SEWARD

[trish1120]

Who is Edwards Mother on his Birth Cert?

Trish

[CaroleW]

IF - and it's a very big if - his father was John Seward - then his supposed occupation was platelayer not cabman according to the 1889 marriage cert.

He was also supposed to be deceased by 1889.  If you check deaths from 1870-1889 only one John Seward death in the London area which was in 1874 aged 73yrs!!

[AllanUK]

Seward family from the Morton area of Lincolnshire. Eleanor Seward married my 5 x great grandfather, William Cope on the 2nd January 1749 at Pickworth. I have attached an image of the marriage entry in the register.

[Borley Manor]

I have spent a goodly amount of time today despite the heat, sorting, or attempting to sort out the myriad documents about the Seward family. I think I may have now got my head around it all again. When I was previously engaged in this research, I found it extremely top heavy with characters that I had never heard of, some of whom died young and ceased to appear anymore.
I have strived to piece my original findings together in some sort of order beginning with my G Grandfather Edward Thomas Seward born 1870, died 1961. He married a Alice Elizabeth, or Elizabeth Alice nee Butcher 3rd March 1889
According to Ancestry back in 2006, he was born in Bethnal Green workhouse, but I myself trawled through numerous records and discovered he had told other people that he was born in Hythe for some reason..
This is where the elusive John comes in according to Ancestry. Edward Thomas Seward father was apparently John Seward born : WFT Est 1822-1852.  I had an accomplice that was also researching the Seward family. They informed me that John G Seward was indeed a plate layer, and was born 1840 at Boston Lincolnshire, and was seen/recorded as being in Yorkshire 1881-1891..

Then, which muddies the entire file, we have another John Seward being born in 1808, yet another plate layer, at Ruckington Lincolnshire.

The birth certificate for Edward Thomas Seward, my G Grandfather does not have a fathers name on it, but is mentioned on his marriage certificate as deceased.

As I said above, I spent an inordinately long time trawling through massive lists of BDM's, searching for proof of all this. I came up with a John Seward residing in Bethnal Green at some address. I failed miserably after long hours and forgot to write it all down. This particular John Seward was a cabman. I seem to recall that his address was where some stables once existed. In retrospect, I may well have simply lost the plot at this juncture....!!  I have a heavy box file with other scribblings that I have not consulted as of today, but I will do, not that I expect much to be revealed except photographs. Except that this etheral John Seward, was rumoured to have been a deeply religious character... I have what is supposed to be a photograph showing him and his wife. Very austere looking.....

I truly thank those who have answered my call, and I hope I answered your queries. I am again at a loss this evening, I need sleep tonight...!!!!    The reply I received through Rootschat from AllanUK is very interesting. He mentions a female Seward by the name of Eleanor from back in the 1700's. She evidently hailed from the Morton area in Lincolnshire. I must seriously invest in an older map/atlas book.

[BenRalph]

What does it say for mother on his birth cert? In full.

[Borley Manor]

Hi,   I have a much copied birth certificate here, it is not exactly very well scripted, but in its defence it has:  1870 Bethnal Green Middlesex officially along the top.  It then has the number 243, seventeenth April 1870. workhouse.      Name Edward Thomas, boy.      The name of the father is entirely blank.   The mother entry is just Elizabeth Seward.   From that point on it is almost unreadable, but I am told it is to do with those in charge of the workhouse.

My dilemma is, was Elizabeth, the mother, a natural Seward, i.e. a daughter Seward, who was not married to the father?    Where did the name Seward come from and the plot simply becomes unwieldy after that....

I do hope this will be of some use.  Thank you for your interest.

[CaroleW]

99.9% probability she was an unmarried Elizabeth Seward - born with the Seward name. 

[Lady Di]

Borley Manor

Two very simple questions - Yes or No answers will suffice

Have you found Elizabeth SEWARD with son Edward Thomas on the 1871 census?

Have you found Edward Thomas SEWARD on 1881 census?

   

[Borley Manor]

Lady Di,     To be honest I have to answer no to both questions. To excuse me from not doing so is an embarrassment to me. I had limited resources back in the early 2000's, and the cost of obtaining copy certificates etc, put a certain strain on my capabilities. I had masses of interest, but the costs were too  high. Now, I have resumed the search upon retirement, the costs are still all encompassing, but I also have to contend with this shut down business. I was planning on utilising the local library services for access to records, but until they re-open, who knows. It would appear that computers are the last thing on their minds.......  It is intensely frustrating as you can imagine.