Genealogy Chat

Hi, I'm hoping to get some advice as I'm relatively new to this and a bit stuck! I have my grandad's birth certificate and have his parents names but know very little else about them. He says they both died when he was young, and was brought up by his aunt. He couldn't even remember their names, so I don't know where they came from, although he was born in Widnes so I imagine they were probably from that area too. He didn't keep in contact with his family so I have no leads. I've tried just putting in their names, William Charles Jarratt and Elizabeth Fletcher, on various genealogy sites and can't find anything. I know it was her second marriage, and that her previous husband's surname was Cooper but beyond that don't have anything to go on. Can anyone make any suggestions about where I go from here, I'm getting quite frustrated that I can't make any progress on this particular branch (although to be honest my other grandad is causing me problems too !) Any help would be very much appreciated, Thanks in advance Tracy

When was your grandfather born? What was his father's occupation on the birth cert? Do you know if his mother's first husband died or were they divorced? nell

My Grandad was born 1926, his father's occupation was yard foreman at corrugated iron works, and I'm afraid I don't know whether his mother was a widow when she remarried or not. On the birth cert she's down as late Cooper formerly Fletcher. Would the way her names were put on the cert vary depending on that? He thinks they both died before he was 10 but it could have been earlier. I wish I had a bit more info to give!

OK. Freebmd ends at around 1910, so if they married after that date as seems likely, you would have to find it in the GRO marriage indexes either by paying online at www 1837online com, or by going through the indexes on microfiche at the nearest library/archive to you that holds them. Ditto death records. If they were born before 1901, you might find them on the census, but I think it would be worth getting their marriage cert first as that will give their fathers' names and occupations, making it easier to identify them on the census. nell

Thanks for that, guess that'll keep me busy! I assume the nearest LDS Family History centre would be a good place to visit. Think I'll find that more enjoyable than hours on the keyboard. Tracy

How about this marriage from Family Relatives: No Surname Forename Spouse District Page No Event Quarter Year 1 Jarratt William - Cooper - Prescot.8b 1798 Marriage 3 1920 I then looked up Elizabeth Cooper, just to be sure, and, yes, she has the same details. If you get the marriage cert it should give you the names and occupations of the respective fathers and also approx ages of the bride and groom (if they didn't lie lol) Good Luck Merry

Forgot to say - once you have that 1920 marriage cert, there's a good chance of finding your bride and groom as children on the 1901 census! Also, once you have the Bride's father's surname (and therefore Elizabeth's maiden surname) you should be able to track down her first marriage and the death of Mr Cooper. Finding what happened to your granddad's parents after he was born might be a bit more complicated, but it's all a start! Very Good Luck Merry

Merry, You are an absolute star! Thank you soooo much. I haven't come across the Family Relatives website, will have to look at it for myself. Thanks again, hope you're having a good weekend, you've just made mine. Tracy