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Wow! You guys are really helpful! I love waking up in the morning to find all this information waiting for me to read it.

So, it looks as though another family legend has been dashed. I wonder why Elizabeth's son Thomas wrote these things in his diary? Someone had a fanciful imagination! Maybe it was a popular bedtime story.

I said to someone once that my ancestors didn't 'do' anything special, they weren't well-off or well-known and the person replied 'they survived', which I am thankful for and it makes finding out the truth a little easier to take.

London births and baptisms on Anc....y has this baptism
20th Jul 1835 at St Leonard Shoreditch
Elizabeth Ann Atchison-born 29th Sept 1820. Father William(deceased) Mother Elizabeth(deceased)  Holywell Lane. Trade/Profession Colourman

I wonder why anyone would get baptised at age 15? Is that an odd thing or fairly common? I know parents sometimes waited till the child survived childhood, but 15? And with both parents deceased and the 3 sisters baptised together, makes you wonder who arranged it and why?

Thanks Steve for the definition of colourman. Either job was probably quite toxic and would lead to an early death I suppose.

Ruskie, I've read so many of your replies to other people and you continue to be a great source of information. Thank you so much for all your efforts. You've certainly set me up with some homework!
I've seen Dennis Sever's House on a travel show but I'd forgotten about it. It looks really interesting, I'll have to see if we can fit it in. I'd love to be able to afford to stay in a posh expensive place but that might have to wait for another visit. The one after I win the lottery!! The less I spend on accommodation, the longer I can stay in Europe!

Another snippet from the diary says that Elizabeth sang in the chorus at Drury Lane and that's where she met her future husband. Maybe another bedtime story.

Elizabeth and her husband left for Australia in 1853 so the opportunities for finding them in the census are very limited.

Regards,
Tracey.

Yes, it would seem the church is no longer there, but at least it's not a carpark!! It's a nice fountain anyway. Thanks Ruskie.

Going back now to the bride's birth, according to information in the diary of her son, Elizabeth Ann Atchison was "born and reared in the Tower of London because her father was a Warder of the Tower. He had been a Warrant Officer in a Highland Regiment." This is a rather neglected branch of the tree (I'm sad to admit) so I have no proof further back than her marriage. Is there any potential truth to this story? Married in 1843 at 'full age', I'm reckoning she was born 1820-22. Where do I look for birth information that far back? I know the GRO goes back to 1837.

Are there records of the Warders of the Tower? And if he had been a Warrant Officer in a Highland Regiment, would that make him Scottish?

I haven't looked for any of these people in census records, I might make that part of my list for the weekend. Thanks for your help so far.

Regards,
Tracey.

Hi,
I'm hoping someone can help me figure out where my husband's ancestors were married and if it's somewhere we can visit in September when we're in London.

According to the marriage certificate, John Christian Try married Elizabeth Ann Atchison March 5th 1843 at 'the Parish Church in the Parish of the Holy Trinity Minories in the Liberty of the Tower of London'.

I've done a bit of research and I think I understand what the Liberty of the Tower of London is/was, but I'd like to know if this was a church anyone could marry in and if it still exists today.

He was a silversmith and the son of Thomas Try, a machinist and she was the daughter of William Atchison, a color-maker. I also searched his address (8 Union Street, Tower Hill) but couldn't find where it exists today.

As we're travelling from Australia and only have a week in London, we want to make best use of our time.

Looking forward to what you can tell me.

Regards,
Tracey Ellis.

Hi Bozzle,
I'd like to think I'm part of the younger generation, but I guess it's all relative (no pun intended). I'm late 40's and my aunt did most of our family research before her death. She did the hard yards, pre-internet!! (And my handwriting is terrible!) I wish I could write in that lovely flowing style of my parents generation.
Tracey.

Ruth, did you find a transcription agent? I use Marilyn Rowan, and I think there are another 1 or 2 who can do the same job for you.
Tracey.