Hi, i’m trying to help a friend find her grandfather’s birth (and hopefully then his parents and early life). Rather a puzzle – the family have been doing this for many years - and we could do with some expert local help please.
She has all the details after his marriage in Cardiff, including his family, 1939 register entry, and his death. What we are struggling with is his birth.
His name was James Bolton, believed by the family to have been born in South Shields around 1888-1890, coming to Cardiff as a young man, maybe late teens, and as an orphan. He is in Cardiff on the 1911 census, aged 21, single, general labourer, boarder at 24 Homfray St, but says born Cardiff. [class RG14, piece 32118, schedule number 57]
He married Catherine Fraser at the register office in Cardiff on 8 Nov 1913, age given as 22, dock labourer, of Rodney Street, and listing his father as John, a stonemason. According to the 1939 register his date of birth was 9 December 1890, but this differs from the date of 12 December 1888 given by one of his sons on his death certificate. Place of birth given as South Shields.
But there is no birth registered in Cardiff or South Shields in the December quarters of 1888 or 1890, or the March quarters of the following years. Or from 1886 – 1892. The register office in Cardiff has also looked for any possible birth around that time but found nothing. There was one born in Pontypridd but he died the following year, and one in Merthyr Tydfil, but he was born in Ireland, and is found with his family when ‘our’ James is in Cardiff.
Further research uncovered 2 attestation papers, 1 dated 4 May 1907, where he says is is 18 years and 5 months old, born Cardiff, living at 18 Humphrey (Homfray) St. The other is dated 13 Jan 1909, aged 20 years, 0 months, born Adamsdown, Cardiff. This had a brother John initially named as next of kin, but later changed to his wife Catherine. It also gives details of his marriage and the first 2 children (one born before the marriage).
We have been unable to find 1891 or 1901 census records for James with a father John in South Shields, nor any John Bolton, stonemason. Nor a brother (and the family is not aware of a brother either).
A few days ago we found a crime and punishment record from Jan 1908, where there’s a James Bolton aged 18 years and 2 months, sentenced at Cardiff to 6 months with hard labour, for 11 convictions - including pitch and toss, and playing football in the street - from July 1902 to December 1906. It doesn’t say where these were committed but interestingly, the man underneath, William Callaghan, had a string of convictions at South Shields and other places, resulting in 7 years penal servitude.
In 1939 William Callaghan was living in Rodney St in Cardiff, 2 streets away from James Bolton and family, and the same street as James was living when he married in 1913. This is beginning to look like an interesting connection to South Shields but not knowing the area we are struggling to find any other details. Can anyone help with court records or newspapers? Is there a reason why people committing crimes in South Shields would be taken all the way to Cardiff for trial and prison, or is it likely that they themselves had left the area and simply ended up in Cardiff?
Apologies for the long post but thanks for reading.
