Find Ancestors

A friend has asked me to try and find her paternal great grandfather....the only problem is he was born and died in England and I'm used to deal with Scottish Dead Rellies.
Given £10, one hour and access to Scotlands People, I can (like many, many people) take most trees back a couple of generations minimum...but England is a totally different kettle of fish and the information she has is so scant that I really have no idea where to start....Can anyone help please?

She has told me that her grandfather was WILLIAM HENRY HARPER and he was born 9 Aug 1905 in Bristol, England.
William married LILY ELIZABETH WRING on the 30th July 1932 in Bristol. The witnesses to the marriage were ELLEN BEATRICE HARPER and ALFRED WILLIAM HARPER.
William's father was also named WILLIAM HENRY HARPER, and his occupation was given as Builder.

I know that this is probably like looking for a grain of sand in the desert, but I'd be grateful for any help/guidance on this one

Thank you for taking the time to read this
Jan :)

His birth reg (certs cost £7 with the following info)

Births Jly/Aug/Sep 1905

Harper William Henry Bristol
Volume 6a
Page 201

Thanks Mrs B :)
Have you any idea how much info is on an English birth record?
(Scottish ones have the mothers maiden surname and often the date and place that the parents got married at)

Possible birth..

Name: William Henry Harper
Year of Registration: 1905
Quarter of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep
District: Bristol
County: Avon, Gloucestershire
Volume: 6a
Page: 201 (click to see others on page)

Go to http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/ the cert will cost £7.

Edit .. the cert will show father's name and occupation and mother's maiden name.

English birth certs give you mothers maiden name also Fathers name (if given) and his occupation. Thats all!

Thanks Linda and Mrs B :)
I just KNEW you were going to say just the maiden surname, :(
which I suppose is better than a poke in the eye.....but just another example of the Scottish doing things better :)

Possible birth...

Name: Lily Elizabeth Wring
Year of Registration: 1907
Quarter of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep
District: Bristol
County: Avon, Gloucestershire
Volume: 6a
Page: 36 (click to see others on page)

Linda

Thanks Linda :)
We've got Lily....her family were co-operative and relatively easy (no pun intended) to track through the census's.
William's family, on the otherhand, are proving extremely difficult.
As far as I know my friend has looked for them in the 1901 & 1911 census's with no luck.
I've just spent hours trawling through Ancestry and all I have for my trouble is a headache :)

Alfred may have been his brother

Marriages Sep 1930

Harper Alfred W
Ellen B Snell
Bristol 6a 395

I see what you mean Jan...I have found this marriage..

Name: William Henry Harper
Year of Registration: 1897
Quarter of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec
District: Bristol
County: Avon, Gloucestershire
Volume: 6a
Page: 2 (click to see others on page)

To either Jessie Francis Bull or Alice Emma Thomas

I don't seem to be able to find either couple in 1901 though...

Linda

Looks like Alice married Drew

Have found this one

Name: Jessie Harper
Age: 24
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1877
Relation: Wife
Spouse's name: William
Gender: Female
Where born: Bristol, St Paul

Civil Parish: St Marylebone
Ecclesiastical parish: St Matthew
County/Island: London
Country: England

Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status:

View Image

Registration district: St Marylebone
Sub-registration district: Christchurch
ED, institution, or vessel: 9
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 26
Household Members:
Name Age
William Harper 25 Plasterer B-1876 Bristol
Jessie Harper 24
Charle Harper 1

Siblings:

Births Sep 1914
Harper Amelia R Bull Bristol 6a 82

Births Sep 1916
Harper Michael B W Bull Bristol 6a 62

Rose

Deaths Dec 1934
Harper Jessie F 57 Bristol 6a 34

Rose

Sue....now THAT is an impressive find :)
I think that Harper Alfred W and Ellen B Snell could be the Alfred William Harper and Ellen Beatrice Snell who witnessed William and Lily's marriage.

Linda :)
You might be on to a winner there.
My friend tells me that she thinks William had a sister named Jessie.....andJessie was an uncommon name in this family, at that time in the area
She also mentioned other names, Flossie, Charlie and Micheal, but nothing concrete and I couldn't work out if she was talking about William's siblings or aunts and uncles.
Anyway I trawled through Ancestry and came up with some possible connections to her family

Florence Bridget Harper Mar 1895 Bristol
Florence Emily Harper Jun 1907 Bristol
Florence V Harper Dec 1907 Bristol Mothers MS Damsell
Florence Harper Dec 1900 Bristol
Florence E Harper Jan - Mar 1917, Bristol Mothers MS Hudd
Florence M Harper Oct - Dec 1917, Bristol Mothers MS Gammon

Michael Harper Sep 1880 Bristol
Michael Harper Mar 1895 Bristol
Michael C G Harper Jul - Sep 1916 Bristol Mothers MS Cottrell
Michael B W Harper Jul - Sep 1916 Bristol Mothers MS Bull
Michael W Harper Jan - Mar 1933 Bristol. Mothers MS Wring

Charles Harper Dec 1912, Bristol Mothers MS Hudd
Charles William Harper Sep 1899 Bristol
Charles V Harper Mar 1915, Bristol Mothers MS Cottrell
Charles R Harper Apr - Jun 1922, Bristol Mothers MS Damsell
Charles H W Harper Apr - Jun, 1920 Bristol. Mothers MS Cottrell
Charles W G Harper, Bristol Apr - Jun 1929 Bristol Mothers MS George

Alfred P Harper Mar 1919, Bristol. Mothers MS Rivers
Alfred Theodore Harper, Jun 1899, Bristol
Alfred Digby Harper, Jun 1880 Bristol
Alfred R Harper Jan - Mar 1916, Bristol Mothers MS Chippett

Ellen Harper Oct - Dec 1919 Bristol. Mothers MS Dixon
Elena M Harper Apr -Jun 1918, Bristol Mothers MS Harper
Peter Harper Apr - Jun 1918 Bristol Mothers MS Harper
Daisy E Harper Jul - Sep 1919, Bristol. Mothers MS Damsell
Patrick H Harper Jan - Mar 1920, Bristol Mothrs MS Harper

Thank you Rose :)
That looks like it might be the Jessie mentioned

Maybe

Births Jun 1900
HARPER Charles Albert
Lewisham 1d 1221

Can't see them in 1911 at the mo.

Rose

Sorry was of looking for Charles birth
Thanks Jan glad i could help.
Hope this is the family.

Cheers Sue

Hi Sue....I think that that was Charlie's birth that you found in Lewisham.
Vicky did say that there was a family rumour about someone of that generation being born out of the area....perhaps as far afield as Wells......(half hours drive away)....London's further than expected, but the census clearly says that he was born in London and his parents in Bristol.

I think you ladies/girls/women are fantastic :) .....I must admit that I didn't hold out much hope of finding anything out based on the flimsy information that we started with, but once again I am reminded that you should never underestimate a woman...or a dead rellie hunter

Thank you
Jan :)

There is a William H Harper still living in Lewisham born Britol on the 1911 but can not see any other family with him .
Cheers Sue