Hello
I'm sure many of you will have come across my posts concerning Sarah Bellamy and James Holmes and their 5 children out of wedlock. A distant relative has been doing some research on my behalf and believes that James may have actually been married - I haven't seen the documents/evidence she has found yet - so cannot say for sure. However from all of my research the James I have is son to John and Elizabeth Holmes (nee Ulyatt) and I trace him through the censuses living at home, unmarried until the 1881 Census when he is living with an uncle (Ulyatt) still unmarried aged 58. His death I believe follows in 1882 aged 61. I believe he was born in Walcot due to reports of a bastardy hearing in the paper for one of Sarah's daughters. So I believe I have the correct James.
However looking at the 1861 (which I've just discovered) and the 1871 Census returns there is a John Holmes listed on there as a grandson...now I don't know whether this is a son of James (none of his other children live with him - all with their mother in 1851 and scattered around her relatives after her death in 1861)...in 1861 his sister is at home unmarried so could be her son but she is not on the 1871 census but both James and John are. I've tried searching for a birth of John - born 1860ish in Walcot but cannot seem to find a birth or christening record for him to find out who his parents are. Have also tried to search for a death/marriage for Elizabeth (born 1829, Walcot) to suggest why she's not on the 1871 census but to no avail.
Anyone able to shed any light on any of these?
I still think I have the right James at the end of the day but we shall see.
Melanie