Parents of child born prior to 1837

mauryd

According to the 1841 and 1851 censuses, my guy was born around 1824 - 1826. Born in London. 1845 marriage record states his father's name, not mother's, and nothing else about father. He was a builder in Chatham, Kent in 1851. He, but not his wife and family disappears after the 1851 census. I have found a brother, but his records have no parent hints.

In the absence of a Civil Birth Registry, what other strategies might be available to me?

Thanks, Maury

Paul W

@mauryd

If all you have is a relatively common surname and a birthplace of "London" (from the 1851 census) I would think finding the identity of his parents will be quite difficult. Even with rarer names, there is sometimes a cluster of individuals of that name to be found in certain areas - probably cousins, whose common ancestor moved to London (or elsewhere) many years previously. They often have the same first names and it can even be difficult to distinguish between possible fathers and grandfathers who, again, often shared the same first names.

Try the various websites (Find My Past, Ancestry, FreeREG, etc.) to see if you can narrow down instances of, say, a John Burke, whose father was Charles Burke - you may just be fortunate, especially if siblings names match, too. But, this type of search can be really problematical, especially when the individual suddenly "disappears" without leaving any further clues behind.

PaulaHarris

@mauryd

Prior to the date July 1837 we rely heavily on the records of the Parish Registers. The baptsims, weddings and burials were usually noted there, by the minister or the parish clerks.

These records can be found in various places including those listed in the previous reply. Also Online Parish Clerk websites are very useful. (Search Google for relevant areas)

The local archivists hold a great many registers but they are not always scanned and/or transcribed. Sometimes these archivists can be persuaded to do look-ups for you, or can tell you the name of someone local who could do it for you.

Family Search have large numbers of these and are progressively adding them to their online availability. The Family Search Wiki should tell you which the parishes are. (Go to Family Search and then Search and choose Research Wiki)

Happy hunting!

Graham Buckell

@mauryd

To add to the comments above some suggestions:

1. The marriage certificate should list the father's occupation as well as his name. It should (but may not necessarily) state whether he is alive or dead. If the name and/or occupation are fairly unusual try looking for him on the 1841 and 1851 censuses even though you lack an age or place of birth. This may give you several possibilities but, depending on numbers, these can be followed up to try to eliminate as many as possible.
2. Make a list of what you know. Add to this where you have looked even if unsuccessful. Add what you know about family members (you mention a brother).
3. Do any family members have unusual names - first or middle? This may be a clue to names of ancestors, e.g. maiden names of mothers.
4. You say you have his record from the 1841 census. I assume that he was no longer living with his family. But he was only around 15 then so there is a reasonable chance that he was not living far from his family. Check for people with the same surname in the same area.
5. A DNA link is a possibility but probably a long shot. This can be useful for breaking brick walls (I have broken several using it) but the chances of breaking a specific brick wall are quite low.

Hope one or more of these are helpful.