Hitchin - John ENSER/ENSOR

[anna]

I am trynig to find  my GGGGrandfather John Enser
He was born In hitchin Herts between 1793/90 ,he enlisted in the Army 45 foot Notts and when he was discharged he went to live in Nottingham where he married Susannah lambert.
I am trying to find his birth as it might give the names of his parents ,he and his family are missing from the 1841 census for Notts and i wondered if he could be in Hitchin then
Enser has been spelt many was ENSER/ENSAR/ENSOR/ENZER/ENDSOR

[Benzol]

Hi Anna

Just a thought. I had a relative born Pirton nr, Hitchin. He signed up for the 10th Foot - The Lincolnshire Yellowbellies in about 1835/40. He actually signed up in Waltham Abbey which is at the  other end of Hertfordshire and nowhere near Lincoln. I remember having great fun looking through the regimental records at Kew. I actually found personal details height etc in the muster records. Have you tried finding out where he signed up to join the army? This may give a clue as to where he was living at the time.

Benzol

[Daisypetal]

Hi,

Could this be the family in 1841, transcribed as ENDSON,


1841  HO107/867/9  f.11  p.17  Snenton
Manvers Street

ENDSON
John             50    Lab
Susannah      37     
Thos            17     Lab
John            14     Silksmith
Jas              11         "  "
Sarah            8   
Violetta         3
Henry             7 months             All born Nottinghamshire


I have known the 1841 to say born in County when the person definately wasn't 


Regards
Daisy

[Redroger]

Casual research of the surname Answer has convinced me that it is yet another version of Ensor etc. Known only in Lincolnshire which I think may be close enough to Nottinghamshire.

[Benzol]

There are no marriages or births in St. Mary Hitchin for John Ensor nor for anybody with a surname like Ensor. The nearest is a John Elsorn who married Ann Pierson 24 December 1812. Neither Elsorn nor Ensor are Hitchin family names. Still think looking up soldiering (muster) records at Kew is the best bet. At least the regiment is known.

Changing the subject. Loved the photo of the original "Mayflower". Was your dad out of Kings Cross; Hitchin; or Cambridge Redroger? Seemed to recollect Mayflower was a Kings Cross engine.

Benzol

[Redroger]

Hi Benzol, The answer is none of those. Dad was based at Boston, Lincs, and worked regularly on express passenger and freight trains between Boston, Grimsby, Cleethorpes and Kings Cross during the 1950s and early 1960s. The Mayflower 61379 was actually based at Immingham for most of its career. Its class (B1) was used on the passenger service until 1959 when it was replaced by BR Standard 4-6-2 Brittania class locos which had been displaced by dieselisation of the Great Eastern section. The freight (fish) trains were worked by K3 2-6-0 locos until 1959 when they were replaced by BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 locos for the remainder of the steam service.
Though I am not absolutely certain, in view of the above it is very unlikely that Mayflower was ever stationed at Cambridge, though may have worked there sometimes and certainly passed through when working its regular services diverted owing to engineering works on the East Coast route during the 1950s.

[Benzol]

Hi Redroger,

Thanks for the potted history. I used to see "Mayflower" a lot when I was a kid. Because of the loss of grey cells I mistakenly thought it was one of the Bongos that was used on the Cambridge Buffet Express plying between Kings X and Cambridge. I lived at Hitchin which was at the junction of the main LNER east coast line to Newcastle, Edinburgh and beyond and the Cambridge branch line. I remember the fish trains from Immingham. What a smell.

Benzol

[Redroger]

East Coast drivers were instructed to be careful when crossing the junction at Hitchin North, there were too many complaints from customers in the restaurant car about having their soup spilt on them!

[Benzol]

I bet. Of course the real passengers travelled on the Pullman. Much smoother ride because of the extra carriage weight.