Where to go now?

[jonw65]

Can't find them in 1851

[maddys52]

She then appears in 1871 census.

Elizabeth Waring Head 57 born Hinckley
Elizabeth Reeves Daughter 53=c1828 Widow born Leicester
Ann Maria 18 born Deepfields
Mary 14 born Northamptonshire
George Henry Reeves 5 born Leicester --as below

You had me very confused here! I was wondering how a 57 year old could have a 53 year old daughter? But I see their ages are actually:
Elizabeth WARING   62
Elizabeth REEVES   44
...
RG10/3286/30 pg22

 

[maddys52]

Just double checking. Did your gggrandmother Ann Maria Reeves marry William Ward in 1873. Does she name her father and his occupation. It appears she is on 1881 census but by 1891 William is a widower. Her death aged 32 in1885 Leicester.

Info only

Elizabeth Reeves C1848) daughter of Joseph & Elizabeth Reeves married George Steele Bashforth 22.4.1877. Her father recorded as Joseph Reeves occupation Brickmaker

John

I agree with John, if this is the correct family then you need to know what it says about Ann Maria's father on her marriage. If he is a brickmaker then that ties in nicely with the family on the 1861 and 1871. Shame we can't find them in 1851. Will keep looking ...

I may be wrong, but the baptisms you have for the parents Joseph and Elizabeth may be a bit premature unless you have anything else that links those particular baptisms to Ann Maria's parents - they are very common names! 

[jonw65]

Did "our" Elizabeth Reeves marry George Metcalf in Leicester, Sep qtr 1877?
1881 census
129 Gt Holme Street, Leicester
George Metcalf Head Mar 37 Boot Maker, born Stafford
Elizabeth Metcalf Wife Mar 52 Leicester
Three boarders

Re mum
Death
June 1876 Leicester 7a 147
Waring, Elizabeth   
age 67   

Leicester Chronicle, 13 May 1876
Deaths
WARING.—On the 6th inst, at 129, Great Holme-street, Elizabeth Waring, aged 67.

[jonw65]

Leicester Chronicle, 4 Dec 1886
Deaths
At the Leicester Infirmary on the 25th ult., Betsy, wife of Mr. George Metcalf , of 29, Great Holme-street, aged 60

Death
Dec 1886 Leicester 7a 172
Metcalf, Betsy   
age 61   

[softly softly]

I think you are right jonw65. I have been trying to trace "our Elizabeth's mother" who like you believe died in 1876. Other than the 1871 census I cannot find her anywhere.
The Elizabeth Waring married to Thomas appears in 1881 with him and I believe she dies aged 80 in 1888.

John

[Libby56]

Good morning everyone and thank you for your efforts.
Yes my Ann Maria Reeves was indeed to married to William Ward. Her mother was Elizabeth Goodman and her father was Joseph Reeves Brickmaker! He is also deceased on the marriage certificate which I hadn't noticed earlier. The name Deepfields appears in several places so I assume the 1861 census is mother and daughter. If 'my' Joseph is the correct one then he was 40 when Ann Maria was born, so maybe the marriage between Reeves/Goodman is much earlier than I've been looking for.
I still would like to know if he was the serial deserter? Is 3 times really possible? How many Reeves b 1822 in Bilston were there? The 1841 census is a real mystery and I haven't come across anything like it before, 3 men that did not know their own names or occupations? I doubt I'll ever find the answer to that one but I guess I have a lot to do anyway. 
 
Thank you all for your input and helping me over the proverbial wall.

Regards Libby

[maddys52]

The 1841 census is a real mystery and I haven't come across anything like it before, 3 men that did not know their own names or occupations?

I think you mean this entry in the 1841 - at Stone St, Bilston?
nk [not known] REEVES  55 (male)  collier  not born in County
nk  REEVES                    50  (female)          n
nk  REEVES                    19  (male)  collier  n
HO107/1001/6/20 pg33

There is another "nk" on the page, I'm not sure why the enumerator didn't find out what their names were, or maybe he just couldn't understand a lot of thick accents?

I still would like to know if he was the serial deserter? Is 3 times really possible?

Hard to say for certain whether this is your Joseph, however I think it's unlikely as the occupation is very different. The 3 descriptions of the deserter - name, age, place of birth, occupation, hair/eye colour, regiment were all the same, so almost definitely the same man.

There are quite a few other options for a Joseph REEVES in 1841, not just the one above. Also, as far as I can see there is nothing to indicate Joseph's year of birth yet? We haven't found him in any census yet. 

[Libby56]

Hi Maddys52...yes Stone street, that's the one but I have Wolverhampton which I know is the borough of Bilston, there is no information at all on it so I'll find another transcription.
Didn't the enumerators back then have a legal obligation to do the job properly? lol! They clearly had no idea back in the day that people would be pulling their hair out because of detail misspelt/misread etc
Thank you so much Maddys52 I feel a lot better about Joseph now