Apologies if this gets a bit rambling but I've hit one of those brick walls that I just can't break down.
I've been doing my family tree on and off for years now, as I've got further back I noticed that a lot of the hints on Ancestry led to people whose trees included some of the people on mine. The bulk of those trees had the info come from a millenium file, mostly I have to add without any other sources.
OK so I'll see what I can dig up, in the millenium file the furthest back is Robert Brooks - Mary Magnall (6xgrt grandparents), Samuel Brooks - Mary Ashworth (5x grt grandparents), Richard Brooks - Alice Sandiford (4x), Samuel Brooks - Sarah Astley (3x). I have documentation from me to Samuel and Sarah, so I'm quite happy there. His wife Sarah died and he married again, I have sources/documentation and got them all in the same grave. On his second marriage his father is given as Richard Brooks (occupation weaver). Pretty sure I have Samuel's baptism 4th July 1813, so far so good, matches the millenium file nicely, father Richard, mother Alice. Also found 6 siblings from a Richard and Alice, right area and dates fit nicely.
Now comes the first problem with the millenium file, it has Richard Brooks marrying an Alice Sandiford, I have searched high and low, as far as possible online, I cannot find their marriage. Two possibilities came up 1/ Richard Brook (weaver) - Alice Boardman (widow) 1808, 2/ Richard Brooks (weaver) - Alice Boardman (widow) 1796, both in the right area around/between Bolton and Bury. The first child I can find in the right area whose parents are Richard and Alice is Nathan Brooks b1798. So I'm thinking the second Brooks-Boardman marriage is the right one. So Alice could be a Sandiford married a Boardman and was widowed, trouble is I can't find a Sandiford-Boardman marriage either.
The second problem comes with Richard's birth, his parents according to the millenium file are Samuel Brooks and Mary Ashworth. His grandparents are Robert Brooks and Mary Magnall. I have found the marriage of Robert Brooks and Mary Magnall, and I've found the baptism of Samuel their son. I have also found the marriage of Samuel Brooks and Mary Ashworth. BUT I can't find any mention of a Richard Brooks born 1774 to a Samuel and Mary in Lancashire as a whole nor within 10 years of that date.
So I'm in the position of being able to tentatively confirm the millenium file in respect of Richard's children and his parents but not him.
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Topic: Richard Brooks born c1774 (Read 445 times)