Hi Carole W,
Thanks for this information but have to say I am even more confused than I was previously. If he has been Christened Edwin Williams MERRIFIELD, together with the information supplied by Heywood I've guessed that his Mother was Helen MERRYFIELD / MERRIFIELD who is really the only woman of child bearing age in the residence found on the 1861 Census. Helen and Edwin are noted as daughter and Grandson (and I assume) to Mary WILLIAMS so surely if his Mother was Helen she would have a maiden name of WILLIAMS?
If this is not the case how else do I explain these 3 living together? Do have to say that I'm a bit surprised that Helen was born in Plymouth!!! I need to find out the address of the 1861 Census but effectively Mary was born in Kent, moved to Plymouth and had Helen, then they both moved back to Mile End where Helen had Edwin. Not impossible but surely quite strange for those times.
I take it the records you have seen show no Father's name? I do not know how you have been able to search for this birth record and find it. Is this something I can do?
To conclude, I am still uncertain whether or not I have traced my Great Grandfather 'Edwin'. On the 1901, 1891 and 1881 Censuses (what is the correct word for multiple Census???) he has declared his age each time that would give him a year of birth as 1855. I then lost his thread but found an Edwin Merrifield registered at the Mile End Old Town Industrial School on the 1871 Census however he was declared as being aged 12 which would give him a year of birth as 1859. I want to see if I can get any records from the school to see when he was admitted and discharged and under what circumstances.
We then have Edwin Williams Merrifield on the 1861 Census aged 3 which would be a year of birth as 1858. To make things worse my Great Grandfather has shown both Bow and Stepney as his place of birth but never Mile End. I know they are all in the same sort of area but think they would be classed as different places.
I shall continue to see if I can get anything from the old records of the Industrial School and see if that sheds any light on it and do some checks on Helen Merryfield. If she wasn't married why isn't she Helen Williams? There must have been a Mr. Merryfield somewhere I guess.
Regards.
David
