Research Forum

In the Weston Mercury of May 16^th 1874  there appeared this advertisement reproduced courtesy of the British Newspaper Archives. 

Over the years a descendant of George WHITTINGTON, now living in Australia, has been trying to find out where he was born.  Please can anyone help?

George WHITTINGTON had arrived in Weston in about 1868/9. On the 1871 Census George his wife Caroline and 6 children were living at 7 Magdala Buildings with 2 female boarders who were Milliners.  George gives his birth place as Bristol. The last child mentioned on this census was born in Weston and was christened at Emmanuel Church in Nov 1869, but others had been born in Bristol and London before that.

His descendant believes that George (aged 7) and his sister Eliza (aged 10) appear on the 1841 Census at Lower Langford, Burrington at a school run by a Mary MANLEY. 

On the 1851 census George is listed in Bristol as a carpenter (surname WILLINGTON) with birthplace Weston-super-Mare alongside an Alfred BUSH who later married Eliza. 

There is a problem in that when George married Caroline KING he said his father was a John WHITTINGTON, Hatter  but when Alfred BUSH had married Eliza WHITTINGTON in 1852 she said her father was Henry WHITTINGTON, Yeoman.

There is another problem in that when Albert & Eliza BUSH emigrated to Australia in 1853, the passenger list giving Eliza’s parents as George & Sarah WHITTINGTON (deceased) which contradicts their marriage certificate!

If anyone is looking for a challenge – this is it!  Where was George WHITTINGTON born and who were his parents?  Was Eliza his sister?   Thanks for reading this and good luck!

I have hit a brick wall with an ancestor and hope someone can help. The attached document explains my problem.

When my husband's 3 x great grandfather, Samuel NICHOLS or NICHOLLS was buried in 1843 in Wedmore he was said to be 68 years old suggesting a birth date of about 1775.  He was married to Rebecca DYER in Wedmore in 1798 and on the 1841 census was said to be born in Somerset.  Can anyone find his birth? Thank you.

I have just found baptism 13 Oct 1843 in Preston of a John Charles WORTHINGTON son of Richard & Mary, father a farmer. John is in 1851 census with rest of family so am happier with info originally posted

Brian

We have a Robert son of Richard WORTHINGTON , a licensed victualler  baptised in Preston in 1837. He is with family in 1851. We can't find him in 1861 but on 23 December that year a Robert WORTHINGTON, full age, a national school teacher married Fanny GODFRAY in Leicestershire. Robert's father is given as Richard a Farmer. Fanny died and Robert married  again in 1875 to Alexandrina SMITH in Chester, again stating father was a farmer.(deceased)  Richard was a licensee all his life and we have tracked each pub he was in. He was certainly deceased by the time Robert married again in 1875.

There appears to be only one Richard WORTHINGTON who was a farmer in Lancashire (aged 82 in 1861 census) but he did not have any son called Robert.

We have assumed Richard is not happy calling his father a pub landlord as he is in an exulted position of teacher. Do you think we are correct as in all censuses Robert is shown as born in Preston?.

My 1st cousin 3 times removed, Emily Ann BURROWS, born in Bristol, married Prince Zacharius Basilius GORTZACOFF (a Russian Prince , or so she thought) at All Saints Church, Knightsbridge on 14th Oct 1872.  In reality he turned out to be Sir Basil ZAHAROFF, a Turkish Arms Dealer of dubious morals.  He is the subject of this article in the Smithsonian Magazine. 

I would like to find the date of Emily's death.  The Weekly Dispatch (London) ran a couple of interesting articles about her in December 1936  - they can be seen in the British Newspaper Archives.