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I have a marriage cert for Elizabeth Anderson age 21 Spinster.
Father Jonathon Anderson, Weaver

Married Jonathon Thomas White on 4th may 1884.

She was living at 3 Little South St, Coventry

Witnesses were neither of the couples family.

1891 and 1901 Census still says Elizabeth was born in Coventry 1863/4.

However i cannot find her on any previous Census, or birth record.

Have only found 2 close, Elizabeth J Anderson b.1866 Stratford but she died 1867

Elizabeth Anderson b.1861, mother Hannah on 1871 Census, but mother is shown as Unmarried, and Job Anderson (Brother) in the household, no Father present, but the fact that Hannah is unmarried should count this one out.

Hi Paul,

Jonathan is not a particularly common name in Coventry in 1861. If a possible match for your ancestor is an illegitimate daughter, then she may well felt when she married that she should supply a name for an unknown father - and if so, then it seems she may have supplied the groom's forename?

You may be able to disprove this if you can trace Elizabeth d of Hannah to some distinct records after 1884 (eg death marriage or census?)

An alternative is that Jonathan died and his wife remarried before 1871 so that Elizabeth is on the 1871 and 1881 census returns under her stepfather's name. There are 20 individuals named Jonathan born between 1820 and 1840 and living in Coventry in 1861. Have a look to see if any are weavers and then try tracing those and their families forwards...

Ivy - I have followed up on the d of Hannah, and now discounted this one too. Found her in 1861,71 and then in 1881 her mother married for the 1st time, and all the children including Eliza took surname Thompson, and remained that way

Still stuck

Hi Paul,

Thanks for the update. I've had a read over of what I suggested for Jonathan - I think I had spaghetti for brains that day.

There are ten individuals found by Ancestry in 1861 named Jonat* And*s*n. Three are too young to father a child in 1863.

They are mainly scattered over the north of England, as one might expect for the name and occupation.

This one is from a weaving family, so worth tracing forwards:

Name: Jonathan Anderson
Age: 19
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1842
Relation: Son
Father's Name: John
Mother's Name: Rebecca
Gender: Male
Where born: Baildon, Yorkshire, England

Civil Parish: Baildon
Ecclesiastical parish: Baildon
Town: Baildon
County/Island: Yorkshire
Country: England

Registration district: Otley
Sub-registration district: Otley
ED, institution, or vessel: 3

Household schedule number: 18
Household Members:
Name Age
Hannah Anderson 13
John Anderson 44
John Anderson 9
Jonathan Anderson 19
Rebecca Anderson 43
Thomas Anderson 11
William Anderson 17

I'll see what the other six look like (some are quite old).

Another aged 27 from Durham is already married and a coalminer.


(Ed - ditto 1871)
(Ed - d Durham 1915?)

29 yr old in Essex from Durham is also married; a railway carriage examiner.

37 yr old railway porter married with two small children b in York

(Ed station master in 1871?)

46 yr old from Accrington in Salford is a block cutter, married

Ed d 1874 Salford?)

48 yr old from Cumberland is living in Derby with his wife and their children (closest to Coventry so far) - but is a carpenter and joiner.

The remaining one is transcribed as Andson, a 61 yr old widower lodging in Ashton (Manchester area) with no occupation stated.

The three eldest not found easily in 1871; another in Essex aged 32 is a mariner, now married with small children - perhaps the one married in 1863 in Tendring in Essex?

I tried widening the search to include Anderton - it is possible that the transcriptions vary from s to t, and for John*n - there are a couple of these as Johnath*n, but that mainly matches to Johnson.

I'd like to know where that weaver's son went!

Will check back later

Ivy, another piece of info:
Witnesses are:
Walter John Hodierin, and Selina Hodierin.

Walter john is Watchmaker & married to an Emma by 1891 and living in Coventry.
Selina (Hodierne) is married to Joseph and a Weaver in 1881 Census in Coventry.

Hi Paul

There are several Hodierne weavers born and living in Coventry in 1881. Have you tracked this unusual name through the census returns?

There is also an old thread here about Walter (and a mention of a Selina)

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards.asp?wci=thread&tk=849389