Saunders in Waterford help please?

[AngelFish]

I'm trying to make a start (again) tackling my Irish Roots, and I'm hoping for some help I'm feel quite out of my depth.

Sarah SAUNDERS married at The Register Office Birmingham 17 April 1891, age 25 (so bn c1866), gave farther as George Saunders deceased, School Master.

1891 census shows her a visitor at her husband to be parents house (he was elsewhere!) in Birmingham, age 24 (so bn c1867) place of birth, Waterford Ireland.

1901 census, age 35 (so bn c1866), place of birth Ireland

1911 census, age 45 years, 10 months (so bn c1865?), place of birth  Waterford, Ireland.

Died 1925, age 57 (so bn c 1868), burial record recorded her as Sarah Lavinia Grant (we had never heard of the middle name anywhere else).

----

So far I have found 2 George Saunders in Waterford in the Griffiths Valuations, one Doneraile Walk in Tramore West, the other on Anne Street in Trinity Without. I don't know which (if either) could be Sarahs farther.

On the IGI I think the only birth is for a Sarah Saunders is 13-5-1864 in Portlaw, Co Waterford, and sibilings James 13-10-1866, Catherine 3-12-1869, and Michael 29-11-1872, and their parents marriage: George Saunders (father Timothy) and Catherine Thompson (father John) on 24-2-1855, Guilcagh, Co Waterford.  Guilcagh looks close to Portlaw on a map, but not close to the entries on the Griffiths Valuations?? (I don't know Irish geography).

What is the likely hood of this being the right family? How can I go about proving it? Anyway I could find out if any of the George Saunders I've found were school masters? I haven't been able to find a record of a death of George, but then I understand they might not be all recorded online? Stumped... any information is strongly appreciated.

[shanew147]

I think the best place to start is with a birth cert for that possible match you found to see what the father's occupation is. The extracted record includes the page reference '639', which can be used to locate the full civil index references - i.e.

  Name: Sarah Saunders
  Registration district:   Carrick-On-Suir
  Event type: Birth
  Year: 1864
  Volume: 9 / Page: 639

(the district of Carrick-On-Suir includes parts of counties Waterford and Tipperary)

You can use these to order a research birth cert - see :

  Ordering Certs from GRO Roscommon
  Details included on a Birth Cert

two important points to remember - The extracted/IGI records are not complete - so it's not guaranteed the Sarah's birth is included in them, and the other detail to note is that Sarah's birth is very close to the start of full civil records in 1864, and it's possible that her birth was either before the start, or possibly not recorded in the early years of registration.


Shane

[AngelFish]

Thank you. I'll do that and keep my fingers crossed

[AngelFish]

Hi again everyone, shanew147   

If the certificate came back with the fathers occupation as Schoolmaster    how likely do you think it would be that I've found the right person?  Are there any other ways I could check?  I don't even know their religion.

The only other thing I can think of is try to find out if that George SAUNDERS died before 1891 (as per my Sarahs marriage certificate).  I don't know what else my next steps could be.

Any ideas or pointers appreciated x

[shanew147]

I'd say between the match in place of birth, father's name and occupation between that birth and your confirmed marriage and census details - that's a good match.

Have you searched the BMD Index for a possible death for George ?



Shane

[AngelFish]

No, not the index only FamilySearch which I don't think will contain all the deaths. He isn't listed on the death index at Waterford County Library Site. Is there anywhere online that has a full BMD index? 

[shanew147]

....
their parents marriage: George Saunders (father Timothy) and Catherine Thompson (father John) on 24-2-1855, Guilcagh, Co Waterford.  Guilcagh looks close to Portlaw on a map, but not close to the entries on the Griffiths Valuations?? (I don't know Irish geography).
....

you mentioned this possible marriage record earlier - might be worth following that up next. A cert would give you a bit more detail than the extracted details on FamilySearch - see : Details included on a Marriage Cert

The locations given on extracted records are usually sub-districts, rather than towns or townlands.

I checked the extracted marriage record and these look like the relevant index references needed to order a cert :
  
  Name: George Saunders
  Registration district:   Carrick On Suir
  Event type: Marriage
  Year: 1855
  Volume: 3 / Page: 304

....
I don't even know their religion.
...

The fact that the marriage was included in civil records before 1864, means that it was non-Catholic, or maybe in a registry office. The cert will show the name of the church and the denomination.



Shane

[shanew147]

No, not the index only FamilySearch which I don't think will contain all the deaths. He isn't listed on the death index at Waterford County Library Site. Is there anywhere online that has a full BMD index? 

The BMD Index on FamilySearch is the standard online source - like any there are inevitably a few gaps and mistakes in their filming and transcriptions. There are also mistakes in the original index books in the GRO.. on which the FamilySearch index is based.

There is another copy of the BMD Index on Ancestry, but I think it may be based on the same films.


Shane

[AngelFish]

Yes, I thought there marriage cert would be the next step if I could just be a little more certain they are the right people... I'd hate to make assumptions and get carried away with the wrong family, actually I think finding out I'd done that would break my heart after I got 'attached' to (dead) people lol
I'm keeping in mind though that there just might not be any other way with my Irish Ancestry.

Thanks for your input, I'm learning so much.

Yes I think that the BMDs will be from the same films too. I think the English ones on FreeBMD and Ancestry are anyway.