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« on: Wednesday 01 July 09 23:50 BST (UK) »
I'm looking for the parents of my ancestor Henry WILSON who was born 11 July 1817 in Bradford.
I only have one source for "11 July" so that could be questionable, but several sources point to 1817 so I'm fairly confident about the year.
I don't know how complete the IGI is for the area. I don't see any possible christenings in 1817 - but I see 2 possible christenings in 1818: in January, the son of Betty Wilson, and in June the son of Joseph and Martha Wilson.
There is one possible clue to Henry's ancestry - he named a son James GREENWOOD Wilson. So Bradford area marriages between Wilsons and Greenwoods are particularly intriguing. There are several of them, but 2 in particular might have some relevance:
1) 1798 - Joseph Wilson, Martha Greenwood
2) 1777 - Joseph Wilson, Ann Greenwood.
...and an Edward Greenwood Wilson was christened in 1816, son of Joseph and Martha (Perhaps the 1798 couple?)
Unfortunately, given that Wilson and Greenwood are both common surnames I can't draw any conclusions from those entries.
I have no idea when Henry (or his parents?) left Bradford, but the next "event" I have for him is his marriage in 1845, in Rondebosch, Cape Town by which point he was "Captain Henry Wilson" (of the Merchant Marine). In 1848 he was appointed assistant Port Captain of Table Bay.
Can anyone do look ups for births or christenings that are NOT in the IGI? (I've also checked BVRI with no luck).
Any other thoughts or ideas about how to proceed will be most welcome.
Thanks,
Mark