Brick wall - man appears from nowhere!

[JGSnoopy]

I have an ancestor who appears on the census info from 1861 onwards to his death in 1891, but I can find nothing of him before then at all, not even a birth certificate, and given he was born after 1837 this should be easy to find.


Joseph Astell.

18 April 1861. Married Elizabeth Jones.  His age was 23. suggesting a D.O.B. of 1838.  Father noted as Joseph Astell, occupation Brewer.
1861 census.  Age 21, suggesting DOB of 1840. Birth location of Aston, Warwickshire.
1871 census. Age 28, suggesting DOB of 1843.  Birth location Lozells Lane, Aston, Warwickshire.
1881 census. Age 38, suggesting DOB of 1843.  Birth location Aston, Warwickshire.
1891 census. Age 50, suggesting DOB of 1841.  Birth location Aston, Birmingham.

I can't find any record of his birth, nor any record of his father and I have used every spelling permutation I can think of! 

Can anyone with more experience on this suggest any other methods for trying to track him or his father down?

[PaulineJ]

what names witness the 1861 marriage?
what address did he wed from?

For elimination purposes:
Births
Sep 1840   Astle    Joseph        Ashby de la Z    15   11
Mar 1841 Astle    Joseph        Shardlow    19   553
 Jun 1841 Astle    Joseph        Nantwich    19   160
Sep 1842 Astoll    Joseph        Leigh    21   453/463

[Maiden Stone]

This is only a suggestion. Joseph Astell Senior may have been his stepfather or even an invented father to hide illegitimacy.
What was young Joseph's occupation?
There was a brewery firm called Ansell (?) there in 20th century. Ansell's Bitter? Try researching brewers beginning with letter A in the area in 19th century.
P.S. Ansell's Brewery founded Aston 1858.

[Milliepede]

Maybe he was adopted or Joseph senior (if he existed) was a step father.

If there any record of a marriage for Joseph senior or any family with that surname that could be linked?

Surnames beginning with "A" may have originally had a letter beforehand that has been dropped.
Have you tried with *astell or "stell for example.

[Maiden Stone]

Ansell's Brewery founded by Joseph Ansell. Son William joined and it became Joseph Ansell & Sons in 1877.
(Wikipedia)
A Jeff ASTLE played football for West Bromwich.

[ThrelfallYorky]

Nastell came immediately to my mind. Worth a try?

[Milliepede]

Have you ruled this family out

1841

Joseph Astell 45 - name corrected to Astill
Elizabeth 45
Charlotte 13
Sarah 10
Joseph 8

[JGSnoopy]

I had not thought of looking up the marriage witnesses, I will try this - they are attached below.  The marriage was in Hardingstone, Northamptonshire, which is where he spent the rest of his life.

Joseph Jnr had a varied carrer!  He started out in 1861 as a coal higgler, then Ag lab, then faggot maker and timber dealer.

[Milliepede]

There's a Joseph Wastill birth in Warwickshire Jun 1841 but just playing with surnames here