Genealogy Chat

A creative way to spell Branston (Branstone, Braunston)? I have lost a relative on the 1861 census and cannot locate him at all.

He was Henry Branston, born c. 1829 Bottesford, Leicestershire. Using the spelling "Braunstone", he married Elizabeth Tyler (also of Bottesford) in 1853. She died in 1869, aged 42, after having five children:

1. Thomas (1854-55)
2. William Tyler Branston (1857-1904, born in Bottesford).
3. Thomas Henry (1860-1930, born in Bottesford, seems to have called himself Henry in adulthood)
4. Charlotte Ann (1861)
5. Thomas (1863, appears in baptism record only)

I tried doing a search for the whole of Bottesford and for all Henrys born in Bottesford, so could do with a suggestion for another way to look.

Thanks
Kate

looks like this may be him at
RG9 Piece 2483 Folio 92 Page 3

Ken

Have you found him yet Kate?

I have noticed my family of Burdens being transcribed as Cardens. The B does look like a C on the handwritten census, so maybe this has happened with yours?

Regards
Angela

Hi Angela

No, not yet. That is a good thought, though - I will try it out.

Thanks, Ken, for what you found - that turned out to be his younger brother, weirdly enough!

Hi Kate

I have found what might be Henry and his family in 1871 at RG10 Piece 3356 Folio 53 Page 6. But his wife Elizabeth seems to be still alive and named Fanny (another name for Elizabeth) one of their sons William is of the right age as is Henry himself.

Ancestry lists Henry as 49 on this census but on looking at it he is only 40, so may this be your missing “Branston” family, I hope so for your research. Like you I can’t find them in 1861.

Ken

Thanks, Ken. It is much appreciated. Wonder if they just "forgot" to fill in their census form?

I think people didn't fill in their own forms then. If whoever was supposed to be doing it didn't bother to go to that house or the family was away then perhaps they got missed off.

I've had whole families missing on some censuses.

Then again some parts of some censuses have gone missing or been damaged.

Sue

Good point, Sue. I've tried looking for the parents of both Henry and of Elizabeth and can tie down most of Henry's siblings (except for two sisters who just refuse to be found) but I suppose if - for some reason - they were travelling, they could go missing.

For instance, if they were at their home one night, then stayed at an inn or hotel another night - the census form asks, I think, that details of all people staying there the previous night are filled in. If they were not at home on "the previous night" they wouldn't be at home to fill it in and if they were at a hotel, they may have not been there yet on "the previous night".

Henry's marriage to Fanny??

Henry Branston/Fanny Guy
Year of Registration: 1870
Quarter of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep
District: Grantham (1837-1933)
County: Leicestershire, Lincolnshire
Volume: 7a
Page: 687

Andy

Ken...this is nothing to do with this thread, but I just wanted to thank you. I have for the past 2 and half years been looking for the marriage of a Fanny to one of my male ancestors - I had no idea it was another name for Elizabeth!.....better get looking again! Thanks again
Dee

Probably Elizabeth's death

Elizabeth Branston
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1827
Year of Registration: 1869
Quarter of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep
Age at Death: 42
District: Grantham (1837-1933)
County: Leicestershire, Lincolnshire
Volume: 7a
Page: 268

Andy

I thought Fanny was more normally short for Frances or variants of that.

Sue

I think that is the very one, Andy. He obviously wasn't a widower for too long.

I was just looking through my notes from Wigston records office to see if I had any further details but sadly I seem to have written down every other marriage of interest but that one.