1861 Littleport Cambridgeshire Lookup? Please?

[NorahEllyn]

Hi!

I am trying very hard to finish my year-long Christmas family history project for my husband's parents and I am down to the wire as his folks are about to leave our home in Seattle, WA, to go back to England and I am STUCK!   

I can't tell you how much I would appreciate a lookup in the 1861 Littleport census for the following person:

William Dennis, born 1852 (give or take a year)

The couple I believe to be his parents were:

William and Martha Dennis (shown respectively as ages 27 and 22 on the 1851 census) who had a child named Mary, 11 mos. old in the 1851 census.

They are shown in the 1851 census as living on Camel Road in Littleport.  Since William wasn't born yet, and since neither William nor Martha appear to be alive in 1871 (William is living with an aunt, Mary Walker, a widow, and her son, William), it has been REALLY tough to find his ancestry.

The only other families that I believe there is a slight possibility of being the parents to my William are:

George and Ann Dennis (ages 44 and 37 in 1851) who were living on Westmoor Drove in Littleport; or

Matthew and Rebecca (ages 33 and 29 respectively on the 1851 census) who lived on Wisbeach Road in Littleport.

If you can help, it would really make this family tree so much more readable!  Thanks so much in advance!!!

Norah Dennis

[bedfordshire boy]

Hi Norah

Don't hold the plane!

I can't see William aged 9+/- in Littleport in 1861. Nor can I see his parents.

William wasn't with Matthew & Rebecca nor with the other Dennis families of child bearing ages. The nearest was William aged 13 son of George and Mary Ann, but he was on the 1851.

I wonder if both William and Martha had died by by 1861 - on FreeBMD there is a death of a Martha Dennis in Sept 1852 in Ely registration district which includes Littleport, and a death of a William in Ely reg dist in March 1853, as well as a birth of a William in June 1852, which might be your family, but only by getting the certificates can you verify this (and that's unlikely to happen by Christmas!)

Where was William and his aunt Mary Walker in 1871 - in Littleport?

Regards

David

[NorahEllyn]

Hi David,  and thanks so much for helping me!

In the Littleport, 1871, census, the family looked as follows:

William Deniss
aged:     19
born:    Littleport, Cambridgeshire, England
Relationship to Head:  Nephew
         
Mary Walker
aged:   54
born:    Littleport, Cambridgeshire, England
Head

William J Walker
aged:    19
born:     Littleport, Cambridgeshire, England
Relationship to Head:   Son

The source is as follows:

Source:                               RG10/1606
Registration district:                    Ely
Civil parish:                                  Littleport
ED, institution, or vessel:         2
Folio:                                           40
Page:                                        25

You'll note the name is spelled Deniss.  I've also seen it spelled Denis, Denniss, Denys, etc.  That's been a bit of a headache for me to say the least!

I know that the death certs and the birth cert is most likely correct for William, Jr., Sr., and Martha, however, I've spent a LOT of money this year on certificates which turned out not to be the people I was looking for (and at the current exchange rate, American dollars just aren't the best way to buy so many certs!  Ouch!), so I'm trying to use up all my options before doing so....call me cheap...

Thanks again and hopefully my 9 year old William was around Littleport somewhere!!!

Best,
Norah

[bedfordshire boy]

Hi Norah

I've been through the Littleport 1861 again, slowly, but still no sign of William Dennis with whatever spelling variation. I've seen the following entry which looks though it could be the Walker family that you mentioned

James Walker 46 ag lab; Mary Walker 41; William Walker 9, all born Littleport.

Unfortunately the 1861 census for Ely was destroyed, and Littleport falls within the catchment area for Ely Union House (the workhouse) which is possibly where William might have been..

I think the easy ie "cheap" options have been exhausted and it's hand in pocket time!

Sorry I can't find him for you

Have a great Christmas

David

[NorahEllyn]

Hey David,

Thank you SO much for the lookup.  You're probably right.  It never did occur to me that once his parents were dead, William was probably an inmate at the workhouse.  Life was very different back then. 

That is precisely the family and it ties into the research I had been doing on the Walker family.

Now I'm going to have to dust out those mothballs and open my wallet.  But at least I feel MUCH better that these ARE the people I was seeking.

Once again, THANK you!  Have a fantastic Yuletide and let me know if I can return the favor for any American census lookups you may have!

Best,

Norah Ellyn