John Richardson

[Richsmith]

Hi everyone

Having real problems with 3x great grandfather, John Richardson.

I first found him in the 1851 census for Birmingham along with his wife Martha and their children. He is a machinist, I think he probably made pens. He married Martha Haines In Gloucestershire on 10 December 1837.

Try as I might I can’t find any record of him before this. I know from the census he was born in Scotland in 1803 but that’s about it.

Can anyone help?

[ev]

Try FreeCEN for the 1841 Census transcription.......
Longtree Gloucestershire
John Richardson 35 engineer born Scotland.

Does the marriage record give his father's name ?(1837 FreeBMD)


ev

[Richsmith]

I think George... does it show if he’s with his wife Martha at that address?

[ev]

Yes , Martha with children(?) George & Jane.

https://freecen1.freecen.org.uk/cgi/search.pl


ev

[Richsmith]

Well that’s more than I’ve found in a dogs age!!! Just need to find his parents in Scotland now...

[Forfarian]

In 1851 you have John Richardson, aged 48, in Aston near Birmingham with wife Martha and children George, Jean, John, James, Margaret, Catherine and Thomas. In 1861 he says he was 58.

Assuming that his age is accurate, this means that he was more likely born in 1802 than in 1803, because the census was held at the end of March, and would only have had his 48th birthday in 1851, and his 58th birthday in 1861,  if he was born between 1 January and late March.

There are no surviving records of the birth of a John Richardson, father George, between 1801 and 1804. There is one in Edinburgh St Cuthberts in 1800, and one in Coldingham in 1805. There could of course be others whose baptism records have not survived, and these could include your one.

Unfortunately I can't find him in a later census to see if he gave a more precise place of birth than just 'Scotland', or if he was being visited by a sibling, niece or nephew who might provide a clue.

[Richsmith]

Thanks for trying 👍

[MonicaL]

Richsmith, what was the order of John and Martha's children's names? Just wondering if they could have used any form of Scottish naming pattern (see here for example www.halmyre.abel.co.uk/Family/naming.htm).

The entry for a John to a George and Jean Andrew in Edinburgh 1800, see that John also had a daughter Jean? In Scotland, Jane and Jean are internchangeable first names.

Was there any occupation showing on John's parish register entry for his father George?

There are two George Richardsons both married to a Jean (McFarlane and Andrew) and having children at the same time    As mentioned, this is just a possibility that there is a connection to either of these couples.

Monica

[Richsmith]

Hi Monica, thanks for the reply. I’ve been looking at the George/Jean connection. John & Marthas first two children were George and Jane (sometimes Jean) so I’m willing to take a leap of faith that this is him. Also when I searched ancestry for this family, someone’s tree mentioned that his death date was after 1835... this is when he left Scotland for Gloucester and met Martha. I think this is him