Very confusing Bowers family

[SandraC]

HELP PLEASE!!!!!!!!!

My greatgrandmother Beatrice Bowers b 29/12/1880 was the daughter of Thomas Bowers & Phoebe Culshaw - FACT.

Thomas was a ticket & signwriter [census returns & birth/death certificates 1874-1910] & was born 1835-1838 in Manchester [census returns 1881-1901 & death certificate].

Phoebe was born 7/1/1852 in Burscough [nr Ormskirk], the daughter of Henry Culshaw & Ann Dawson.  I cannot find the marriage of Thomas & Phoebe anywhere.  Their [apparently] eldest child was Charles Henry Bowers b 28/8/1874 in Burscough.

I had thought that Thomas Bowers was the son of Thomas Bowers & Sarah Connor & that he was baptised at the Cathedral 3/5/1835 & I had followed this family.  Then I caught a message on another forum     from my mother's second cousin Carol who had received a posting for 1871 census for Thomas [I had him with Thomas & Sarah as above, working as a warehouseman].  This new 1871 census described Thomas Bowers as a ticket writer & had him with an Ann Sykes & described as her brother.  This lead back to Charles Bowers as their father, which fits with the eldest son being Charles [for father Bowers] & Henry [for father Culshaw].

OK so far but now another researcher has found the details on a marriage at the Cathedral between Thomas Bowers, son of Charles Bowers of Legh Place [fits with census returns] & Amelia Clark in 1853 & there is still no sign of a marriage with Phoebe Culshaw.

Without some reference to the marriage of Thomas Bowers & Phoebe Culshaw I can't "prove" which Thomas Bowers is mine, can I?

Can anyone help me sort this out?  Does Amelia Bowers [Clark] die & he remarries?  Is this still the wrong Thomas Bowers, despite the ticket writing connection?  Does he not actually legally marry Phoebe?  Is there any other way around this than spending the next 12 months of days off from work in the Library in Preston or Manchester looking for this marriage?

Help please

SandraC - at the end of her tether!

[Andy001]

Hi Sandra,maybe they didn't get married

The only way I can see round that,is to look at the baptism records of your Great Grandma and any siblings to see if they give any extra info.Have you followed any children from the previous marriage to see if they lived nearby on later census's?

Have you tried different spellings of Culshaw?I had a quick look on Familysearch and they offered a Kelshaw!

Andrea

[Mobo]

HELP PLEASE!!!!!!!!!
......  Their [apparently] eldest child was Charles Henry Bowers b 28/8/1874 in Burscough.............
Sandra 

 

Charles Henry BOWERS
Born Ormsirk, Lancs
registered Dec Qtr 8b 763

which makes you wonder why they took so long to register him.

 

[mosiefish]

Hi Sandra,

Looks like you are in for a long search!!  I had exactly the same senario.  Older man who had 8 children in Lancaster with his first wife before she left him in 1850/1.  He then turned up in Liverpool with a new much younger "wife".  All their children from 1857 were registered and baptised with his surname and her "maiden" name on the birth certificates....... except they didn`t actually get married until 1871.  Fourteen years after their first known child was born. 

Good luck!

Mo

[SandraC]

Hi All

It is beginning to look like they never "officially" married 

I spent some time in Preston this morning at the LRO checking the Parish records for Rufford & Burscough & got nothing.

Oh well, that's how it goes I suppose 

Thanks again for the input!

Regards
SandraC