Tracing John Wood
Hi,
I know this is a long shot but I have had this brick wall on my family tree for ages and I am determined to break through it.
The problem is I don't have an awful lot to go on, proverbial needle in a haystack. Anyway, here goes..
I am looking for details of my maternal Great Grandfather John Wood. The only details I have for him are basic and sketchy. Born approx 1885 in Yorkshire ? His wife is called Eliza Cartwright b. 1885 in Fulstone, Holmfirth, Yorkshire, England. His daughter (my Grandmother was called Elsie Wood b. 19 July 1915 in Mirfield, Yorkshire, England and d. 10 July 1995 in Carlisle, Cumbria, England.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Tracy
Answers
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Tracy
I found your tree on Ancestry. Ideally you need to build more information. You may not be able to do much about John at the moment but you can build more about his family at least.
Some initial questions/thoughts/comments
- You say that John was born about 1885. Is this a guess based on Eliza's year of birth or do you have anything else to suggest this? I assume that Yorkshire? is based on the children's places of birth or, again, is there other evidence?
- Any idea when either John or Eliza died?
- Was Elsie the oldest child? When and where were other children born? You have listed two siblings as private. I have found possibles via Ancestry. Were they all born in the same place?
- Do you have a birth date for Eliza? If not I recommend you obtain her birth certificate. This can be done via the GRO website. You already have the GRO references. If she was still alive in 1939, having the birth date will give you a much better chance of finding her and, hopefully, John, with his birth date.
- Have you looked for census records? Searching for John is likely to be too uncertain. But it is worth looking for Eliza at least to know her movements. I have found her in the 1891 census but not later. She is not with her parents in 1901 or 1911. Have you tried the 1921census?
- Do you know whether they were married? I have hunted for a marriage record without success.
- Are there other family members descended from John and Eliza still alive that you know about? Have you quizzed them for any information they may have?
- Have you done a DNA test?
- Do you have Elsie's marriage certificate? Worth getting in any event but also to see what it says about her father.
Regards
Graham Buckell
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Hi Graham,
Thank you for answering my question. You have given me a lot to work on. I will endeavour to work through all the suggestions that I can do.
Year date and location are roughly what you suggested in no 1
No 2 No idea
No 3 I only have word of mouth evidence from family that she had two sisters, names/dates unknown. What are the ancestry possibilities ?
No 4 will look into this.
No 5 will have to check my records.
No 6 not sure, I have not found any marriage records also.
No 7 none that I know of.
No 8 not yet but planning to do one soon.
No 9 no not yet.
Thank you your help is much appreciated.
Tracy.
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Tracy
The two possibles I found on Ancestry are both males
This is based on a search for Wood with the mother's maiden name Cartwright and registered in the Huddersfield district as was Elsie. Of these it looks like George died in 1919 but Hubert survived to 1987.
Of course, they may have moved. There are 21 children named Wood with Cartwright mothers in the period 1915 to 1930 if geography is ignored!
Regards
Graham
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Thank you.
I was always led to believe she had two sisters but I know so little that her having brothers is not beyond the realms of possibility.
I did a similar search today after I found your community family tree on ancestry.
As I have said your help is much appreciated.
Tracy.
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TraCY
Of course, the only way to be sure about these brothers is to obtain their birth certificates - extra cost!
Might be useful in any event as could give a clue where the family might have been in the 1921 census.
Regards
Graham
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Thank you. You have given many options to work on.
Your help is much appreciated.
Tracy
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I read your initial post without checking the further comments (of Graham & yourself).
I also found Eliza Cartwright in Family Tree, with the 1891 census source you attached.
Apart from that, I have pretty well drawn a blank, too. No marriage found in FreeBMD (to John Wood) and no census records for 1901 or 1911. The GRO index has (assumed siblings of Elsie) Wilfred, 1914 and George Bernard, 1917. I did not check after 1917 and the only children born in Yorkshire immediately prior to 1914 to WOOD / CARTWRIGHT parents were registered in the Dewsbury area, not Huddersfield.
The 1885 birth registration record for Eliza (that you have already found) confirms her maiden name was Cartwright, so it is possible she was a young widow when she married John Wood. However, as I am writing this, I have just noticed the 1901 marriage (in FreeBMD) of Elizabeth Cartwright in Huddersfield registration district - the two male names against the same reference being William Bradley and Albert Shaw WOOD. However, none of the three 1911 census records for an Albert and Eliza Wood are a match to your John & Eliza, so probably no connection.
I will keep looking, but this is far less straightforward than I thought! One further thing to do is to try to establish their death dates, and whether (if still alive) they are to be found in the 1939 National Register. As Graham says, the 1921 census might hold further clues - as to both John's and Eliza's identities.
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Strangely, there is a March 1895 Quarter death at Huddersfield (Reg Dist) of an Eliza Cartwright, aged 9. If it were not for the later records, one could assume this was the Eliza whose birth was registered there in the June 1885 Quarter. There are no other Eliza Cartwright births in the area, for this period, to match the 1895 death.
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In the light of Paul's comment, it is probably worth getting a copy of the death certificate he mentions. This may put into doubt whether the Eliza Cartwright found in 1885 is correct.
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In the England birth index there is an Elsie Wood born in Huddersfield in 1915 with a mother’s maiden name of Cartwright.
There is also in the 1921 census (you can access it on findmypast) an Elsie Wood in Huddersfield district. There is another Elsie Wood in the Mirfield parish, Dewsbury district born in 1914 in the 1921 census. Currently you have to pay about $4 to access it, but once you do you should be able to see who else is in her family- if it is the family you are looking for and ages and birth places.
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You might want to check the 1921 census. There is born 1915 Elsie Woods in Whitley Upper Parish, Huddersfield district. There is another born 1914 Elsie Woods in Mirfield Parish, Dewbury district. Census records are great because they will also list who they are living with (usually family) everybody’s age and where they were born. Then you can use that information in future searches.
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Thank you everybody for your help
Tracy
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