Genealogy Chat

I am trying to discover how my family, who were all Greenwich based in the 1800s, came to have one child born in 1841 in Trondheim, Norway. Very working class family of barge workers and ship engineers so highly unlikely to have been a family holiday!
Any ideas?

Not a holiday, but maybe the wife travelled with her husband on a trip that he did by ship or barge. Perhaps the baby arrived earlier than expected.
Or could he have been based for a time at a "branch" of the company he worked for?
The trade links from London would have been world wide.

Welcome to the boards.

Could we perhaps look anything up for you and see what the occupations of the people concerned are?

Post any names and years and places of birth and there are lots of willing helpers to look up records for you.

She may not have had anyone else at home or rellies so went with her hubby on board.

There were a lot of wives taken with their men who were in the navy or captains etc.

1851
COKER, William Head Married M 41 1810 Engineer
Harfield, Middlesex
COKER, Sophia Wife Married F 40 1811 Charwoman
Harfield, Middlesex
COKER, Eliza Daughter F 12 1839 Scholar
Deptford, Kent
COKER, Anne Daughter F 10 1841 Scholar
Norway
COKER, Peter Son M 7 1844 Scholar
Deptford, Kent
COKER, Alice Daughter F 5 1846 Scholar
Deptford, Kent
COKER, George Son M 2 1849
Deptford, Kent
COKER, James Brother Unmarried M 30 1821 Engineer's Labourer
Harefield, Middlesex
Piece: 1585
Folio: 23
Page: 38
Registration District: Greenwich
Civil Parish: St Nicholas
Municipal Borough: Greenwich
Address: 43, Stowage, St Nicholas, Deptford, Greenwich
County: Kent

(think it might be above)

Chris :)

Ingebor Anna Coker, "Norway, Baptisms, 1634-1927"
Name: Ingebor Anna Coker
Gender: Female
Event Date: 03 May 1840
Event Place: DOMKIRKEN, TRONDHEIM, SOR TRONDELAG, NORWAY
Birth Date: 13 Apr 1840
Birthplace:
Death Date:
Name Note:
Race:
Father's Name: William Coker
Father's Birthplace:
Father's Age:
Mother's Name: Sophia Coker
Mother's Birthplace:
Mother's Age:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: C42652-7
System Origin: Norway-VR
GS Film number: 126826
Reference ID: 2:1H9VXW0

How about contacting the Regional State Archive to see if they can access (and translate) the baptism entry? it 'might' give William Croker's occupation or abode at the time

Statsarkivet i Trondheim
Maskinistgata 1
N- 7042 Trondheim
Telephone: + 47 73 88 45 00
Telefax: +47 73 88 45 40
e-mail:
[email protected]

Great response so far - thanks all.
I have been doing my family research for a while but don't always know where to go next when I get stuck so its good to know there are willing and interested helpers out there!!

Looks like it was quite a family trip, unless the older children were with family whilst the parents went on the voyage! I guess it could have been the chance of the trip of a lifetime.
1841 census transcription details for: Pleasant Row, St Nicholas Deptford, Greenwich

National Archive Reference:
RG number: HO107
Piece: 488
Book/Folio: 2/7
Page: 7
Reg. District: Greenwich
Sub District: St Nicholas Deptford
Parish: St Nicholas Deptford
Enum. District:
Ecclesiastical District:
City/Municipal Borough: Greenwich
Address: Pleasant Row, St Nicholas Deptford, Greenwich
County: Kent
Name Relation Sex Age Birth Year Occupation Where Born
COKER, William M 30 1811 Engineer
COKER, Sophia F 30 1811
COKER, Ellen F 7 1834 Kent
COKER, Elizabeth F 5 1836 Kent
COKER, Eliza F 3 1838 Kent
COKER, Inguborg F 1 1840 Foreign

London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921 about William Coker
Name: William Coker
Spouse Name: Sophia Barnaby
Record Type: Marriage
Event Date: 12 Feb 1831
Parish: Harefield St Mary the Virgin
Borough: Hillingdon
Register Type: Parish Register

Thanks for all the responses. Have now contacted the Trondheim archive so I'll see if they come back with anything.

Hello Sarah, not sure if you already have this:

Merchant Navy Seamen 1835-1941

Last name: Coker
First names: William
Age:
Day of birth: 02 (looks more like 6th on image)
Month of birth: 08
Year of birth: 1809
Place of birth: Harefield
County/country of birth: Middlesex
Card type:
Discharge number:
Identity certificate no.:
Series: BT113
Date range: 1845-1854
Piece number: 2

Will send the image.

EDIT: His ticket does say he served in Norwegian foreign service.

Have also sent Sarah a newspaper article from the West Kent Guardian of 04 March 1843 about a William Coker, an engineer for the General Steam Navigation Company, who was assaulted by a policeman (who was sacked).

In response to her pm:
This link explains a bit more about merchant seamen's tickets
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/details/redirect/?CATID=1584&CATLN=3

EDIT: Some links about the GSN Co

http://www.poheritage.com/our-history/company-guides/general-steam-navigation-company

http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/generalsnc.shtml

Greenwich not that far from Deptford which was a large part of the ports in London.

In Rotherhithe there is a Norwegian Church.

This whole area has many connections with Scandinavian seamen.

In case you do not know the area, on leaving London, along the river you go through Rotherhithe, Deptford & Greenwich all of which had large docks.