Hello,
I'm looking for some help breaking through a brick wall I have come up against with my 2nd great-grandfather Albert Clayton.
The only census that I can verify is for the correct Albert Clayton is the 1901 census. On this his birth place is recorded as Bradford, Yorkshire and his age puts his birth date around 1869.
He married Ada Sophia Rawlings on 13 April 1895 in Leeds in a Registry Office. I have a copy of their marriage certificate which lists his father as 'Edward Clayton (deceased)'. His father's occupation was a 'Foundry Labourer'. Albert was living on Oak Street in Leeds at the time of his marriage.
Albert and Ada had seven children although the first two (my great-grandfather and his sister) were born to Ada outside of marriage and registered under her name. Their father is unknown although both later have the surname Clayton and both have Albert Clayton listed as 'father' on their marriage certificates.
Albert died on 06 Sept 1904 in Leeds at the age of 35. His marriage certificate lists his occupation as butcher, as do the birth and marriage certificates of his children. His death certificate also lists his occupation as butcher (journeyman) so it appears this was his occupation throughout his life.
Despite the above information, I have been unable to find any definitive information for Albert from before 1895 including a birth record. I found a possible birth index for an Albert Clayton born 1869 in Bradford, but the father's name on the birth certificate did not match. There is another possible birth index with a birth year of 1867 but I'm reluctant to keep ordering birth certificates in the blind hope of finding the right one unless there are only a couple of possibilities!
The main difficulty seems to lie with another Albert Clayton (Albert Edward Clayton) born around the same time but in Huddersfield. Other people researching the same line have this Albert Edward Clayton as having married Ada Sophia Rawlings but I have cross referenced census records and marriage index/certificates for both and have concluded they cannot be the same person. I also have information from my grandfather which tells me that our Albert Clayton did not have a middle name.
I have a possible 1881 and 1891 census for an Albert Clayton (born in Bradford around the right time) which suggest he was a boarder and then a lodger from the age of 12. If this is the Albert I'm searching for, I'm beginning to think I may never get any further!
Can anybody with more experience advise me where to look or how to progress my search please?
