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Trying to find grandfathers birth parents

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ProfilePosted byOptionsPost Date

jerseylily

jerseylily Report 30 Aug 2012 14:18

I still haven't found a birth registration for William Joshua but I have found one for Alice, his sister.

3/4/1884 at 23 Sand St., St Helier
Alice Maud Mary Pittaway daughter of Henry Pittaway (Labourer) and Elizabeth Mary Le Boutillier.

With some birth registrations the Registrar made a note of where the parents married and in this case you are in luck. He recorded that they married in the parish of St John, I found this a bit puzzling as I'd already looked there because it was Elizabeth's home parish, but then I saw a small note alongside it which said ' under the name of H Smith'.

So, from the St John's parish register

3/3/1877
William Henry Smyth, aged 21, bachelor, occupation Labourer, living in St John, born in Stafford, England. Father Benjamin Smyth - Labourer
to
Elizabeth Mary Le Boutillier, aged 18, spinster, no occupation, living and born in St John. Father Francis Le Boutillier - Stonecutter

And then I got sidetracked by a note in the register and forgot to write down the names of the witnesses.

The handwritten note in the register, which does not seem to be complete and is written in French, states that in July 1883 William Henry, Elizabeth and John Fudge (who I think was one of the witnesses) presented themselves to the vicar saying that the name Smyth was a 'mistake'. It does not say what the name should have been. When I'm back in the Archive next week I'll have a look in the original register and see if there is more information.

William Henry's age on the marriage makes him nearly 10 years younger than he actually was and it would seem that the baptism found earlier is the right one.

1851 Droitwich
Name Age
Benjamin Pittaway 38
Mary Pittaway 35
Mary Ann Pittaway 12
Eliza Rudd 10 - daughter in law (or stepdaughter as we would say)
William Rudd 7 son in law
Louisa Pittaway 6
Ann Pittaway 5
Henry Pittaway 2
Emma Pittaway 7 Mo

It looks as if both Benjamin and Mary had been previously married,

First for Benjamin

marriage: 12 Feb 1831 Saint Andrew,?Droitwich,?Worcester,?England

spouse: Mary Anne Wickstone

groom's name: Benjamin Pittaway
bride's name: Mary Anne Wickstone
marriage date: 12 Feb 1831
marriage place: Saint Andrew,Droitwich,Worcester,England
indexing project (batch) number: M02346-1
system origin: England-ODM
source film number: 0354318, 0354319

Second for Benjamin

marriage: 21 Apr 1844 Saint Andrew,?Droitwich,?Worcester,?England
spouse: Mary Rudd
groom's name: Benjamin Pittaway
bride's name: Mary Rudd
marriage date: 21 Apr 1844
marriage place: Saint Andrew,Droitwich,Worcester,England
indexing project (batch) number: M02346-1
system origin: England-ODM
source film number: 0354318, 0354319

First for Mary

marriage: 27 Apr 1834 Eastham,?Worcester,?England

spouse: Mary Yakes

groom's name: Edward Rudd
bride's name: Mary Yakes
marriage date: 27 Apr 1834
marriage place: Eastham,Worcester,England
indexing project (batch) number: M01380-1
system origin: England-ODM
source film number: 0897400 IT 4, 374923

Which ties with 1841

Name Age
Edward Rudd 40
Mary Rudd 24
William Rudd 5
Elizabeth Rudd 2

Back to Jersey and this is Elizabeth in 1861

Name Age
Francis Le Boutillier 46 Stone Cutter
Mary E Le Boutillier 37
Francis Le Boutillier 17
Philip Le Boutillier 6
John Le Boutillier 3
Mary Ann Le Boutillier 11
Elizabeth Le Boutillier 2
Esther Le Boutillier 1

I can have a go at the Le Boutillier family next week if you are interested.

neil

neil Report 30 Aug 2012 20:49

Thank you so much Jerseylily this news is really exciting for us...
We are away for a week as from tomorrow, so please don't think that we are ignoring any of your messages. Would definately like to find out if the name Smyth should have been Pittaway and any other information you can find for us would be great.

Rita

jerseylily

jerseylily Report 30 Aug 2012 21:56

I really hope there is a complete version of the note in the original register as I'm quite intrigued as to why he married under a (presumably) false name - I wonder if he had deserted from the Army.

Enjoy your break and hopefully I'll have a bit more for you by the time you get back.

neil

neil Report 9 Sep 2012 20:05

Hi Jerseylily,
We are back from holiday we had a really good break in Yorkshire.
The theory that you had that Henry might have been a deserter is intriguing!
We are now really sure that William was adopted in England by his aunt Louisa Fryer nee Pittaway. Why did this have to happen and what became of his sisters Alice Maud and Sarah J? Have Henry and Elizabeth passed away? In the 1891 census we have William living with the Fryers age 11 listed as William Hy (Henry)?their nephew born Jersey. Good luck with your searching.
Thanks a million
Rita :-)

rootgatherer

rootgatherer Report 10 Sep 2012 12:45

???

Marriages Sep 1907 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

COTTRELL Arthur James Williton 5c 504
FRIZZELL Sarah Jane Williton 5c 504
PITTAWAY Alice Maud M Williton 5c 504
SUTTON Ernest James Williton 5c 504


jerseylily

jerseylily Report 13 Sep 2012 17:12

I've now had a look at the original parish register and disappointingly there is no further information. All I can tell you is that the witnesses to the wedding were John Fudge and Jane Arthur.

However I have found the birth of William - he was registered as William Joshua Francis Smith in the parish of St John. I found from the baptism register that he was born 20/6/1879 and baptized 13/7/1879, the son of William Henry Smyth (Labourer) and Elizabeth Mary Le Boutillier, his godparents were Josué Holden and Nancy Rachel Holden.

I've also done of bit or research into Elizabeth Mary Le Boutillier.

Parents
Francis Le Boutillier, born 1814 in the parish of Trinity
Mary Elizabeth Le Coq born 1826 in St Helier

Grandparents (Paternal side only)
Charles Le Boutillier born 1791 Trinity
Elizabeth Nehot born 1789 Trinity
Married Trinity 6/5/1809

I might be able to do a bit more digging later in the year but we've got people over for the next 2 weeks and then we're away in Oct. Give me a nudge to remind me later.

gillian

gillian Report 20 Feb 2013 14:52

I have a different William Pittaway I think.. Born in 1880 he had 7 other sisters and brothers - Sarah, Emma, Gertrude, Mary, Kate, Edith and Thomas (my grandfather).
Their parents were William Henry Pittaway (born 1863) and Sarah (born 1864).

gillian

gillian Report 20 Feb 2013 14:58

Sorry I meant my William Pittaway was born in 1890 not 1880 as in my previous post.

neil

neil Report 20 Feb 2013 16:36

Hi Gillian,
Our William Pittaway was definately born 1879 and married Emma Parker, they had Ida, Amy, Louisa (alice?) James Millicent Emma my husbands mother, George who passed away in infancy. Williams father was Henry.
Thanks for getting in touch

neil

neil Report 21 May 2013 18:50

Hi this is Rita,
it's been a while now but i'm still trying to find what has happened to either Henry Pittaway and Mary Pittaway nee le Boutillier. We also have him listed as William Henry Pittaway. Is there any chance that someone could find their deaths for me? Something must have happened to them both as my husbands grandfather William Joshua Francis Pittaway was adopted back in England. :-)