Traveller Heritage?

[tonymc06]

Hello

I have been raised in a very broken family and for years I have been trying to price together memories.

I have a vivid memory as a bit of visiting relatives who were fairground folk.

I have researched and came up with the following names in my ancestry.

Pratley
Chapman
Cornelius

I’m sure there are others, but I know these 3 immediately.

Is there a possibility bearing in mind my recollections?

[tonymc06]

Hello

Sorry, some typos in previous message

I have been raised in a very broken family and for years I have been trying to piece together memories.

I have a vivid memory as a kid of visiting my dads relatives who were fairground folk.

I have researched and came up with the following names in my ancestry.

Pratley
Chapman
Cornelius

The name Marshall also features a lot.

I’m sure there are others, but I know these 4 immediately.

Is there a possibility bearing in mind my recollections?

[Milliepede]

I think you would need to work backwards from your birth certificate information then your parents etc to where you can look at census records and, hopefully, find the ancestors you seek from that.

From what you say it would only be a generation or two back if they were your fathers relatives he was visiting.

[Ruskie]

Welcome to rootschat Tony. 

How far back do you know the names of your family?

For example do you know the names and birth dates of both of your parents (including your mother’s maiden name)?

Do you know the names of any of your grandparents? Great grandparents?

You don’t mention any dates or whether any of these people are still living. One of the only rules here on rootschat is that we aren’t allowed to mention the full names of anyone who is still (or likely to be) living. People are sometimes willing to help you via the Personal Messaging system - some people use initials, eg “LP was born in 1949”. 

Millipede mentioned the census. The most recent census is the 1921 and that has only recently been released and currently you have to pay to view each family record. The one prior to that is the 1911 census, so if you can get back that far with known family, that should make the search a little easier. Census records can be helpful as you see whole family groups, parents, children, and sometimes extended family.

There are quite recent birth, death and marriage record indexes (that is, just the basic names and a date) also on the subscription sites.

A good place for you to start might be this free site:
https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl

Depending on dates, can you find your parent’s or grandparent’s births or marriages on there? If you are unsure of years you can leave it blank, however this might lead to thousands of results, so if you put in a rough year estimate this might help you.

There are plenty more hints and tips and places for you to search but I don’t want to overwhelm you too much.

If you have specific names of anyone still living that you need help with, you can send me a PM by clicking on my name on the left. I can’t guarantee that I will be able to help you, but I might find something to get you started.

There are a lot of people on rootschat who have traveller ancestry who I’m sure will be able to give you good advice.

You can go ahead and post the names of anyone who is deceased here. Best to get help from as many people as possible. 

[Ruskie]

Sorry, I meant to add …. If you need to change anything you have written, click on the “modify” button in the top right - to the right of the title of your thread. You have 24 or 48 hours (I forget which) to make any alterations. 

[tonymc06]

Hello

My mothers maiden name was Chapman - born in 1949 in Mitcham Surrey.

Here father was always known as ‘Charlie’ and doesn’t seem to exist anywhere on records.

I have since discovered his first name or middle name may have been Cornelius. But I still can’t find him anywhere.

He was known as a boxer and bare knuckle fighter in his younger days.

He and his brother were known fighters in their younger days around the Mitchum area, and my mother was born there. This would have been pre-ww2 and up to the 50’s maybe?

I only remember him as an older man who had settled in Streatham with his pigeons and his ever-present trilby. He used to buy and sell metal amongst other things.

Finding black and white info on him has proved to be almost impossible. He didn’t even seem to appear on my mothers birth registration.

My father was born in Oxfordshire in 1955 and his surname was Pratley - deceased now.

He used to visit his fairground family in the 1970’s.

He mentioned a few times that he came from ‘travelling fairground folk.’ And my memories certainly confirm this.

Again, a struggle to determine who they may have been.

It’s a shame that I took so much for granted as child.

I may need to try and find out his mothers maiden name. 

Not sure what to do next. I have so many dead ends in my tree.

Many thanks for your help and advice so far.

[Milliepede]

He and his brother were known fighters in their younger days around the Mitchum area, and my mother was born there.

There might be mention in local newspapers 

Were your parents married?  If so you can obtain a copy of their marriage certificate which should name their fathers/occupations.  Witness names can also be useful.

Your mothers birth certificate will name her parents and her fathers occupation. 
Start with your own information and work backwards.

[Milliepede]

There is this birth in Croydon area which covers Mitcham

September quarter 1920 Cornelius F Chapman mothers name Powell

Found on the Free BMD index

[Milliepede]

Same index for a marriage between Chapman and Powell

March quarter 1911 Croydon area

Cornelius F Chapman to Calina/Catina Powell **

** also a Mary Powell marriage listed so either Powell lady could have been the right bride.

Other groom Henry Aspland