Genealogy Chat

I have found a lot of information from the witness names at marriage records in parish registers and I wonder if other people have too. For instance I have two Eliza Hudsons, cousins, born 1809 and 1810 and living in Birmingham. I was pretty certain one of them had married a Joseph Bowden, but which one? The register gave Alfred Hudson as a witness...one Eliza had a brother Alfred...so probably that's the one, and worth following up. Joan

Hi Joan, Witnesses are often very useful pocket of info aren't they? Ususally a relative of some description, brother, sister etc. Also have several instances of future marriages, where a male and female witness have later married each other. Debbie

Hi Debbie I hadn't thought of witnesses later marrying...that's a really useful tip.....thanks. Joan

I recently received a marriage cert for Frederick Lock and Elizabeth Walker. One of the witnesses was Emily Walker - a name I had never come across before. I know Elizabeth had a sister called Nell. Could Nell be another name for Emily? Jeanette

Hi Jeanette I can't remember what Nell can be short for. I tried Nell on the IGI and it came up with Ellen, Helen, Helena, and Eleanor. But in the family I can imagine Nell might be Emily. Or is there another sister? Might give you an idea for looking around in censuses? Perhaps their parents called all their daughters by names beginning wth E! Good hunting Joan

Joan You may be joking about all childrens names starting with E, but my mother-in-law's best man has four daughters, all starting with D.

Someone I worked with once had the initials G D T, as did his brother and sister. We were told by our workmate that sister got letters to answer, brother got the bills and our workmate got the cheques

Joan thanks for the reply. I had thought of the obvious ones but as you say all families have there own nicknames. I can feel an Emily search coming on. Brian - My mum and late dad are/were Joy and John, I'm Jeanette and have sisters Justine and Jayne. It was bedlam if a letter came addressed to J Greenley. Plus me and my mum have the same second initial! JLG junior

jeanette I've just thought that Emily could be a sister in law....less likely but possible Sorry, more work! Joan

Joan It's always a possibility to bear in mind but as of yet I only know of one brother, Charles, whose wife was called Annie. The other witnesses on the cert were Thomas Lock (Fredericks brother) and John Osborne. Didn't have a clue who John was so put in a search for him on the LDS site and found a John Osborne age 9 living in South Mimms - very close to Ridge I believe. I suppose he could have been a friend of Fred and Tom's. And interestingly also in South Mimms there is a fimily of Walkers. Fathers name Edmund but no Elizabeth or Charles but there was an Ellen (Nell?). These are the children I do know about. Other kids were Mary, Sarah and William - don't know anything about these. Anyway, now I'm waffling! The search goes on for the elusive Walkers. Jeanette

jeanette This is getting to be quite a mysterey. Do you know where Elizabeth Walker was in that IGI census.....I'm assuming it is the 1881? I have missed several children in searches because they were staying with grandparents or aunts that night. I wonder if your Walkers and this other family are connected...but I only know bits of the story ,of course. Good hunting Joan