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I am still trying to trace the parents of William Martin. He married in 1884 Monmouthshire Annie Gadfield. 1891 Census he states that he was born c1857 Abingdon, Berkshire and in 1901 Census he states c1858 Surrey. On his marriage cert his father is named as Henry, quarryman deceased. I have searched approx 540 odd census pages on 1861 census looking for any William Martin c1857 +- 2 yrs with a father Henry. After that i have tried to trace the possible matches with 1871, 1881 and 1891 censuses crossing off any that just had mothers name on previous census but father a different name on next census. (if that makes sense.)If the father Henry was still alive in 1891 census then i have crossed them out. Finnally i have come down to about 50 possibles. I have had a lot of help in the beginning of my search for William and followed up on the information that you kind people gave me but unfortunately i am still no further forward. Regards. Alyson. Any suggestion as to where i go from here ?.

where was he living in 1891? and 1901? just wondering if he gave the info himself each time or if maybe he wa a lodger, 'he was born..'' wherever was said.

How old was William when he married? In which month did the marriage occur? Do you know William's occupation? Reg

Where is William living in 1891 and 1901? Reg

Hi Alice and Reggie. In the 1891 census William was living 26 Pwllgwaun rd, Pontypridd, Glamorgan, Wales... He was the Head of the household..Occupation was coal miner.. 1901 Census again William was the head and a coal miner living at 3 Llanwonno Rd, Glamorgan... His marriage details are... 13th December 1884 where he was a bachelor aged 26 years. His occupation was a coal miner.. Residence just says Risca but his bride Annie Gadfield was living in Abertillery, Newport. They were married at the register office, Newport, Monmouthshire. Their witnesses were Martha Ann Jones and Edith L Jones. Thankyou. Alyson.

Yes Reggie i am sure my info is correct going by the children. Albert George c1892 was my grandfather.. Alyson.

Alyson I can't see him on either census.....perhaps Ancestry is playing up again....... reg

Got him in 1901 now.......birthplace listed as Abingdon.not Surrey John Bryant abt 1841 Ireland Lodger Pontypridd Glamorgan View Record Albert Martin abt 1892 Glamorgan, Wales Son Pontypridd Glamorgan View Record Annie Martin abt 1864 Jatton, Herefordshire, England Wife Pontypridd Glamorgan View Record Elizabeth Martin abt 1890 Glamorgan, Wales Daughter Pontypridd Glamorgan View Record Flossie Martin abt 1898 Daughter Pontypridd Glamorgan View Record James Martin abt 1896 Glamorgan, Wales Son Pontypridd Glamorgan View Record Mary Jane Martin abt 1890 Daughter Pontypridd Glamorgan View Record Maud Martin abt 1894 Glamorgan, Wales Daughter Pontypridd Glamorgan View Record William Martin abt 1857 Abingdon, Berkshire, England Head Pontypridd Glamorgan View Record William Martin abt 1888 Glamorgan, Wales Son Pontypridd Glamorgan Still no luck with 1891. Only one Henry Martin occ quarryman on 1881 and he's in Devon. Reg

Reggie.. 1891 census.. William Martin 1859... Surrey England.. Annie Martin.. 1865.. Hereford... Lizzie.... dau.. 1888.. Treharris... Willie.... son... 1890.. Pontypridd.. Alyson.

That is the correct family in 1901 Reggie.

OK......living in Llantrisant.............. Martin, Annie abt 1865 Hereford, England Wife Llantrisant Glamorgan View Record Martin, Lizzie abt 1888 Treharris, Glamorgan, Wales Daughter Llantrisant Glamorgan View Record Martin, William abt 1859 Surrey, England Head Llantrisant Glamorgan View Record Martin, Willie abt 1890 Pontypridd, Glamorgan, Wales Son Llantrisant Glamorgan Reg

You got them Reggie..

perhaps you should try to get his birth certificate - or have you already tried that? Kate.

Hi Kate. Not sure where he was born as he gives 2 different Counties for birth in 2 censuses. There are hundreds of possibles to chose from. That is why i though the best option was to find him in a census with his parents first. Proving to be very difficult though. Thankyou for the advice anyway. Alyson

Can I play devil's advocate here? I've found with some of mine that a 'deceased' father on a marriage cert is very convenient at times...........such as his not having ever married the mother! Just a thought............... Reg

I had thought of that Reggie,. Possibly it is a made up father. This is driving me nuts. I have spent hours and hours going through the censuses 1861-1891 page by page. Very boring job but it had to be done. Alyson

Hi Alyson Okay, this all seemed a bit too easy, but I think I've found William Martin on the 1861, 1871 and 1881. See below: Name: William Martin Age in 1881: 23 Age months: 0 Estimated birth year: abt 1858 Relationship to head-of-household: Lodger (Head) Where born: Abingdon, Berkshire, England Address: 18 Sun Street Civil parish: Canterbury St Alphage County/Island: Kent Condition as to marriage: Unknown Occupation: Outfitters Assistant He is living with another lodger in Kent called Sidney Solley. Here's the same guy in 1871: Name: William Martin Age: 14 Estimated birth year: abt 1857 Relation: Son Household: View other family members Gender: Male Where born: Abingdon, Berkshire, England Civil Parish or Township: Abingdon St Helen Town: Abingdon County/Island: Berkshire Country: England And the family is: View Record Ann Martin abt 1853 Abingdon, Berkshire, England Daughter Abingdon St Helen Berkshire View Record Elizabeth Martin abt 1808 Abingdon, Berkshire, England Wife Abingdon St Helen Berkshire View Record James Martin abt 1855 Abingdon, Berkshire, England Son Abingdon St Helen Berkshire View Record Robert Martin abt 1861 Abingdon, Berkshire, England Son Abingdon St Helen Berkshire View Record Thomas Martin abt 1829 Abingdon, Berkshire, England Head Abingdon St Helen Berkshire View Record William Martin abt 1857 Abingdon, Berkshire, England Son Abingdon St Helen Berkshire And here is the family in 1861 (with a mispelt surname): View Record Ann Marden abt 1853 Abingdon, Berkshire, England Daughter Abingdon St Helen Berkshire View Record Charles Marden abt 1849 Abingdon, Berkshire, England Son Abingdon St Helen Berkshire View Record Euphemia Marden abt 1828 Abingdon, Berkshire, England Wife Abingdon St Helen Berkshire View Record James Marden abt 1855 Abingdon, Berkshire, England Son Abingdon St Helen Berkshire View Record Thomas Marden abt 1827 Abingdon, Berkshire, England Head Abingdon St Helen Berkshire View Record Thomas Marden abt 1851 Abingdon, Berkshire, England Son Abingdon St Helen Berkshire View Record Robert Marton abt 1860 Abingdon, Berkshire, England Son Abingdon St Helen Berkshire View Record William Marton abt 1858 Abingdon, Berkshire, England Son Abingdon St Helen Berkshire View Record Samuel Midwinter abt 1844 Abingdon, Berkshire, England Visitor Abingdon St Helen Berkshire Now, the question is, is this your William Martin? Are you sure that the Surrey guy and the Berkshire guy are one and the same? Seems like a crazy question after you've been going over and over it all with a fine tooth comb but still, this was too easy to find - am I missing something? Or perhaps you were just checking the Welsh census?? Hope this helps! Kat

Sorry, just realised I forgot to add that I noticed what you'd said about his dad being Henry and I think that's just a mistake, because the birthplace of Abingdon Berkshire is way too specific not to be him. What about the possibility of his name being Henry Thomas Martin? I know a lot of my relatives never used their first names and yet they were listed on certificates - eg. I've got a Bessie Reece whose actual name (I discovered after much bashing of my head against figurative brick walls) was Dinah Elizabeth Reece, so not only did she use her middle name, but that was abbreviated!! I've also got Arthur Joseph Chase who was always called 'Joe', so I spend aaaaages trying to find a Joseph Chase, when all the time his name was actually Arthur!! And the list is endless. What do you think? Kat

Hi Katrina and Alison I was about to say the same thing.. I have just been doing a tree for a cousin and she was completely stuck on hers.. Marriage stated George (deceased) as Father.. When I have finally tracked him down his name was John George...So there is every possiblity.. He could be known as Thomas Henry and preferred Henry Maureen

Is Thomas's profession quarryman? Kate.