Edward Long - who is he?

[longer]

I have a bit of a problem with a relative and don't know if anyone can help me.

Edward Long (my great grandfather) was supposedly born 1855 in Dudley Worcestershire/Staffordshire (info via various census sheets) and he married Hagar Davis in Netherton (Dudley) in 1878. The witnesses to the 1878 marriage would seem to be from the Hagar Davis side of the family. The marriage certificate did not give the name of his father it just said ‘deceased’.

The problem I have is that I cannot find a birth registration for Edward Long or find him in the 1861 or 1871 censuses so I don’t know who his parents are.

I have managed to track Edward from the date of his marriage (on every available census from 1881 onwards) until he died in 1938 in County Durham. He seems to have been a miner for all of this time.

I did found a George Long in the same road as Edward on the 1881 census (Engine Row, Sherburn) but they do not seem to be brothers.

Does anyone have any idea how I can find out who Edward’s parents were and where he may have been between 1855 and 1878?

Thanks
David

[iolaus]

Theres a Edward Long in Dudley born Sept 1850 (son of Edmund and Mary)

In 1861 he's with parents and siblings Thomas, Henry and Martha
Still with them in 1871 (middle name given as Alfred)

He appears to vanish by 1881 (and no death record) - only thing is his profession is ironmonger's clerk which doesn't match

Is there much of an age difference between him and Hegar for him to want to make them appear closer in age?

[heatherjulie]

Edward Long
 
christening: 29 May 1853 SAINT MARYS,HANLEY CASTLE,WORCESTER,ENGLAND
 
father: Walter Long  mother: Marianne

1861
Hanley Castle, Worcestershire,
Mary A Long  32 Head  Laundress
 Edwd Long  7 Son Scholar
 Sarah A Long  2 Daughter
 Henry Tolley  20 Agricultural labourer
 Thomas Clifton  20 Agricultural labourer

2096/15/25

 This looks like him in 1871
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V5RJ-2YP
 

[longer]

Thanks folks for the input.
I just can’t see that the Edward Long born in Dudley in 1850 would go from being a clerk to an ironmongers to being a miner either, it’s just too big of a jump in professions so don’t think it’s him. With regards to Hagar she looks to have been born around 1858/59 as she was 20 when she got married.

I’ve had a look at the Edward Long in Hanley Castle and I think that Hanley Castle is just too far away from Dudley so don’t think it’s him either.  I know from the 1901 census that Edward was in Craghead, County Durham so using the link that was kindly supplied on the previous reply I have found an Edward Long born in 1854 but is still in Hanley Castle in the 1901 census.

I’ve even searched for Edward’s parents using his sons and daughters names in the hope that he named them after his parents but most of the names can be linked back to the Hagar Davis side of the family. It’s as though he hasn’t any family to call on.

So now my only thoughts are:-
Was Edward his middle name?
Was he given the name Edward after his birth was registered (so has a different first name)?
Was he illegitimate?

So it looks like the headache will continue for a little while longer!!

David

[silvery]

Dudley to Hanley Castle seems to be just under 40 miles.   Easily done.   People did a fair bit of travelling. 

[longer]

Thanks for the info on how far away Hanley Castle is from Dudley.

Unfortunately it still can’t be him because (as I mentioned earlier) the Edward Long in Hanley Castle was still in Hanley Castle on the 1901 census whereas the Edward Long I’m looking for was in Craghead, County Durham on the 1901 census.

So the mystery continues.

[iolaus]

There's an EDMUND Long born in Birmingham Dec 1855 (6d 105)

7 miles away but may be worth looking into.  One of my ancestors alters being Joel and Joseph (he's Joel until he's 70 and I assume that he was known as Jo and whoever filled in the census assumed Jo was short for Joseph - in my case it's an unusual surname and no Joseph exists until Joel disappears - he's buried as Joseph though)

[Spidermonkey]

Does the address that Edward give on his marriage cert help?  Also, I wonder if you could see the original banns for their marriage - that might show you if they were also read in a different parish to the parish that they married in.  Then it might be a case of trawling baptism records to see if there is a matching person.

I would guess that Edward was probably illegitimate, and so may not have know his father.

[longer]

Thanks for the info folks, it's great that you're sharing the headache with me.

Well there's no address given on marriage certificate but from parish records Edward's parish is given as Netherton, Dudley which is the same as for Hagar.

Don't know about the Edmund Long in Birmingham (I'll check that one out) but in the 1901 census Edward was a bit more specific as he said he was born in Queens Cross, Dudley. Although I've checked the 1851/1861 census returns (albeit on Find my Past!) and cannot find any Long family living in Queens Cross.

I think you're right and he is illegitimate but I would just like to find at least who his mother was and where he was in the 1861/1871 censuses.