George Thomas Franklin

[k.bart]

If some kind soul is willing I need a lookup please.  If anyone has access to the 1841 census could you please look for any information re George Thomas Franklin, George Franklin or Thomas Franklin? I am having quite a time trying to locate him.  I have a notarized letter from my grandfather Stanley Franklin stating that his father George Thomas Franklin was born in 1829 in Stotfold, Bedfordshire.  This same letter also states that George married Alice Healy from Ireland. Fortuneately, I was able to locate the birth certificate of their only son Alexander who was born on the Isle of Wight in 1862 and on this it states his father's name as being Thomas Franklin ... not George.
This same birth certificate lists his mother as being Alice (late Cousins formerly) Healy so her marriage to Thomas was her second one.   Using the names Thomas Franklin and Alice Cousins I was able to get a marriage date for them ... March 1861 at Westminster in London.  While it is slowly coming together I am still missing the pieces that connect him to Bedfordshire.  I am hoping that an 1841 census check might help me out.
Regards and thank you,
Karen on Vancouver Island
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[bedfordshire boy]

Hi Karen

Welcome to Rootschat.

I've checked Stotfold in 1841 but could see no Franklins at all. Unfortunately there's no name index for 1841 so it's now like looking for a needle in a haystack.

I would have thought that the 1861 census should have more profitable, if they married in the first quarter 1861, but I can't see them anywhere on that either, which is surprising as the census was taken on 7th April.

I assume that someone in the family emigrated at some stage - do you have a date? I see there is an Alexander Franklin age 18 born England living in Quebec in the 1881 Canadian census, which may well be the IoW born Alexander. If this is the same Alexander he was a baptist - and they didn't baptise their children, so if he was from a baptist family you may encounter further difficulties!

I'll have another think in the morning!

Regards

David

[k.bart]

Thanks for your note, David ... and yes, the Alexander Franklin you found in Quebec, Canada was the same Alexander Franklin who was born on the Isle of Wight in 1862.  The 3 of them came over to Canada together in 1880 and all 3 are present and accounted for in the Canadian 1881 census.  You are right too in saying that Thomas was a Baptist yet his wife was an Irish Catholic so I don't how that all plays itself out in terms of Baptism.  I don't imagine that it does.

I have already checked the 1851 and 1861 England censuses and the only individual who is present on both is a Thomas Franklin (dob about 1830) who was born into a large farm family of 7 sons and 3 daughters from Houghton Conquest.  I do not know where that is in relation to Stotfold though and I don't have any proof that this Thomas is the correct one. 

There is also another possibility, a George Thomas Franklin, born in 1825 in Leighton Buzzard.
The UK Census of 1851 lists George as an Assistant Vict. and Maltster 1825 Leighton Buzzard@BDF.
Dwelling location - Page 11, Number 62.
Address - North East of Leck Street.
This George Thomas Franklin worked for his father Henry.
Henry was a maltster and owned the The George (later known as The George and Dragon) pub on Leek (aka Leck and Lake) St. in Leighton Buzzard.  He owned and operated the pub from 1830 - 1861. The pub was demolished in 1862 to make way for the Corn Exchange building. 
The name is right but the year of birth of this George Thomas is about 4 - 5 years earlier that the date stated on my grandfather's notarized letter that I have.

Cheers,
Karen

[bedfordshire boy]

Hi Karen

A couple of random thoughts:

- do you have the 1861 marriage cert, and if so who was Thomas' father, and what were the occupations of Thomas and his father?

- was it normal in Canadian censuses for the wife to be enumerated under her maiden name? I notice that Alice is down as Alice Healy in 1881, which is why I couldn't find her last night!

But I still can't find any of them in either 1861 or 1871, but I'm still looking

Regards

David

[k.bart]

David, you must be reading my  mind!  I am going to order that marriage certificate online right now and I should have it in a week to 10 days.  I just found the marriage information 2 days ago after searching for a year.

I don't know why Alice used her maiden name on the 1881 Canadian census unless it has something specific to do with marriage policies and practices in Quebec.  I do know that even today there is something different that happens in Quebec regarding name changes and marriage.  I am going to check that out too as soon as I can get in touch with a French Canadian friend of mine.  What I originally thought was that Geo. Thomas and Alice hadn't gotten married at all and just lived together - but now that I have found their marriage information I can let that thought go.

Your interest and assistance are very appreciated, David.

Best,
Karen

[cathymcc]

Karen,

I thought as your chap FRANKLIN married an Irish girl, I thought he might have been a soldier [as he must have got to Ireland somehow to meet her - unless she came to England? But not many Irish girls settled in Bedfordshire unless their men were working on the railways and the dates are unlikely?] but all I found in National Archives was a:

WO 97/251/53 JAMES FRANKLIN Born STOTFOLD, Bedfordshire Served in 3rd Foot Regiment Discharged aged 17 1848-1848 ...

That may be some sort of link there 'though?


Please check out: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~hughwallis/IGIBatchNumbers/CountyBedford.htm#S

And: http://blars.adlibsoft.com/form.html

[k.bart]

Hi Cathy,
Thank you for your reply re George Thomas, George or Thomas Franklin.
I don't think he was a soldier although I can't definitively say he wasn't.  I believe he met Alice Cousins (nee Healy) somewhere in England.  She was born Alice Healy in Newcastle, Limerick, Ireland but when he married her at Westminster in March 1861 she was registered as Alice Cousins.  I assume this meant she had married a man with Cousins as his last name.  I just recently found this out and have ordered a copy of their marriage certificate which I shall receive in a week to 10 days. Hopefully that will shed more light on this tricky duo ... a man with 3 possible first names and a woman with 3 possible surnames.

I have just checked the 2 sites you suggested.  The Wallis site I have been to before but the other one is a new one for me and I will certainly search there.

Thank you again,
Karen

[janan]

Hi
I've found the George Franklin born 1824 Leighton Buzzard in 1861 and married to a Sarah Ann born Leighton Buzzard in 1871 which would seem to rule him out as yours.  Thomas Franklin born Houghton Conquest is also unmarried in 1861.
In 1861 there is a Thomas Franklin born Beds and married to a lady born Dublin Ireland - but his birth year is circa 1821 and her first name is Mary not Alice (which would give her 2 possible first names to go with her 3 surnames    ) - they are in Finsbury Middlesex with a family name of Tate. Otherwise like you and David can't find anything.
Regards Jan

[k.bart]

Hi There,
Thanks for your note.  I really appreciate any and all of the help I can get.  Hopefully the marriage certificate for Thomas and Alice that I ordered will sort out who's who and what's what.  The birth certificate that I ordered for their son Alexander Franklin who was born on the Isle of Wight in 1862 tipped me off to the fact that George Thomas was using just the name Thomas and that Alice Healy had been married to an unknown man with the last name of Cousins prior to marrying Thomas Franklin.
Best regards,
Karen