Searching for the FREE family in Appleby

[erniesue]

I had been working on a DOB of 1856 or within 3 or 4 years and have found nothing that ties in with him on any census.  The only records I found were his probate records, those of his wife, his marriage to Mary and his death certificate.  The likeliest using those dates seem to be in Leyton, Essex but they weren't convincing.
I only received the details of his marriage this week and was a little disappointed that I didn't glean more information.
I have found no record of his employer but he was shown as a railway ganger which ties in with his movements, presumably going where work was required on the railways.  It is possible he wasn't actually employed by a railway company but by contractors.
We all have brick walls in our lines and this has been my biggest by far.  I suppose it's quite possible that his birth date was way out, especially as he was illiterate and presumably trying to impress a married woman to live with him by knocking years off his age !  At least I now have some more leads to explore.

[jacquelineve]

I know this may be way off the mark, but...

1881 Village Railway Hut,Potter Hanworth,Lincolnshire  RG11/3237   folio42   page5

Henry     Walker     32     navvy     Walton Lincolnsh.
Mary                      31                   Appleby Westmorland
Thomas P               6                    ----------- ----------
George H                2                      London
+ lodgers (navvies)

Jackie

[erniesue]

Once again, I seem to have been entrenched in my search for Henry Free in believing that the age at his death was correct within a year or two but, now that I'm prepared to look a little further, there are plenty of other paths to explore.  Mary, born in Appleby, married Henry Free in 1873, their son,Thomas Proud Free, being born in 1875.
Referring to the 1881 Village Railway Hut, Potter Hanworth census return, Mary is probably about the right age and Thomas P ( which is probably Thomas Proud ) is the right date of birth for Henry and Mary's son.  I will check the original later but has he changed his name to Walker or is that some sort of job title.?
I believe that this might really be another pointer to the Free family but there are so many potential lines of enquiry, it might be a job to look at in the cold, dreary days on January.
Many thanks for an excellent post.
Ernie 

[erniesue]

Many thanks to all those who have helped me on my search.  I'm fairly confident that we might have now cracked most of this family puzzle although there are a few problems to iron out.  It looks at first sight as though Mary might have actually left Henry and taken up with another railway worker. I am now reasonably happy that we have found the right family and bloodline.
Whatever the history of their relationships, it will be fascinating trying to untangle it all.
Once again, Thanks to all.

[Westmoreland]

Hi
No offer names but the Settle / Carlisle Railway came thro Appleby and area
around 1873 as the line was opened 1876
A lot of the Railway Labourers moved between areas as the job finished and often missed the census this was known as on the tramp
regards
westmorland

[erniesue]

Many thanks for the info.  I'm out of the country at present but that's a good starting point when I return later in January.  Henry had children with his common law wife ( after he and Mary had first split and following her death ) in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire whilst still working on the railways.  He later settled in Barnsley before his own death in 1899.  At that time he was still a railway ganger.
He obviously followed the railway system around wherever there was work.  It's good to learn the dates when the railways came to the Appleby area.

Ernie