Genealogy Chat

Think its probably me getting old and even more slow or perhaps the fact I should be actually working. But I have just turned my sights to this couple, Richard is the son of my GGFx3. See below

1851 the couple are married and living Wymondham, Norfolk. Richard born 1821, Ann 1820 both Hethersett, Norfolk. Richard farm labourer, Ann School Mistress. In 1854 she is in Whites directory for wymondham running a small school Havent found marriage 1861 cant see them. 1871 She is a widow living in Hapton, Norfolk with two daughters Ellen born 1852 and Maria born 1853, both in Wymondham. She is now a nurse with a patient as a lodger! Can anyone see them in 1861 please? I guess Richard dead by then.

Richard Horstead married: Q4 1849 Henstead District (blimey, Horstead/Henstead?? How confusing!) Vol 13 page 489 Probable spouse: Marriages Dec 1849 Fox Anne Henstead 13 489 1861, no joy, at the mo!! Merry

Bless you Merry, def. down on the Premiere List for the first screening now. It gets even more confusing when its Horstead in Horstead.

Ooh Ta Heather!! I'm afraid I have given up for the mo with Anne in 1861. Gggggrrrrr! Merry

We need the intrepid Jess to get her teeth into this one, but its her birthday and she probably cant see straight! Ive tried all the usual, first name, dob, pob etc. and still cant find her. She never moved far from Wymondham (isnt it lovely that I live where all my ancestors lived and I didnt even know til I started all this!) so I cant see her disappearing to somewhere exotic. I shall carry on. I mean I used to a mix of Horsted, Horstead, Horsehead, even a Herstus but this one has stumped me so far.

I think I MAY have discovered why they are missing........... Hapton, Norfolk where they were living in 1871, appears to be suspiciously absent from the 1861 census. To check that the parish wasn't listed under a different name in 1861, I checked the details of people born there on each census: According to Ancestry, in 1861 there were only three people born in Hapton in Norfolk between 1851 and 1861 and those three people were all living elsewhere. This compares with 59 people born in the ten years before the 1851 census (most of whom are living in the parish) and 57 people in the ten years before the 1871 census........ So I think the Horstead's had already moved to Hapton by 1861 and Ancestry/the passage of time has lost the records!! Merry

actually i did have a look- thats the advantage of good coffee over falling down juice- doesnt render you helpless in the corner! I thought there were a dire lack of people in Hapton too - and thought maybe the village name wasn't quite right.....

Many thanks Merry, everyone is so much better than me at all this. Ive trawled for my damn Edward Horstead and Elizabeth Selby for nearly 2 years now with no luck. Im beginning to think I will never find them. At least Richard isnt a direct descendant so I shant have sleepless nights about him!

Thanks Jess and happy birthday. I thought of you today when I went to the shops and bought myself a bunch of roses and freesias. Hapton is def right, I used to take my dogs to kennels there.

It looks as if not just Hapton is missing. This is enumeration district RG9/1234, Depwade and several other parishes appear to be missing. The National Archives' website doesn't suggest that anything is missing.

Ill mail ancestry Brenda.