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hi im trying to find out who my great great grandad married as there i can only find a marriage to a harriet crouch but on my great grandads birth it says her name was formanly nickolas and on his birth there are so many questions, he was born in plymouth devon uk but there are 3 possible dates 1816, 1818 and 1831 how can i actually find out which one it is. i know they were living in bradford on the 1891 census any help would be gratefully recieved thx tasha :-(

Hello Natasha, the easiest thing is if you tell us who your great grandad is (who's birth certificate you have) and when/where he was born - we can work back from him with more accuracy.

Perhaps his parents weren't legally married, or perhaps his mother had been married before.

Do you know Harriet was his wife?

Is this him on the 1891.

1891 England Census
about William James
Name: William James
Age: 60
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1831
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Harriet James
Gender: Male
Where born: Plymouth, Devon, England

Civil parish: Bradford
Ecclesiastical parish: St Peter
County/Island: Yorkshire
Country: England

Street Address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status: View image

Registration district: Bradford
Sub-registration district: Bradford East End
ED, institution, or vessel: 3
Neighbors: View others on page
Piece: 3620
Folio: 64
Page Number: 31
Household Members: Name Age
William James 60
Harriet James 50
William H James 29
Martha A James 19
Louisa James 16
Matilda James 11
Frederick James 9

Is this definitely the correct family in 1891?

JAMES, William Head Married M 60 1831 Box Maker Plymouth, Devonshire
JAMES, Harriet Wife Married F 50 1841 Birmingham
JAMES, William M Son Single M 29 1862 Masons Labourer Nottingham
JAMES, Martha A Daughter Single F 19 1872 Spinner Worsted Bradford, Yorkshire
JAMES, Louise Daughter Single F 16 1875 Worsted Spinner Bradford, Yorkshire
JAMES, Matilda Daughter F 11 1880 Bradford, Yorkshire
JAMES, Frederick Son M 9 1882 Bradford, Yorkshire

Piece: 3620 Folio: 64 Page: 31
Registration District: Bradford
Civil Parish: Bradford
Municipal Borough: Bradford

Address: 30, Vicar Lane, Bradford County: Yorkshire (West Riding)

Tis William is a Box Maker. Harriet was born in Birmingham.

See what Tasha means, same family vastly different birth year in 1881 and different birthplace for Harriet:

JAMES, William Head Married M 65 1816 Box Maker (Wood Turner) Plymouth, Devon
JAMES, Harriet Wife Married F 42 1839 Leicester, Leicestershire
JAMES, Wm Hy Son Single M 19 1862 Chemists Porter Nottingham
JAMES, Emma Daughter Single F 16 1865 Spinner Sheffield
JAMES, Alfred Son Single M 14 1867 Scholar Sheffield
JAMES, Walter Son Single M 11 1870 Scholar Bradford, Yorkshire
JAMES, Martha Daughter Single F 9 1872 Scholar Bradford, Yorkshire
JAMES, Louisa Daughter Single F 7 1874 Scholar Bradford, Yorkshire
JAMES, Matilda Daughter Single F 1 1880 Bradford, Yorkshire

Piece: 4441 Folio: 108 Page: 2
Registration District: Bradford
Civil Parish: Bradford

Address: 30, Vicar Lane, Bradford County: Yorkshire (West riding)

The marriage of William James and Harriet Crouch in Bradford 1857 says Willliam was 29 making him born about 1828. His father was Thomas James a Shoemaker. Her father was William Crouch a Shop keeper.

This must be the marriage that Tasha referred to:

West Yorkshire, England, Marriages and Banns, 1813-1935

Name: Harriet Crouch, spinster, a milliner
Birth Year: abt 1829
Age: 28
Marriage or Bann Date: 7 Apr 1857
Parish: Bradford, St Peter (Bradford Cathedral)
Father's Name: William Crouch - shopkeeper
Spouse's Name: William James, age 29, bachelor - a pointsman
Spouse's Father's Name: Thomas James - shoemaker

Witnesses: William Holmes and Ephraim Smith

Given the grooms occupation on this I don't think it's the same couple as on the census. Also, this Harriet on the marriage would seem to be older.

EDIT: Have traced this couple through the census and it's definitely not Tasha's family. This Harriet is from Taunton.

West Yorkshire, England, Marriages and Banns, 1813-1935
about William James
Name: William James
Birth Year: abt 1828
Age: 29
Marriage or Bann Date: 7 Apr 1857
Parish: Bradford, St Peter (Bradford Cathedral)
Father's Name: Thomas James
Spouse's Name: Harriet Crouch
Spouse's Father's Name: William Crouch

This is I think their son, Frederick's, baptism and it gives mother's maiden name!

Name: Frederick Albert James
Birth Date: 11 Jul 1882
Parish: Bradford, St Peter (Bradford Cathedral)
Baptism Date: 30 Jul 1882
Father's Name: William James occ Out Porter
Mother's name: Harriet James formerly Nicholls

Address: 30 Vicar Lane Bradford

Just going to read and will print details

EDIT

This might be the son of William Henry given the Father's occupation..... if so did he marry a Harriet as well?

Oooo is'nt it annoying??

Tasha can you give us the name of the child of this couple you are searching please?

Struggling to find the family in 1871 to check William & Harriet's birth info on there.

1871 census?

Name: William James
Age: 55
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1816
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Harriett James
Gender: Male
Where born: Cornwall, England
Civil parish: Bradford
Ecclesiastical parish: St Luke
County/Island: Yorkshire
Country: England
Registration district: Bradford
Sub-registration district: Bradford East End
ED, institution, or vessel: 8
Household schedule number: 38
Piece: 4452
Folio: 6
Page Number: 6
Household Members:
Name Age
William James 55 occ Hat box maker
Harriett James 30 b Leicester
Emma James 10 b Nottingham
Amy James 6 b Birmingham
William James 5 b Sheffield
Walter James 8 b Bradford
Alfred James 3 b Bradford
Sarah Jones 20 Servant
John Jones 4 Months son of Sarah

1861 England Census
about William James
Name: William James
Age: 40
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1821
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Harriet James
Gender: Male
Where born: Plymouth

Civil parish: Birmingham
Ecclesiastical parish: St Bartholomew
Town: Birmingham
County/Island: Warwickshire
Country: England

Street Address:

Occupation:BOX MAKER

Registration district: Birmingham
Sub-registration district: St Peter
ED, institution, or vessel: 13
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 97
Piece: 2148
Folio: 15
Page Number: 24
Household Members: Name Age
William James 40
Harriet James 22 SEEMSTRESS BORN LEICESTER
Annie James 14
Emma James 4 Months

The FMP version of 1861 has an extra person:

JAMES, William Head Married M 40 1821 Box Maker Plymouth
JAMES, Harriet Wife Married F 22 1839 Seamstress Leicester
JAMES, Annie Daughter Unmarried F 14 1847 Box Maker London Battersea
JAMES, Emma Daughter Unmarried F 0 (4M) 1861 Birmingham, Warwickshire
MILLINGTON, Emma Visitor Unmarried F 20 1841 Button Maker Birmingham, Warwickshire

Piece: 2148 Folio: 15 Page: 24
Registration District: Birmingham
Civil Parish: Birmingham
Municipal Borough: Birmingham

Address: 46, Park Street, Birmingham County: Warwickshire

Harriet is too young to be Annie's mother so guess William was married before.

His birth year is getting a little more consistent, think the 1881 might have been a blip (covering up age gap?)

hi thx for all the replies my great grandad was frederick a james he was born on the 11 july 1882 in bradford, address is 30 vicar lane, bradford his fathers name was william james and on his birth it as got his mother as harriet james formerly nicholas which is what i cant find, i agree with u marieceleste i think he was married before but cant find anything and thx all for your help x :-D

On the 1861 census Annie James was born in Battersey probably from his first marriage.

yes i thought that but it also as an emma james on the 1861 census as being 0 born in birmingham but on the 1881 census she is only 16 and it says she was born sheffield, im so confused :-) im trying to find a marriage for maybe his first wife and still cant find one !