General Chat

Oooops, I see where I went wrong. I was looking for James b 1877/8 not 1887/8.

Anybody out there want the family I found?

At least it kept me out of mischief for a few hours!

Huia.

While doing a local history course at local college we investigated 200 years of a village, Birth Marriage and Marriage registers, census and tombstones.

One man was christened Matthew Thoroughgood; married as Mathew Thorogoode, first child's christening he was Matthew Thorogoode; second child's christening he was Matthew Throughgoode, third child's christening he was Mathew Thorogood and he was buried as Mathew Thoroughgoode. But his headstone says Thoroughgood. Clearly the vicar and stonemason did not keep in touch !

The 1841 cenus had him as Thorogood and the 1851 census had him as Thoroughgood.

This was from 1782 to 1856. He was probably illiterate, told the vicar or census enumerator his name and they wrote what they heard. There was no real standard spelling in those days.

Thank you HuiaTooHot for trying to help with your replies. I have traced my grandfather James Gibbins in the 1911 census, age 23, married to Annie Gibbins ( nee Lightfoot), then in the 1901 census but recorded as James Gibbin, age 13, living with his parents and two sisters, then in the 1891 census but recorded as James Gibbon, age 4, living with his parents and four sisters.

1911
GIBBINS, James Head Married M 23 1888 Railway Wagon Builder Warrington Lancs
GIBBINS, Annie Wife Married F 27 1884 Widnes
Address:
10 Elmwood Avenue Warrington County: Lancashire

1901
GIBBIN, James Head Married M 45 1856 Boilermaker's Labourer Culcheth Lancashire
GIBBIN, Alice Wife Married F 47 1854 Culcheth Lancashire
GIBBIN, Annie Daughter Single F 19 1882 Dressmaker Warrington Lancashire
GIBBIN, Elizabeth E Daughter Single F 16 1885 Dressmaker Warrington Lancashire
GIBBIN, James Son Single M 13 1888 General Carter Warrington Lancashire
Address:
89, Birchall Street, Warrington

1891
GIBBON, James Head Married M 36 1855 General Labourer Wagon Works Culcheth Lancashire
GIBBON, Alice Wife Married F 38 1853 Croft Lancashire
GIBBON, Della T Daughter F 11 1880 Scholar Padgate Lancashire
GIBBON, Annie Daughter F 9 1882 Scholar Warrington Lancashire
GIBBON, Elizabeth E Daughter F 6 1885 Scholar Warrington Lancashire
GIBBON, James Son M 4 1887 Warrington Lancashire
GIBBON, Dora A Daughter F 0 (6M) 1891 Croft Lancashire
Address:
Moss Croft, Croft, Lancashire

I think that his sister Dora married Leonard T W Parr in 1914 at Bucklow Cheshire, and that Leonard was born in Wigan in 1885. I must try to find out if they had children and whether his other sisters, Della, Annie and Elizabeth married and whether they had any children. I am also interested to know where James’s parents, James and Alice Gibbin(s) were living in 1911 and if any of their other children were also living with them. The different surname spellings makes it hard to trace people!

Has the above lot been any help, Edward? I am now getting ready to go out for the day.

Huia.

Off to bed now, in New Zealand. Be back in about 10 hours.

Huia.

1911:
Thomas Gibbins, Head, 45, Chemical Lab.
Mary A. wife, 46,
George son, 22, Gen. Lab.
Sarah Alice, dau, 20
John, son, 17, Gen Lab
Thomas son, 14 Saw mill Lab.
Harold son, 4
Joseph bro 36, Gen Lab above Ground.

Living at 259 Park Road St Helens

Huia.

In 1901, Thomas (aged 35), Chemical Laborer, b in St Helens, was living at 262 Park Rd, St Helens, which is where his parents John and Mary were living in 1891 with Joseph and James. Also in the house were:
Mary A, wife, 35,
William, son, 16, Grocer's Assistant
Geo son, 12,
Sarah A, dau, 10
John, son, 7,
Thos, son, 4
John, father, 57, (widower), mill sawyer
Joseph, bro, 27, Laborer General,
All the above b St Helens Lancs
Halligan, Patrick, visitor, married, 36, Lab Gen, b Ireland.

Huia.

ps, surname spelled Gibbins in 1901

First of all, Edward, where did you get the info that James Gibbins was b 1877/1878 in Warrington? Do you know who his parents were? Have you found them on the 1881 census?

I have been looking on various censuses, also on freebmd. In 1891 I found:
John Gibbins aged 48, Steam sawyer, b Warrington Lanc. His wife was Mary aged 50 b Ashton, Lancs.
Son Joseph aged 17, b St Helens, Lancs.
Son James aged 12 b St Helens Lancs.

1881:
John Gibbons, 36, Sawyer, b Martinscroft Lancs
Mary 38 b Billinge Lancs
Thomas 15
Joseph 7 b Parr Lancs
Ellen 5
James 3 b Parr Lancs
John 0
plus the mothers mother Ann Ashton, 75, b Ashton in Makerfield, Lancs, and William Ashton, Step son of Ann.

I would say these two families (1881 and 1891) are the same, but are they yours? People did tend to change ages and places of birth and spelling of names in various censuses. I presume some of the children in the 1881 census died or were living with other family members. Thomas could have married and had his own home in 1891.

I will now look at 1901

Huia.

I viewed the original parish records for one branch of my family in Suffolk.
The name was Cattermole - there was only one family in the village with this name.
In the17th century,it was written as Kackermoulle,and went through various changes - Kakamole,Kakermull.Catermull etc.
Close your eyes, say the name,(preferably in a regional accent),and get someone else to write down what they hear. It's a bit like chinese whispers.
Gibbins can certainly become Gibbon!!
My Priors were Pryer, Pryor, Prier etc. -an awful name to research as so many things happened 'Prior' to something else!

Thanks everyone, I should have added that there isn't a Gibbins in the search results, I can only find a Gibbon so I will view the Gibbon transcripts tomorrow.

It's entirely likely Edward, either because the enumerator just wrote down what he 'heard' or that the transcriber of the records mis-read the writing, which often happens.

before you spend credits though it is worth asking someone to have a look for you that has a sub to the records here or elsewhere.

Yes, it all depended upon how it sounded to the person writing it down and as to how well the person writing it could spell or not :-)

My maternal grandfather was James Gibbins born 1887/1888 in the Warrington area. I have found a James Gibbon in the 1891 and 1901 census who was the right age and in Warrington but before I use my credits to view the household transcript is it likely that his name has been spelt Gibbon instead of Gibbins?