RootsChat.Com

Dear all, I work in a team of two and me and my boss have been through some really tough times at work the last few years. It is his birthday soon and he is very much involved in history (as an interest, as well as in our work). He did a lot of family history research himself, years ago, before things were available on line - one branch of his family were always a complete mystery to him. Thanks to snippets of info I have gleaned from him, and the internet, I have managed to trace his maternal grandmother's birth cert and HER mother's birth, marriage and death certs. My plan is to give him these as a birthday present - effectively giving him his gran and his great gran, because he had no idea about them at all.

Any thoughts on how to present these in an imaginative way , rather than just as certs? 

In 1851, my gg grandfather James Joice (sometimes Joyce) is living in Haswell, Co Durham, with his wife Elizabeth (nee Dixon) and their son James. James Snr is 34, Elizabeth is 29 and James Jnr is 2. James snr is coal miner.

In 1861, the family are in Killingworth, Northumberland...(spelled Joice) - James is 44, Elizabeth 30, James Jnr is not mentioned and my g grandfather, William Ralph is there, aged 10. James is a coal miner.

In 1871, James (now Joyce) is back in Haswell - he's 56, but is now with a new wife - Ann (54) plus son John (27), Cuthbert (23), Ann (21), Dorothy (18), George (22) and James (18). By this time, my g grandfather has married and so is out of the household.

I have found James' 2nd wife, as she was 10 years earlier (before they got married) - in Haswell 1861 census there was a family comprising: Matthew Chalder (51), Ann Chalder (44) with children John (17), Sarah (15), Cuthbert (13), Ann (10) and Dorothy (.

It transpires that James' 1st wife, Elizabeth died while they were in Morpeth (in 1863) and, interestingly enough, Matthew Chalder also died in 1863 (in Haswell).  Someone else has also found the record of the marriage of James Joyce and Ann Chalder (in South Shields) in 1867.

I then re-looked at the census for 1851 - and discovered that the Joyces and the Chalders were next door neighbours at that time!  James and Elizabeth then went to Killingworth (Elizabeth never returned).  Ann and Matthew stayed in Haswell (Matthew never left!).  James and Ann then got married (in South Shields!!!) and then went back to live in Haswell.

I can't decide if it is sweet that James got hitched to his old next-door neighbour, who he'd secretly had a soft spot for, which was rekindled after they both lost their spouses...or if there might just be more to it than that.

It has all the making of a soap opera - I'm going to have to get some more certs...

Val x

I wondered if anyone might be able to find my gggg grandfather, Patrick Cockburn, who should appear in the 1841 census. I have his name from my ggg grandfather's marriage cert (ggg g/f is George Cockburn, of full age in March 1846, when he gets married). According to the marriage cert, George's father, Patrick, lives in Chester le Street at the time and is a Mason. George is also a mason.

I would love to know when George was born, also when / where Patrick was born and any wife's / siblings details.

Someone has looked on the Durham 1841 census for me, from another board, but couldn't find Patrick and didn't have the credits to view images directly.  I don't know if anyone here might be able to help without it costing them anything - would hate to put people to cost as well as trouble.

Hope someone might be able to help.

My head hurts and my bottom has gone numb, cos I've been looking for them all day...

I have a wedding certificate for my g grandfather, George William Cockburn (16/01/1897) which gives his age as 21, his residence at that time as Chilton Moor and his father's name as Henry Cockburn (deceased).  From 1901 census he says place of birth was Mid Rainton (he is a miner)

But I can't find a Henry Cockburn (or Coburn) with a son called George William or William George.  I've looked and looked - haven't even found George William or William George to any degree of satisfaction.

I have traced a birth certificate for a George William Cockburn (Dec qtr, 1876 Houghton le Spring) which I will be sending off for, but if anybody has any idea where they might be in the meantime, I'd be very grateful if you could point them out to me and I'll buy you a pint or three of your chosen tipple!

Thank you (fingers crossed)

Hi - Just wanted to say hello, really, as I'd not seen this part of the board before, for more general chit chat.  I've only just begun researching my family and have quickly become hooked!!

What is amazing me though, having begun to do this myself, is wondering how on earth you can ever be sure you have got the right people, once you've gone into 'purely parish register' land.  It's difficult enough with certificates and census records to follow - having always considered I had reasonably unusual names, I've been astonished to find 2 William Joyce / Joices with the same father's name, in the same part of Durham in pretty much the same year! 

Having a family who, in all lines so far encountered, seem to be not content with having sisters, mothers and daughters called Jane, but delighted in marrying them too doesn't help!

I do hope that I can come along and share some of my frustrations here from time to time - you all seem like such a lovely bunch!