Matthew Fairclough - Frying Pan Maker

[LouiseB31]

Hi Tricia

The honest answer is that I dont know.

I have been doing my genealogy with my mother, we started about 25 years ago but I mostly concentrated on my father's line while she concentrated on her own line. Of course I was as interested in her research as I was in mine as her ancestors are also mine, but it does mean that I dont know precisely which records have been checked.

I do know that she has spent weeks over the years travelling to different record offices and libraries and dedicating herself to the search. It seems logical that she would have checked but then again, if I am totally honest, we both of us have probably concentrated much more on births and marriages than deaths, so it is possible that she has not looked. I know I have not looked.

I dont think we are alone in this, the Mormons for instance have not indexed anything like as many burial registers as they have baptisms or weddings.

I have a vague recollection that my mother thought that the family might have moved to Birmingham, I dont know why, I am not aware that we have any evidence to that effect, but you will understand that I dont want to ask her and draw attention to my quest as it is meant to be a surprise for her birthday.

I am sorry if I sound so vague and pathetic, all I can tell you is that we did the research about 23 years ago, hit a brick wall, waited for the invention of the internet in the hope it would help, it never has and so we have not moved forward in knowing what happened to Matthew, Elizabeth or any of their children, other than our John.

But Aston is a part of Birmingham so it could be helpful if I do get the certificates and confirm whether the Ann and Elizabeth you have found are the
right ones.

We know who their parents were and we know who their children were but we dont know about them themselves and that is what Mum has always needed to know, that is her area of concern, so that is what I want to sort out!

[Tricia_2]

Hi Louise,

Well certainly Birmingham was like a magnet at that time. It's where all the work was. And that is why some areas became very overcrowded and unhealthy ~ hence all those deaths I mentioned. There were a number of outbreaks of various diseases, and infantile diarrhoea was a major killer of little-ones during certain periods.

Aston was quite a large parish so, if they did move there, it might not necessarily have been the area we now think of as Aston. In fact, Aston was not officially part of Birmingham until 1911. (However, I believe that Deritend, officially a part of Aston, but neighbouring Birmingham's Digbeth, was unofficially linked with Birmingham well before that.)

My grandmother lived in Kings Heath, which also became part of Birmingham in 1911, but she told me that, as far as she was concerned, it was always Birmingham, so other families might have said the same about Aston, which was much closer, of course.

[Pinetree]

Apologies if you have already covered this but Sutton Coldfield was part of Aston registration district 1837-1912.  In 1912 it moved to Meriden.  So the 1850 deaths registered in Aston could have taken place in Sutton Coldfiled.

Pinetree

[Pinetree]

I think I can see Jane FAIRCLOUGH in 1851 she is aged 13 and lodging with William and Ann CORTON and family at 76 Mile Street, Sutton Coldfield.  Jane is a scholar and her place of birth looks like Finelly Warwickshire.

Will keep looking.

Pinetree

[Pinetree]

I wonder if this is Jane FAIRCLOUGH marrying Thomas WHITE (IGI):

10 AUG 1857   Saint Jude, Birmingham, Warwick, England

I can find them on 1871 census living in Ladywood B'ham - Jane aged 32 but says she was born in B'ham.

Pinetree

[Pinetree]

I've got Richard in 1851 as Richard FAIRCLOTH.  He is working as a servant at Erdington Hall age 15 born Sutton.

William WHEELWRIGHT a farmer is head of household.

HO107; Piece: 2062; Folio: 233; Page: 30

I think the 1850 death for Elizabeth could be the Mum as the family seems to split up after that.

[Tricia_2]

This might be of interest:

'Erdington Hall was built in the mid 1600s and was the manor house for Erdington until its demolition in 1912 to make way for the construction of the Tyburn Road. The prominent owners of the Hall included the Jennens family who lived there until the eighteenth century, Sir Lister Holte and William Wheelwright, who is believed to have given his name to Wheelwright Road.'

http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/GenerateContent?CONTENT_ITEM_ID=2462&CONTENT_ITEM_TYPE=0&MENU_ID=10279

Erdington is relatively close to Sutton.

[Shropshire Lass]

I think the 1850 death for Elizabeth could be the Mum as the family seems to split up after that.

Sorry, haven't been well enough to post much lately, but I had come to the same conclusion as Pinetree.  I found the same scattered children.  I don't know where the missing ones are but the Fairclough name obviously gave people trouble so they may be in the census returns somewhere.

It must be worth getting the death cert for the Aston Elizabeth and hoping there is some linking evidence in the address or person notifying the death.

Monica

[LouiseB31]

Thank you all for the very helpful findings, you have brought us forward far more than we have been

I will order the death certificates of Elizabeth the putative mother and Ann the putative daughter

You are all great

Thanks loads

Louise