Mystery of William Ryan, born 1878

[BR]

Quick google search came back with:
· London Metropolitan Archives, 40 Northampton Road, London EC1R OHB. Holds most of the Poor Law Union records for Westminster.
· The City of Westminster Archives Centre holds many pre-1868 records for Westminster parishes.

Think I need to visit them when I have some spare time.

[heywood]

Whoops, forgot you gave me that lead heywood. Serves me right for not rereading what we've covered already!
I was trying to match the 1911 census mentioned before with Electoral Rolls but wasn't coming up with anything concrete. All the William Ryans in Pancras at the time are close by but at different addresses and there's no evidence it's definitely a particular one.
MargP, think all your leads with the schools and baptisms were good but think those Williams are just too old to be the one I need.

So frustrating to not have anything concrete. I suppose I could just save up and then order all the birth certificates of William Ryans born in 1878 in London!

He is mentioned as I linked but very difficult to find on a subscription site. That link shows where  he is living and his birth - not St Pancras though.

[BR]

Just another update on my progress - after hitting a brick wall I decided to go back to the original wedding certificate and look at the witnesses to see if they could give me any clues.

The two witnesses were Alfred Carey and Hilda Shephard. I've managed to find an interesting link from Alfred Carey that could help find a bit more about William Ryan.

I've found an Alfred Charles Carey who was born in 1881 in Rotherhithe to Elizabeth and George. He is listed in the 1881 census as well but in 1891, Alfred disappears from the family. I was able to find an Alfred Bartholomew Carey who lists his birth as 1879 and is at St Mary's Orphanage in North Hyde, Heston, Middlesex. Coincidentally, there is also a William Ryan who is listed at the same orphanage in the same census who is the right age my g-grandfather would have been.

In the 1901 census the only Alfred Carey in London has married a Rose Carey and is working as a wine porter. He can also be found in the 1911 census living in Lambeth with Rose and a daughter.

It's a bit of a long shot but is there a possibility that the Alfred Carey on the marriage certificate is connected to William through this orphanage? And if so, any tips on how to find some records to prove/disprove this theory?

[BR]

One more small strand of information which I have always discounted as a embellished story but could possibly hold some small truth - apparently my g-grandfather was childhood friends with Charlie Chaplin. Charlie Chaplin would have been about 10 years younger than my g-grandfather but he grew up in South London so it could possibly been that William knew the family as opposed to Charlie Chaplin himself. Don't think it's likely but worth throwing into the mix just in case.

[BR]

Another update on what has turned out to be a really interesting investigation.
I worked with an excellent researcher and between us we were able to discover important facts about William.

William was the child of 21 year old Mary Ann Ryan, a charwoman working at 42 Goulston Road, Whitechapel (we were on the right track with Bethnal Green!). On the 4th Jan 1879 she was admitted to the Whitechapel Infirmary in labour. Poor law records and William's birth certificate both confirm this. Unfortunately, Mary Ann either didn't want to name or didn't know William's father so he is listed as Unknown.

The next record of William is found in the 1888 Register of Children where he is listed as deserted. He went to North Hyde Orphanage until he was 15 years old. Then he was moved to the St Patricks Working Boys Home in Soho.

There are still a few gaps in his story. I don't know what happened to Mary Ann - whether she died or remarried. And I don't know what happened to William between 1893 and 1911.

I'd love to try to find out more about Mary Ann. A search across the census and marriages and deaths isn't proving very helpful - Mary Ann Ryan is a very popular name! Does anyone have any tips for investigating the residents of Whitechapel/East End?

Thanks
BR

[jorose]

http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
 - there is a Dec 1888 reference here to a Mary Ann Ryan, something about her and two kids going into the Kensington workhouse (and her being pregnant again) - and her "husband" being hauled up before the courts for not supporting them (said his name was not Ryan, and they were not married).  I can't get the full details but if this lines up with what you know about the details of where William was in 1888 it would be worth a look.

[BR]

Thanks jorose!
I'll follow this up and let you know if it leads to anything.