Genealogy Chat

Just got a marriage cert for one of my ancestors, in the column for fathers name and surname, and rank and profession of father, for both bride and groom, its all blank! Sob! I assumed I would get a fathers name, as it is, I can't go any further with the bride! Lisa

Lisa That realy is bad luck. I wonder why there are no father's names. Victor

Here, have one of my mansized geanealogical tissues - now....blow....that's better.... How about you post the full details of the marriage cert on here so that either someone will be able to give you some ideas as to what to do next, or we can all commiserate with you for your bad luck ...... Looking forward to your next post.... Keep :~)) Sarah

I feel for you... its so frustrating when things like this happen. I tend to go the long way round... I'd send off for the birth certificate, find out the mothers name... and then go looking for possible marriages to the mother - aided by ancestry and LDS... as well as people on here helping out and putting my head on straight occassionally...lol. I'm in ancestry at the moment... so I'm also happy to join in a search for your missing rellies... any and all info you can pass on is a great help :)

I suppose the usual thought would be 'illegitimate', but certainly for the groom I have his birth cert, all legal and above board, seen him on census as the son, so I'm puzzled as to why the father's not given. Bride, who can say? Look like, unless I have a miracle, this lines beyond further research. Lisa

Ok right here goes marriage cert says date 24th April 1841 Parish church Parish of Old Sodbury Gloucestershire (groom first!) James Woodman full age Bachelor profession Labourer residence Old Sodbury no father given no fathers profession Bride Eliza Matthews full age spinster no profession residence Old Sodbury no father's name or profession, just a line drawn through in both columns for bridge and groom Don't have any birth records for bride or groom, not on Ancestry as prior to 1837 Sigh............thanks for the tissues Lisa

LDS seem to have a few results - I put in Eliza matthews, and husband James woodman chose the year 1835 +/- 20 years, all event, England... this just the 1881 census results for england: 10. Elizabeth MATTHEWS - 1881 British Census / Sussex Sister Gender: Female Birth: <1815> Maidenhead, Berkshire, England 11. Elizabeth E. MATTHEW - 1881 British Census / Middlesex Head Gender: Female Birth: <1815> Gt Mary, Cambridge, England 12. Elizth. MATTHEWS - 1881 British Census / Cornwall Mo In Law Gender: Female Birth: <1815> St Just, Cornwall, England 13. Elizabeth MATTHEWS - 1881 British Census / Cornwall Sister Gender: Female Birth: <1815> Morvah, Cornwall, England 14. Eliza MATHEWS - 1881 British Census / Derby Wife Gender: Female Birth: <1815> Winshill, Derby, England 15. Elizabeth MATTHEWS - 1881 British Census / Devon Mother Gender: Female Birth: <1815> East Ogwell, Devon, England 16. Eliza MATTHEWS - 1881 British Census / Devon Head Gender: Female Birth: <1815> Devonport, Devon, England 17. Betsy MATTHEWS - 1881 British Census / Dorset Wife Gender: Female Birth: <1815> Beaminster, Dorset, England 18. Elizabeth MATTHEW - 1881 British Census / Hereford Wife Gender: Female Birth: <1815> Peterchurch, Hereford, England 19. Eliza MATHEWS - 1881 British Census / Kent Wife Gender: Female Birth: <1815> Maidstone, Kent, England 20. Elizabeth MATTHEWS - 1881 British Census / Lancashire Wife Gender: Female Birth: <1815> Wigan, Lancashire, England 21. Eliza MATTHEWS - 1881 British Census / Kent Serv Gender: Female Birth: <1815> London St Georges In The East, London, Middlesex, England 22. Eliza MATHEWS - 1881 British Census / Middlesex Lodger Gender: Female Birth: <1815> Sitchley, Northampton, England 23. Elizabeth MATTHEWS - 1881 British Census / Stafford Wife (Head) Gender: Female Birth: <1815> Newport, Shropshire, England 24. Eliza MATTHEWS - 1881 British Census / Shropshire Wife Gender: Female Birth: <1815> Rodington, Shropshire, England 25. Elizabeth MATHEWS - 1881 British Census / Stafford Head Gender: Female Birth: <1815> Bromley, Stafford, England 26. Eliza MATHEWS - 1881 British Census / Middlesex Head Gender: Female Birth: <1815> Chitchester, Sussex, England 27. Betsey D. MATTHEWS - 1881 British Census / York Head Gender: Female Birth: <1815> Swinton, York, England 28. Elizabeth MATTHEWS - 1881 British Census / Bedford Head Gender: Female Birth: <1816> Leighton, Bedford, England 29. Eliza MATTHEWS - 1881 British Census / Cambridge Head Gender: Female Birth: <1816> Impington, Cambridge, England 30. Elizabeth MATTHEWS - 1881 British Census / Cambridge Lodger (Head) Gender: Female Birth: <1816> Whittlesey, Cambridge, England 31. Elizabeth MATTHEWS - 1881 British Census / Stafford Wife Gender: Female Birth: <1816> Hankslow, Cheshire, England 32. Elizh. MATTHEWS - 1881 British Census / Cornwall Head Gender: Female Birth: <1816> Sithney, Cornwall, England 33. Elizabeth MATHEWS - 1881 British Census / Gloucester Head Gender: Female Birth: <1816> Avening, Gloucester, England 34. Eliza MATTHEWS - 1881 British Census / Hampshire Wife Gender: Female Birth: <1816> Soberton, Hampshire, England

Is this them on the 1851 census at Old Sodbury? WOODMAN James 38 Ag Lab Old Sodbury Eliza 32 Seamstress Purton Isaac 9 Scholar Old Sodbury So you need a bap for Eliza Matthews at Purton Wiltshire about 1818/19?? Sarah

I think i have them in 1861/1871 She gives her place of birth PORTON WILTS 1819/18 UPDATE;- PURTON

Just having a little look to help you feel better I know these are not the ones you are looking for but I have found a site with some memorial inscriptions at Old Sodbury and there are a few Matthews + Woodman's there - They MAY be family members. ? http://www(.)wishful-thinking(.)org.uk/genuki/GLS/OldSodbury/MIs.html Dea x

Well that's just brill Jim, isn't it lol I say Purton and you say Porton lol .....32 miles between these parishes!! I haven't seen the original 1851 though, so could be a mistranscription - needs checking out..... Sarah

I have the census image for 1871 with James & Eliza (sorry ChaCha, you've done loads of work, if I'd said this you wouldn't have had to - someone came to door so had to go away - I do apologise) To me it looks like Purton - I never knew there was a place called Porton, worth a look though. I will certainly check out the memorial inscriptions. Old Sodbury is not far from me so might be an afternoon spent in a country churchyard! Something to make you all smile though - my Woodman grandparents lived in Kingswood Bristol, I always assumed they came from around there, spreading out to Bitton and Keynsham. My mums half of the tree come from Hawkesbury. Two entirely separate families, I thought. Oh no! The Woodmans and the Stinchcombes (mums) are distantly related! My mum thought she was well shot of my father when she divorced him - she had to sit down when I told her! Hubby says that explains everything - we're all village idiots!

Here Jim, I'll pass you some Windowlene for your spectacles lol Oh good, so Purton it is then....not on the IGI by the look of it, but Wiltshire never seems to be... Sarah

Purton is on the BVRI but no Eliza Matthews on there. However, there is this one at Cricklade (three miles from Purton) MATTHEWS, Eliza Christening Gender: Female Christening Date: 22 Sep 1822 Recorded in: Cricklade, Wiltshire, England Collection: St Samson Father: Isaac MATTHEWS Mother: Elizabeth Source: FHL Film 1279302 Dates: 1672 - 1906 and the child with them in 1851 was called Isaac (after his granddad??) The date is slightly later than would have been nice, but beggars can't be choosers as my gran used to say lol Sarah

What you need now is 1841 just before marriage I think ,record board glos/wilts. UPDATE:- Census after marriage.

Lisa.. no need for apologies :) Its only LDS... and I only wish I was as quick as other people on here when I search Ancestry...lol. Every time I find something, someone else has gotten there first. But, that only goes to show how good people on here are :)

Notice grandchildren 1861 census Edmund C Matthews abt 1856 Purton, Wiltshire, England Grandson Purton Wiltshire Elizabeth Matthews abt 1797 Cricklade, Wiltshire, England Wife Purton Wiltshire Isaac Matthews abt 1798 Cricklade, Wiltshire, England Head Purton Wiltshire Rosanna Matthews abt 1844 Cricklade, Wiltshire, England Granddaughter Purton Wiltshire

Jim, the 1841 census was collected later than the other ones - 9th of June from memory, so a bit too late lol!! My hubby's ggg-granddad was in his coffin on the table in the cottage awaiting burial when the 1841 was done, so we don't know whether he was born in county!! Pity they didn't take the rules more literally - 'All people sleeping in the house' Well, he was asleep, wasn't he..... Sorry, I digress... There was an Isaac Matthews bap at Purton in 1789 - might even be Eliza's dad..... Sarah

Back to the marriage cert for Woodman/Matthews. I guess the vicar was busy that day, so he said he would fill in the rest of the details later on, but never did. Sarah

Sarah you into S&M? that's twice i've been spanked. LOL ISAAC MATTHEWS Marriages: Spouse: ELIZABETH GILES Family Marriage: 29 OCT 1821 Cricklade, Wiltshire, England