Francis Grimshaw - East Hampton, NY.

[Elwyn Soutter]

I am researching a Francis Grimshaw (born Manchester UK c 1806). He emigrated to the US in the 1820s and married a Mary Sherman (no further information). The couple had a son Francis jr born East Hampton, NY in 1833, whose subsequent life I know.

Francis and Mary presumably married near East Hampton c 1832 or earlier. However I cannot find their marriage. Can anyone help?

Also, I have searched for Francis & Mary in the US censuses but cannot find them. Can anyone assist? My only clue is that I see what looks to be Francis jr in the 1850 census working on someone else’s farm, and I wondered if perhaps both his parents were dead. But that’s just supposition.

[*Sandra*]

HI,

Probably a silly question - there was a Francis Grimshaw passed away in Oldham 24 January 1845 - could your Francis have returned to the UK ?

Sandra

[Elwyn Soutter]

Sandra,

I never thought of that possibility. Thanks for that suggestion.

[*Sandra*]

I know you have the info on the son - was the son - Francis E Grimshaw - 18 January 1833 passed away 14 May 1915  ?
Can see this particular one appears on FIND A GRAVE

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gsr&GSiman=1&GScid=64158&GSfn=&GSln=grimshaw

The obit seems to say Francis came to East Hampton when he was a boy and was bound out to Noah Barnes - they appear next to each other on the 1860 census.  So maybe that indicates that both the parents had died 

Sandra

[Elwyn Soutter]

Yes that’s the right family. It’s encouraging that you think the explanation for him being with the Barnes household is the same as mine.

I am not familiar with US sources. Are there any other records that might help locate the parents Francis & Mary?

[*Sandra*]

Curious about the term "Bound Out" -  Oliver Twist - he was 'bound out' by the beedle to an undertaker at 6 years old wasn't he   

For the greater part of the 1800's, orphans and children in families too poor to care for them were apprenticed or bound out to a trade. So perhaps Francis Jnr never knew anything about his family, hence no mention in his obituary.

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~seky/folfoot/015.html

In that time frame you would probably need to find Church records to prove the marriage of the parents.
Sorry not being very helpful at the moment.

Sandra

[*Sandra*]

The earlier census were more numerical and only named the head of the household - its unlikely you would find anything from that time frame to name there parents. Enumerators of the 1830/40 census were asked to include the following categories in the census - name of head of household - number of free white males and females in age categories: 0 to 5, 5 to 10, 10 to 15, 15 to 20, 20 to 30, 30 to 40, 40 to 50, 50 to 60, 60 to 70, 70 to 80, 80 to 90, 90 to 100, over 100 -  the name of a slave owner and the number of slaves owned by that person - the number of male and female slaves and free "coloured" persons by age categories - the number of foreigners (not naturalized) in a household; the number of deaf, dumb, and blind persons within a household -  and town or district, and county of residence

Sandra

[Elwyn Soutter]

Sandra,

Thanks for that. Very helpful.