Genealogy Chat

can anyone help i am trying to tace a john rigby see below in a mo love linda x

on the 1901 censu this is what i have residence 6 findlay street leigh lancashire john rigby 46 head b wigan lancs checkerweighman at above ground colliery elizabeth ann rigby 34 wife mar b bolton lancs james rigby 8 son b leigh lancs fred hunter 22 son in law b leigh lancs surface labourer at a colliery ann hunter 23 daur mar b leigh lancs coton mover thomas morris 34 b-in-law b bolton lancashire cotton helper in 1909 elizabeth, james and fredrick emigrated to usa on the ss saxonia . but no john rigby. i presumed he had died but cant find any record of a death wich matches the age or location. i also presumed ( i do that alot ) that he died before 1909 and that was why elizabeth and the two boys emigrated. amybody got any ideas. love linda x x

Linda - can you please explain who John Rigby was? He doesn't seem to be in the census data you have provided? Should the head of household be John rather than James? Kate.

oops sorry kate yes it is john rigby not james rigby john was the head of the household i will alter my mistake thanks love linda x

Hi again Linda. - Where have you searched for John's death? On 1837 online / GRO indexes or just FreeBMD? - Are there any John Rigby deaths with the right age but in the wrong place? Perhaps he died away from home? - Can you find the family in the USA on the 1910 census? If you can, it should give Elizabeth's status married or widow and you can see whether John is with them or not. (He could have gone over on a different ship, perhaps before the rest of his family?) - You don't say whether daughter Ann went over with the rest of them. Do you know what happened to her? Kate.

Hi , Have you looked to find him going ahead of the family on an earlier passage,,,as some did?? May be Ellis Island Passenger is worth a try> Kay. Add-on---snap kate!!

I would think it very possible that John emigrated before his wife and other family members (if you cannot trace a UK deeath reg). US census records would be the way to go with this. Merry

well here goes kate, john didnt go over to the states. the james rigby aged 8 in 1901 census was the grandfather of a lady who is a friend of my sons. her father was james son . the only info she has been able to find is what i have put up. she has been unable to trace anything else. i have found the family on th 1891 and the 1881 census. but she would love to know what happenned to her great grandad and why he didnt come over to the states. she has no living relatives in the states to ask. i have tried 1837. fbmd and familyrelatives sites. but i did send of for one death cert that looked promising but it turned out to be the wrong john rigby . love linda x

Linda, I still think you should try to find them on the 1910 census of the USA and see what Elizabeth's marital status was - married or widowed? Ancestry are offering a free trial so you could try that out (though don't forget to cancel it before they charge you!!) Kate.

well i am going to give it a go so wish me luck love linda x watch this space ! ! !

I forgot to say that ancestry also have the 1920 and 1930 censuses so you may be able to find them on either or both of those too. Kate.

Well, if he definitely didn't go to the states, have you considered he might have died after his family had left the UK rather than before? Also, you said you had checked out a death reg that looked promising, but that it was not the one. There are an awful lot of death reg's in Lancs for John Rigby's aged within two years of your man (working from 46 as he was in 1901), once you expand the search to outside Leigh district where they were living in 1901: Deaths Mar 1902 Rigby John Henry 47 Prestwich 8d 305 Deaths Jun 1902 Rigby John 48 Bolton 8c 239 Deaths Sep 1902 Rigby John 50 Oldam 8d 392 Deaths Jun 1903 Rigby John 47 Blackburn 8e 283 Deaths Sep 1904 Rigby John 52 Bolton 8c 259 Deaths Sep 1907 Rigby John 52 Bolton 8c 231 Deaths Dec 1907 RIGBY John Cattorall 51 Oldham 8d 425 Suppose your John definitely didn't have a middle name? I have not included deaths after 1909. Merry

well thanks to the emmigration records i found that on the alien( i feel like that myself today ) passengers list for sept 1909 there is elizabeth ann rigby and her two sons james and fredrick. she is aged 45 and married not widowed but she has given her next of kin in the country of origin as john rigby - husband - the address looks like 20 heath lane leigh lancs. so i have been looking in the wrong place. he was obviously alive when they left for usa. wonder why they went and why he didnt go. seems a big step for a woman and her two sons to do alone. now i will look for him at a later date. love linda x x x thanks for all your help. if you come up with and ideas i would be more than grateful

Well done Linda - It's lovely to find something positive! Merry

hi all i have just found a john rigby on 1837 death 1913 aged 61 in leigh lancs. this could be the one. is there anyway i can find out addresses before i send for the death cert. love linda x x x big thanks to you x x x x ps wonder why she left him and went all that way with the two boys.?

Even stranger as according to the ages given on the census Fred(erick) could not even have been Elizabeth's son-in-law but only her step-son-in-law if such a thing exists! (i.e. he was married to her step-daughter, Ann, and you have never mentioned Ann going on the ship). Or did John and Elizabeth have a little boy Frederick named after his uncle born after the 1901 census, and it was him who went to America? P.S. I really hope it wasn't Fred Hunter who went with her leaving his wife Ann behind... P.P.S. Oh, and as for the death cert, the only way I know of finding out his address without getting the cert is to go and search through the National Probate Calendar and if he is listed in it, it should give his address and also the address where he died and who the executor of his will was (but if he didn't leave much of an estate he probably won't be listed in there). Kate.

hi kate no the frerick wasnt anns husband but elizabeth and johns son he was born 1902 so only 7 when they emigrated. you are a bit of a romantic arent you - not wanting ann and fred to have split up . thanks for the info love linda x x ps where would i get the info that you have posted what site is it on althoughi cant see john rigby leaving anything much in a will.

Linda, Have you looked to see if perhaps he went out there earlier in order to find a job / home etc before they followed him on at a later date.? Just a thought ?? Dea x

Linda - there is no website for wills after 1858, you would have to go to a records office or maybe a probate sub-registry or probate registry and search through microfiches or bound volumes to find it. (Or you can pay £5 to the Probate Registry at York to do the search for you but you might as well order the death cert if you're going to be spending money!) I would offer to look it up at my local records office but I don't think I'll be going there until mid-September as the kids are off school. As for me being a romantic - not really, it's just that a certain ancestor of mine ran off with a step-relative and I wouldn't like it to have happened to somebody else's family! Kate.

THANKS TO YOU ALL YOU ARE A GREAT BUNCH LOVE LINDA X