Genealogy Chat

I'd be really grateful of some ideas for what I should do next as I am struggling to identify which of 2 families is mine....

Sarah Tonks b 4th Sept 1887 in Stafford Father Wiliam Tonks Labourer and Mother Harriet Jane (seems to be known as Jane in the census etc) formerly Woolaston (I have this info from the b cert)

There is another Sarah Tonks also born to a William and a Jane, within the same year and also in staffordshire. on the 1881 census they are in wednesbury stafford.

I had thought that my sarah was the first (hence I got the cert) but now I'm not sure. The second William is a coaldealer on the 1881 census but the stafford rather than wednesbury rings more true.

What I know for sure...
My sarah I know for sure married John Graney in 1899 in Bolton and gave birth to a girl (elizabeth) in 1895 also in Bolton. The mariage cert says her father was william and was a coal miner. It also says that her husband's father was deceased (makes no mention whether william was alive or not).

Could anyone please advise me what to do next to try and ascertain which family is mine?

How old is Sarah on her marriage cert? In which month did she marry?

I think your mention of a birth in 1887 is a mistake..........should it perhaps be 1877?

Reg

You could try looking for Sarah's father William on the 1901 Census and see if he still lives at the address she got married from.
Mumsy.

1881

William Tonks
Age: 29
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1852
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Jane
Gender: Male
Where born: Wallsal, Staffordshire, England

Civil Parish: Wednesbury
County/Island: Staffordshire
Country: England

Street address: Old Union St 2
Condition as to marriage: Married
Education:

Employment status: View Image
Occupation: Coal Dealer

Registration district: West Bromwich
Sub-registration district: Wednesbury
ED, institution, or vessel: 4
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Emma Hodson 30
Moses Hodson 8
Polly Hodson 2
Thomas Hodson 34
William Hodson 4
Edmund Tonks
Jane Tonks 22
John Tonks 3
Sarah Tonks 4.. Wednesbury
Stephen Tonks 6
William Tonks 29

___________________________________

The other William is a Labourer

sorry yes sarah's birth was 1877.

The marriage was 17 july 1899 and sarah is listed as 22 years. She was living with John Graney (her husband) so the address does not help. The age of sarah and the occupation make the wednesbury family more likely but... the the birth place is less convincing. My sarah (Graney by now) is listed in the 1901 census as having been born in stafford staffordshire (ie not wednesbury) and she was listed as 25 yrs old. I am certain this was her.

can anyone tell me whether age or place of birth is more reliable on the census? I have concluded that occupatons will change and guess that's less reliable?

Nicola,
I've found the place of birth pretty reliable in the later censuses. (1841 just was a tick box for same county of birth). I don't know Staffordshire at all, are these places in relative proximity? Could boundaries have been different in the past? Or are they too many miles apart?
Ages don't seem to be perfectly accurate, usually less accurate with older people though.

This gets worse... Any help would be very gratefully recieved
I now have sarah's death reference in q1 1939 and she was 63. This merely opens more possibilities..
in summary
d Q1 1939 age 63 (=b q2-4 1875 or q1 1876)
m 17/7/99 age 22 (=b july1876- july 1877)
1901 census age 25 (=b april 1875-mar 1876)

Hence one of these numbers must be wrong...
Her father is William coal miner (from her marriage cert) and she was born staffs stafford according to the census.

this gives me at least 3 options- poss more- one of whom was listed as a coal miner and one as a coal dealer one as a labourer. What do I do next please to confirm which is mine?