become a waterman, which at least is some continuation in profession and gives me hope that the details on thw wedding certificate are not compeltely wrong  !

On this census and 2 further census, he is listed as being born in South Shields so I am hoping that part at least is correct !

There is a record of a Thomas Scott having been born in South Shields in Q4 1844 (which would correspond to him being 22 years age as declared on his marriage certificate in February 1867) but I don't understand why he is missing from the 1851 and 1861 census.

I have checked ancestry, findmypast and ukcensusonline and have found nothing. . I have also checked with South Tyneside for the 1844 & 1845 birth certificates and neither of the named fathers is Thomas nor a Mariner ! 

This leads me to think the following :-

1) He is actually the Thomas Scott who was born in 1847 son of Thomas Scott (a factory labourer born Northumberland)  & Elizabeth Haddock-Mills-Scott (who were also married in Christchurch, Tynemouth on  June 8, 1840 and lived in Willow Cottage, South Shields, 1851 with their 3 children, Richard (1842), James (1843) and Thomas Mitchison Scott (1847) - I have no idea where the Mitchison comes from as it is not on any birth record or further census but Mitchison is a popular name in Belford, Northumberland which is where I think Thomas Scott (b.1804) came from, son of James & Elizabeth Scott) .

2) The description of his father as a Mariner on the wedding certificate 1867 is either a porky or a mistake by the registrar.

In 1861, the family are headed by the mother, Elizabeth, now listed as a widow living in Garden Walk, with Richard, now aged 19 and Thomas now aged 14.

In 1871, Elizabeth is still living in Garden Walk with Richard (now aged 30) and James (28) - Thomas has married Ann Grieves and lives with is 2 young sons Richard J (1868) and Thomas Josiah (1870)

In 1881, Elizabeth and her two unmarried sons, disappear off the face of the earth but Thomas (still a waterman), her other son ( I think) now has a growing family, Richard J and Thomas J have been joined by John (1872) Philip Salmon (1878) and George W (1880) - the last name is important ! 

In 1891, Thomas is living at Reken Dyke Lane, westoe, South Shields with 2 of his 3 younger sons (John 1872) and Philip (1878)
While searching for the third son, George W. I found he was living next door with a reappearing Elizabeth Scott ( now unkindly listed as being 91 years old when she was in fact about 79 and her two sons who have also reappeared and are still unmarried, now 48 and 50 years old - James & Richard.

The reason I find this interesting is because George W (Thomas Scott's youngest son from the 1881 census) , is now listed as living with them as a son (obviously he was a grand-son).

It's the closest I can get to link the Thomas Scott who married Ann Grieves in 1867 to the family of Thomas & Elizabeth Haddock-Scott where Thomas Junior was born in 1847. 

Can anybody see where I might have gone wrong or made false assumptions please ? Thanks a lot !

Hello , I am on the track of a very mysterious lady who was my Great Great Grandmother.

She was born in Yarm, Stockton in 1843 as SUSANNA CORFIELD  and appears on the 1851 census living in Cherry Lane Stockton.

In 1861 , she has moved to Darlington , working as a House Servant to a local farmer & his family at Lark House, Low Consicliffe.

Now the mystery begins, she marries a John McKenna on 8th November 1869 at St Mary's Church , Stockton. The registrar has misspelt her name as Scofield but I know it is her as her father is listed as John and a comb maker (as appears on the 1851 census) and on later census she is listed as Susanna McKenna born in Yarm in 1843.

Her husband is listed as born in 1841, a riveter in a shipyard , his father is also called John, profession Joiner but deceased. No idea where he comes from but I have a feeling it is Greenside Durham,and on the 1851 census, there is a father listed as John MCKENNY with an 11 year old son and the father's occupation is "boiler maker" - it sounds like I am clutching at straws I know but in 1872 on the birth certificate of Susanna and John's daughter , Sarah, John Junior's profession is listed as boiler maker ! There is no other census record of a John McKenna having a ten year old son called John in 1851 in the UK. ( for some reason this result comes up immediately on Ancestry but results in a big fat zero on the rubbish find my past census search for some reason !

Now comes the mystery - married in 1869 , daughter Sarah McKenna is born on 19th September 1872 in the Stockton Union Workhouse in Portrack Lane ! John (father) is now listed as a boiler maker like his father before him ( I presume ) so I am thinking he is not dead yet but where is he and why is the mother in the workhouse ? Did people go to workhouses just to give birth or does this mean she was an inmate ?

I can find no record of either parent on the 1871 census nor of the Stockton Workhouse to check.

The mystery deepens as Susanna turns up ten years later on the 1881 census living as a widow in South Shields with Sarah, her daughter and a son (misspelt John Kerfreed) he has her mutated maiden name as a surname (obvious a result of some indiscretion when she was a servant girl on the farm with a lusty farmer ) - I can find no record of when and where John McKenna died although I think it may have been in Sunderland in 1843.

Ten years later,on the 1891 census  she has married the nephew of Grace Darling (the famous lighthouse keeper's daughter) - James Darling and from there on in the trail is easy to follow to my own family.

I guess I am asking you people who are better at this than I am if there is anything else I can do to track down this mysterious missing chunk and the workhouse episode and death of John McKenna - thanks