census look up please

[frenchdressing]

I'm getting quite excited about the 2 Kerrs.

William John was born on 16 Feb 1865 and the informant gave 16 Feb 1866. If the mother's name isn't clear I suppose Jean Crewe could have been Jane Currie.

James's birth is given as16 Jan 1871 and I had it down as March but looking at my notes it's the March qtr. I've just ordered the birth cert. and if he was born in January, that's our man.
His descendants have no death cert. so they could have got the year he died mixed up.
He never divorced his wife in England so he would still have been married legally but with no wife living with him hence the informant being a lady friend.
It's said that he had lived in Canada for 35 years which means that he left England about 1908. There's a James Kerr aged 35 who sailed from Liverpool in 1906.

The only little problem is the date William entered Canada. On the death reg. it says he had lived in Canada for 44 years which would mean him sailing in 1909. William isn't on the 1901 census in England and James's grandaughter is adament that William left England before James and James went to join him when his wife left him. I'll check the passenger lists again.

French

p.s. I've found a marriage for a William Kerr and Sarah Davies in 1893 in Leigh district which is where the Kerrs lived. I can't find a ship with both on. There's one in 1908 with a William Kerr and a Sarah Kerr but she's given as aged 6.

[Elizabeth Revel]

The 1911 census entry for William confirms the story that William came to Alberta. Coleman and Fernie are quite close together but on either side of the provincial border.

Further confirmation that these may be the right family is the birth of a Florrie Kerr in the March Quarter of 1899 in the district of Leigh where you found the marriage.

Beth

[frenchdressing]

Thanks Beth

There's the Florrie Kerr you mention and on the Lancashire BMD, there's a Florrie Kerr born 1898 in Atherton which is the town the Kerrs lived in. I'm going to England in a weeks time so I'll go into the Records Office and check the parents.

I have 3 Kerrs sailing from Liverpool to Montreal in 1909. There's a Kerr Wm, adult, a Kerr Ds adult female and a Kerr female. That could be them as the year ties in with the length of time William is said to have lived in Canada when he died in 1953 (44 years). I still can't find them on the 1901 census in England though. I'll put a request on the Lancashire board.

It's strange that only 8 years after Sarah Kerr's death I should be living in Calgary not knowing that I had relatives who had emigrated to Canada and were buried not too far away.

Thanks again.

French

[Elizabeth Revel]

The free version of 1901 Census has all three Kerrs, William, Sarah and Florrie living at Atherton in Lancashire.
William, 34, is a banksman at a colliery. Sarah, 28, was born in Wales.
An added bonus may be William, 69, born Greenock Scotland, Oiler and Greaser Cotton. Could this be William jr.'s father with incorrect birthplace?

Beth

[LemonMallie]

I checked Sarah Kerr's death registration and it confirms Beth's find in the 1901 Census.  Sarah was born in Cefn, North Wales on 14 Jun 1872.  Father was Thomas Davis, mother Mary Roberts, both born in North Wales.  Sarah's son (I couldn't read the initial, but it could have been an A or a C or maybe even a fancy E) was the informant.  The registration listed that she resided in the municipality for 10yrs and the province for 42 years but unfortunately, the time in Canada was blank.  I suppose her son didn't know so I don't know how reliable the other times are.  She died on 1 April 1960 of heart disease and was buried in the Nakusp Cemetery.

The library closes early on Friday so I didn't have time to find an internet station to check the indexes for their son.  But looking now I do see a death reg for Allan Gamble Kerr in Nakusp in 1970, aged 57.  The only other Kerr that died in Nakusp was a John, aged 42 in 1929, so born in 1887.  Do you think they might be yours as well?  Or worth taking a look?

[KarenM]

Great Work Lemon and Beth!!

Karen

[frenchdressing]

I echo Karen's praise. Lemon and Beth, you really are stars!!!!

 I would imagine that the Allan Gamble Kerr who died in Nakusp in 1970 was the son of William and Sarah. He would have been born in 1913. If I'd have known about him I could have got in touch when I was in Alberta. I suppose that there must still be family living out there still...

Beth, I'm bothered though that I can't see the Kerrs on the 1901 census on Ancestry. I know that I'm getting older but not to the point that I'm blind... Could you give me the reference numbers so that I can look again. I've found James and their brother David, but not William.

There are many Cefn in Wales but they add another name on to distinguish them. There's one near Wrexham where David Kerr's wife came from. Will have a serious look for the family.

That's most likely William snr. living with William John in 1901. His wife, Mary Jane died in 1895 and he died in 1910. He'd done many hard physical jobs during his lifetime so greaser and oiler in a cotton mill at the end of his working life seems quite easy.

I shall be going to the Wigan Records office during my stay in Lancashire so I'll check the marriage to see if Sarah's father's name was Thomas Davies.

I haven't found a birth on the Lancs. BMD for a John Kerr born 1887 but it's easy to imagine that he was a relative. I don't suppose there were many Kerrs in Nakusp at that time. Could you check Lynwen before I go over to England in a weeks time so that if he was born in England I can check him out.

I've checked the notes I took when I met Jame's descendants and the only thing they remembered is that the brothers went out to Canada to pick fruit near Toronto in the early 1900s. Then James went to BC and William to Alberta.

James never came back to England nor sent for his children which seems very sad to me. I'll try and see them next week to bring them up to date.

Have a great weekend.

French

[Elizabeth Revel]

Unfortunately, the free access to the 1901 census only gives Name, Age, Where born, Administrative County, Civil Parish and occupation. ( no reference numbers or street addresses)

By looking for an individual by name, one can then find others with the same surname by entering the surname with the place of residence. If there are several families with children with the same names it cam be less than helpful but there were only nine Kerrs living in Atherton and your family were quite recognizable!!

One can buy credits to view and download the original page of the census which would include the information you seek.

Beth

Beth

[frenchdressing]

Thanks Beth. I have a subscription to Ancestry so can view all the census transcriptions. I put in Kerr and residence Atherton but still didn't see a William Kerr.
I'll try again.

French