Genealogy Chat

Mary Porritt married Charles Alexander in 1850 in Bury Lancashire. They lived in Heywood. She had two sons - Joseph and Samuel. Joseph was my great-grandfather. On her marriage certificate her father is given as Samuel Porritt a millwright. He is not given as being deceased. Mary's mother was Esther (nee Hindle). Mary's (twin?) sister Ann was christened on the same date (14 Jun 1818 at Church Lancashire) I have looked and looked but can't find the Porrit(t) family on the 1841 or 1851 censuses. Can anyone help please? I've searched with variations of the name too. Both spellings were used - Porritt on the marriage certificate, Porrit when registering son Joseph's birth.

Father may well have been deceased by then. It's not obligatory to state 'deceased' - I think it just depends. My mother did not put deceased against her father's name on her marriage cert and he died when she was 4 years old. Jill

Hi Elizabeth Could this be him? Samuel Porritt Sex: M -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Event(s): Birth: Lancashire, England Millwright -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Parents: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Marriage(s): Spouse: Alice Ellison (AFN: ) Marriage: 7 Mar 1831 Cathedral and Parish Church of Manchester, Lancashire City could he have been married twice perhaps? Cheryl

Hi Elizabeth Is this Charles and Mary in 1851? Name: Mary Alexander Age: 33 Estimated birth year: abt 1818 Relation: Wife Spouse's name: Charles Gender: Female Where born: Foxhill Bank, Lancashire, England Civil parish: Heap Ecclesiastical parish: St James County/Island: Lancashire Country: England Street address: Occupation: Condition as to marriage: Disability: View image Registration district: Bury Sub-registration district: Birtle ED, institution, or vessel: 1c Neighbors: View others on page Household schedule number: 90 Household Members: Name Age Charles Alexander 30 Mary Alexander 33 M H Alexander 4 Regards Cheryl

Hi Cheryl, Thanks for the two replies. Re. 1: I don't know if Samuel married again. I don't have a death for Esther, but there are no more children to be found so far, so perhaps she died, especially if she had twins. I don't know whether Mary and Ann were twins but it's possible. As Samuel is given as a mill wright it is possible. Did you find the marriage on the IGI? Re. 2: Yes - that is them on the 1851 census. Charles had already been married once - his wife Lavinia had died. Poor Mary died in 1855 from phthisis pulmonatis. Charles married again two times! He outlived all his wives but died in 1880. I think he might have been an alcoholic because he died of cirrhosis of the liver. Charles and Mary are my great-great-grandparents which is why I would like to trace Mary before her marriage and her parents (1841 census).

Hi Elizabeth. Yes I did find it on the IGI. Struggling a bit to find anything else though!!! Cheryl

Thanks for looking Cheryl - Where did you find the information about his being a mill wright on the IGI? I couldn't find it. I'm off to the supermarket now, so won't reply to any messages for an hour or so.

Dear Elizabeth FReeBMD has a death for a Samuel Porritt in Manchester June qtr 1838 vol 20, p 396. Best wishes Maria

Thanks Maria, I might have to order the certificate to see if it's him. I wish I could find Mary on the 1841 census, but it's often difficult to find people on it anyway!