First time poster, so please correct me as necessary as I learn how to use RootsChat!
Aside - I have been using Family Search, but have not yet subscribed to any other geneology sites, and am also not sure which one would be best to help me with further research, so haven't decided to pay for anything yet. If, in reading this post, someone has a suggestion for a good subscription geneology site that will help with parish records please do let me know.
I'm trying to trace back my history before the census records and have hit a brick wall. My family tree has a John Churchill, born 1815 in Bristol (per later census records - so DOB is likely an estimate). He died Aug 1877 in Sunderland. I have his father on his marriage record listed as William Churchill. My family tree that my grandfather worked on also listed his father as William Churchill with a DOB of 1780 and stated that he was a "London Butcher". Unfortunately my grandfather died before I got into this and I wasn't able to ask where he got that information from (I believe a lot of the family tree came from the Churchill Family Bible that my great aunt in England has). I am trying to figure out what siblings John Churchill had (my tree also has a brother, Alfred Churchill - no dates, just from the handwritten tree), and looking to see if I can determine which William Churchill was his father based on the records I'm finding.
Family Search has suggested a record hint of a Christening in 1813 for a John Churchill with a father of William Churchill and a mother named Margaretta. Searching for the same mother and father names pulls up records for Charles, Elizabeth and Margaretta all in Bristol at St. Paul's. It also pulls up a record for Samuel-Joyce with a mother of Margaret. I found later records of Christenings with parents William and Margaretta Churchill at St Pancras (in 1824) in London for Mary Ann Churchill, William Henry Churchill and James Joyce Churchill and was able to access the image file for these records, which show the father's profession as Gardener, and not Butcher. Later than that, in 1826, I have a Christening record for James Churchill in Honiton, Devon again with William and Margaretta. It could be one family moving around, or different families, and quite possible none of them are my William.
I am wondering if it is possible to access the images or more detailed records from St. Paul's in Bristol - I can only find the transcriptions, which don't include the profession of the father, and I'm hoping I will get lucky and find the profession for the Bristol records at least to rule in or out this William Churchill. I don't know if anyone has access to these (I'm in Canada, and obviously a trip to the UK isn't on the cards at the moment). The lack of Alfred Churchill makes me think I'm ruling out all these records, but I've never been able to find ANY records of Alfred Churchill. I would have thought he would have died in infancy perhaps, except it's odd that he's on the family tree my grandpa drew up if that were the case (and there were other children who died in infancy NOT on the tree). I'm also wondering if I may get lucky and find a middle name of Alfred of one of the other children on the records which could maybe explain things?
If anyone has any other suggestions on how to track down this William Churchill, or find his wife's name, please let me know. I can't find him in any census data (not a huge surprise if he was born in 1780) and I'm not sure where else to look. May not be possible!
Thank you in advance!
