Genealogy Chat

hi everyone i,m hoping someone can give me a few ideas i got my partners grandfathers death notice out of the paper it said that his father was a local preacher they lived in ossett he died in 1939 i also got his death notice hoping it wud tell me were he was a preacher but to no avail ,,, i,v tried the usual stuff .. trying libary even went to a place in mirfield were they trained preachers but they gud not help either...... his name was jesse birkinshaw born 1869 if anyone thinks they cud help or no anyone new were he was a preacher i wud be very gratefull kind regards Donna

i think this is him in 1871 Name: Jesse Burkenshaw [Jesse Birkinshaw] Age: 2 Estimated birth year: abt 1869 Relation: Son Father's name: Cornelius Mother's name: Mary Gender: Male Where born: Sandal, Yorkshire, England Civil parish: Sandal Town: Sandal County/Island: Yorkshire Country: England Street address: Occupation: Condition as to marriage: Disability: View image Registration district: Wakefield Sub-registration district: Sandal ED, institution, or vessel: 5 Neighbors: View others on page Household schedule number: 4 Household Members: Name Age Alice Burkenshaw 9 Cornelius Burkenshaw 37 Fanny Burkenshaw 6 Jesse Burkenshaw 2 Mary Burkenshaw 33 William Burkenshaw 4

If this is him in 1901 he is a Butcher? Name: Jesse Birkenshan Age: 31 Estimated birth year: abt 1870 Relation: Head Spouse's name: Sarah E Gender: Male Where born: Sandal, Yorkshire, England Civil parish: Ossett Ecclesiastical parish: Ossett with Gawthorpe Holy Trinity County/Island: Yorkshire Country: England Street address: Occupation: Condition as to marriage: Education: Employment status: View image Registration district: Dewsbury Sub-registration district: Ossett ED, institution, or vessel: 6 Neighbors: View others on page Household schedule number: 155 Household Members: Name Age Cornelius Birkenshan 1 Gertrude Birkenshan 10 Jesse Birkenshan 31 Jesse Birkenshan 2 Sarah E Birkenshan 30 Georgina.

1891 census Wakefield Rd., Ossett, Yorkshire Jesse Burkenshaw, head, 21, coal miner, born Sandal, Yorkshire Sarah E., wife, 20, born Hemsworth, Yorkshire

Hi Donna There is a book called CrockFords Clerical Directory which lists... Crockford's Clerical Directory, first published in 1858, contains biographies of over 25,000 Anglican clergy in the UK, details of English, Welsh and Irish benefices and churches and much more. Worth a try as I found my Great Uncles parishes listed where he 'worked' and which Theological College he trained at which led me to obtain his ordination papers. The library will have copy of the book, did the library show you this book when you went? Elaine

Preacher in that context/era suggests to me one of the free churchs - particularly methodists. The likelihood is that he would preach not too far from. If he went further afield he would more likely be called a missioner or missionary. When I was a kid we had five different churches within a couple of hundred yards of each other. They all used different terms to describe the man who gave the sermon! By the late 1940s 'lay preachers' were quite common in the Anglican church. Not much help am I? Clive

1881 census Stanley cum Wrenthorpe, Yorkshire Mary Cooper, head, widow, 73, no occupation, born Potoveno?, Yorkshire Robert Gambles, son, unmarried, 49, carter, born Potoveno? Cornelius Birkenshaw, stepson, widower, 49, butcher, born Darton?, Yorkshire William Birkenshaw, son, 16, laboure, born Carr Gate, Yorkshire Jesse Birkenshaw, son, 15, laboure, born Sandal, Yorkshire Edward Birkenshaw, son, 11, scholar, born Sandal, Yorkshire

The C of E have lay READERS - a twentieth century innovation, I think. Non-conformists had lay PREACHERS in the nineteenth century - certainly both Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists did. Jay

I don't know if you'll find anything of help here but I tried a few google combinations and found a site dedicated to the history of Ossett. www(dot)larkshill(dot)org(dot)uk/nineteenth(dot)html (replace (dot) with actual dots.) Liz PS. Crockfords is a fantastic resource for tracing some one in the Anglican clergy's movements. Worth a look in that, in our records office they keep it in the restricted/secure section and had to ask specifically for it.

Something I missed out. Preachers were not normally full time church workers so they would be a plumber say and preacher but would be best known in their area as a preacher. Clive

This might be worth a try: http://eagle.cch.kcl.ac.uk:8080/cce/index.html Sheila

That's a good point, Clive. My 3x and 4x great grandfathers were both involved in the Primitive Methodist church, but I think only in a lay preacher capacity, although 4xgreat grandfather was one of the 'rebels' who, with others, broke away to form the Independent Primitive Methodist branch. But the younger man is only ever listed as 'ag lab' on the census returns (his dad died in 1839, of all times to die!) so I often wonder, perhaps he did not state his religious involvement because it didn't sound like a 'proper job' or he thought the census taker might think he was liable to be a troublemaker. Maybe it would have raised eyebrows then to be part of a divided branch of the faith.

Donna some feedback from you might help your search. Click add reply at the top of the page. Georgina.

Really replying to Kate Hurst. The census asked for your employment which may well have been Ag Lab. Your calling (if you wish to call it that) could have been as preacher and you were not paid so it is not employment. The Methodists were proud of their faith and quite often the 'rebels' ran their local church for a long time before they got a minister. My big problem has been they baptised children but did not do marriages. In the 18202/30s my ancestors were Methodist!! Clive

i would like to say thank you to everyone who has sent me ideas i have sent each of you a message personally sorry they mite be a bit late i work so i had to feed kids and partner before i went on computer.... still no look have tried crockfords clerical directory that turned up a blank too . but thank you to the two ladies who gave me that info even the library.s i ,v been to did not suggest that.... carnt get any information from newspaper either kind regards donna

Donna, Have you tried writing to the Ossett local paper? If he died in 1939 there may be someone who is now in their middle 70s (or older) who remember him. It's worth a try. He could have been a Methodist, or an Independant church, or other non-conformist He may not have had any formal training for preaching. Anne