how to find info on thomas watters
im trying to find info on thomas watters born 1840 in cornwall eng parents were suppose to be william watters and elizabeth richards not sure if right names for themany help would greatly appricated this is my brick wall on my mothers side of family her dads side his was elton martin thank you debbie lewis gilliam
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@debbie gilliam1 . We understand that you are trying to find information on Thomas Watters, born 1840 in Cornwall, England, with parents possibly William Watters and Elizabeth Richards. It looks like @Maurine Nuttall has provided information from the GRO Birth Index for Thomas, and has pointed to a possible match in Family Tree. I would like to show you how the use some of the the tools within FamilySearch to help you in overcoming this element of your "brickwall."
The easiest way to search our indexed, historical records is to use the Search Records function. This is done by clicking Search and Selecting Records. Entering the name, "Thomas Watters", under Deceased Ancestor's Information; a birthplace of "Cornwall, England," and a range of birth years: 1838-1842 (just in case some records may have slightly differing birthdates) - all under the section, Search with a Life Event. This is enough to start, so we click Search. You can see our Search Results by clicking HERE.
Let's carefully examine these Search Results. Notice that the 3rd item is from the England and Wales Census, 1841 Collection. Nicholas Watters, age 85, may be Thomas' grandfather (just speculating). We also find Margaret Wattes, age 30 (likely Thomas' mother), and several possible siblings. Notice that Thomas' father doesn't seem to be present.
With the added information that Thomas was living in Germoe at the time of the 1841 census, let's add that information by adding a Residence to the Search. We can do this click clicking Residence, under Search with a Life Event, and adding the Residence, "Germoe, Cornwall, England" with a range of years: 1840-1870 (we do this to ensure that we capture the 1851 and 1861 census records); then we click Update and examine the Search Results. You can see these modified Search Results by clicking HERE.
We now see the first items, the 1841 census that we previously saw. But, we also now see, as the 3rd item, the 1851 census showing Thomas Waters (note the change in spelling), age 11. Note that there is an indexing error that indicates Thomas was a daughter - the index is wrong, it is correct in the original record. To see if this is the same Thomas as we saw in the 1841 census, we need to make sure that the household is consistent between the two censuses. We find the same siblings, consistent ages. We see Margaret, now age 40, and we now see Margaret's husband, William, age 40. With additional information about where Thomas was born, in the 1851 Census, we see that he was born in Germoe Parish, Cornwall County, England.
There are other records to examine, including the 1861 census that shows Thomas and his family.
You can continue to change and refine the search parameters and find additional records about Thomas Watters and his family. You might change the search to find records for Margaret. Finding a marriage record would indicate whether William was Thomas' biological or step-father to Thomas.
We hope that this information is helpful to you and your research.
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hope to find info on thomas watters my brick wall
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Debbie,
I'd love to help you with your question as my ancestors also come from Cornwall. Is your Thomas Watters in Family Tree? Did he stay in Cornwall, or migrate elsewhere?
There are a couple of possibilities for him in Family Tree: Thomas Wattrus GH27-C15 and Thomas Waters MW13-YSR.
If Thomas Watters was born in 1840 you should be able to find him with his parents in the 1841, 1851, 1861, etc. censuses. Please provide the Family Tree ID number for your ancestor and I'll take a look. Also, a particular parish in Cornwall would help narrow things down, if you know where they lived.
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I just found this reference in the GRO Birth Index:
WATERS, THOMAS Mother's Maiden Name: RICHARDS GRO Reference: 1840 M Quarter in HELSTON Volume 09 Page 124
Is this your ancestor? You could order the birth certificate to confirm.
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Debbie,
Check out this record in Family Tree, which might be your Thomas Watters:
Thomas Waters
3 May 1840 – Deceased • MW13-YSR
The parents are William Waters and Margaret Richards.
According to the Cornwall Online Parish Clerks, Marriages, William and Margaret's marriage:
Film No226158 Image No73
Day Month 27-Jun Year 1832
Parish Circuit Or Chapel Germoe
Groom William WATERS
Bride Margaret RICHARDS
Witness Fn1 William TOLL
Witness Fn2 John GREEN
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