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My nan died recently and my grandfather has been trying to track down old friends of theirs.  Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on appropriate places to make these sorts of enquiries.

Thanks!

L

Please could someone help me.  I am looking for:

1. Joseph Nelson MEAD b. Brixham/Totnes Devon and household on the 1871 census.  He was b.1848 but his age will probably be listed as 20 (he's listed as 30 on the 1881 census and 40 on the 1901 census)
2. The above Joseph Nelson MEAD on the 1861 census.
3. Mary A. (probably Ann) BULLEY b. Brixham/Totnes c.1848 on the 1861 census.  Again it's likely that her age will be listed as 10, rather than 12.

Thanks in advance!

Louisa

That's interesting because I managed to find John Bulley Mead in 1891, but I can't find him at all in the 1881 census.

Thank you!
Just a quick clarification...Mary Mead (the mother) is down as Head of household, but her husband is there.  How common was it for the wife to be the head of the household?

That is my grandmother and her elder brother!  My nan had one younger sister, Ruth Emily.  I know that her mother Louisa (Rackley) Clift died of TB when the children were all still quite young but my nan is unclear on the date it's c.1946 and I haven't had any luck in tracing it so far.  Ruth was only about three when Louisa died and she was fostered locally.
I don't know much about Samuel Clift at all, but I do know that Louisa Rackley's mother was called Emily Jane Pine and she came from Blackawton and we think Louisa's father was called Thomas.  There were about 10 children, of which Louisa was one, but again we are not sure when she was born.  It may be difficult to trace marriage records of Thomas (?) and Emily Jane because my nan believes they were married at sea.
I've found information out about the Clifts but it's too far back for me to be able to make the connection between them and my nan.