I have received the birth certificate of William Henry ASHFORTH 1851-1899 from Sheffield Register Office. The maiden surname of Leah ASHFORTH 1816-1901 the mother of William Henry is shown to be WEBB and she is living at Bacon Island, Nether Hallam, Sheffield.
Bacon Island was one of the areas of Sheffield affected by the great flood of 1864, when the Dale Dyke reservoir burst its banks.
To view my transcription of the birth certificate for William Henry ASHFORTH 1851-1899 please click here.
Regarding my recent request for the birth certificate of William Henry ASHFORTH 1873-1926, March 1873, Sheffield Register Office replied with this box ticked:
"Unfortunately the details in the register differ from the information given. (Mother's details differ)"
I must admit I was not expecting this, but taking another look at my research I reason:
1) My search for William Henry's birth reveals only two likely candidates:
i. March 1873, William Henry ASHFORTH, Sheffield (the certificate I requested)
ii. December 1875, William ASHFORTH, Ecclesall Bierlow
2) The first candidate is now confirmed incorrect; I did have some doubts since I expected the district to be Ecclesall Bierlow and not Sheffield. The second candidate I will dismiss due to the date; all my research shows a birth around 1872 to 1873.
3) Since William Henry was probably born before William Henry ASHFORTH 1851-1899 and Ellen TOMLINSON 1855-1943 married, he may have been registered with his mother's maiden surname TOMLINSON
Another search reveals:
i. September 1872, William Henry TOMLINSON, Ecclesall
ii. December 1873, William Henry B TOMLINSON, Sheffield
The first entry records the district of Ecclesall, therefore this is the most likeliest.
My transcription of the England and Wales Census 1881 records the following:
FHJ Ref: 035
Census: England and Wales Census 1881
Place: 5 Ct 15 Woodside Lane, Brightside Bierlow, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England
Household: Henry Ashforth
| SURNAME | FIRST NAME(S) | REL | STATUS | SEX | AGE | OCCUPATION | WHERE BORN | REMARKS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashforth | Henry | Head | Married | Male | 33 | Metal Smith (Wr) | Sheffield, Yorkshire | |
| Ashforth | Sarah | Wife | Married | Female | 32 | Sheffield, Yorkshire | ||
| Ashforth | William H | Son | Male | 8 | Scholar | Sheffield, Yorkshire | ||
| Ashforth | John | Son | Male | 5 | Scholar | Sheffield, Yorkshire | ||
| Ashforth | Lucy | Daughter | Female | 2 | Sheffield, Yorkshire | |||
| Ashforth | Ann E | Daughter | Female | 3 | Sheffield, Yorkshire |
To view this table full width please click here.
FHJ Ref: 018
Census: England and Wales Census 1881
Place: Back of 70 Daniel Hill St, Nether Hallam, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England
Household: William Henry Ashforth
| SURNAME | FIRST NAME(S) | REL | STATUS | SEX | AGE | OCCUPATION | WHERE BORN | REMARKS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashforth | William H | Head | Married | Male | 30 | File Cutter | Sheffield, Yorkshire | |
| Ashforth | Ellen | Wife | Married | Female | 27 | Sheffield, Yorkshire | ||
| Ashforth | William H | Son | Male | 8 | Scholar | Sheffield, Yorkshire | ||
| Ashforth | Rosa | Daughter | Female | 6 | Scholar | Sheffield, Yorkshire | ||
| Ashforth | Annie | Daughter | Female | 3 | Sheffield, Yorkshire |
To view this table full width please click here.
This second record from the England and Wales Census 1881 matches all names and dates with my research. Therefore since I cannot find a birth for William Henry ASHFORTH (other than the one that has already proved negative) I am inclined to go with my theory that his birth certificate is registered under his mother's maiden surname i.e. William Henry TOMLINSON.
I will apply for this birth certificate:
September 1872, William Henry TOMLINSON, Ecclesall.
In order to progress research of my ASHFORTH line I have ordered the following certificates from Sheffield Register Office:
William Henry ASHFORTH 1873-1926 - Birth Certificate
William Henry ASHFORTH 1851-1899 - Birth Certificate
William Henry ASHFORTH 1851-1899 and Ellen TOMLINSON 1855-1943 - Marriage Certificate
I am hoping these certificates will reveal a few clues regarding parentage.
Updates:
2008-10-02 To view the outcome of the request for the birth certificate of William Henry ASHFORTH 1873-1926 please click here.
I have completed my transcriptions of the following certificates:
Rosa ASHFORTH 1874-Deceased - Birth Certificate
To view my transcription of Rosa ASHFORTH 1874-Deceased's birth certificate please click here.
William Henry ASHFORTH 1873-1926 and Florence FLOWERS 1876-1973 - Marriage Certificate
To view my transcription of William Henry ASHFORTH 1873-1926 and Florence FLOWERS 1876-1973's marriage certificate please click here.
At long last I seem to have found a maiden surname for the spouse of William Henry ASHFORTH 1851-1899. I have received from Sheffield Register Office the birth certificate for Rosa ASHFORTH 1874-Deceased.
Rosa ASHFORTH 1874-Deceased was born on the 23rd of February, 1874 at 83 Duncombe Street, Nether Hallam, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England. Her father is William Henry ASHFORTH 1851-1899 and her mother Ellen TOMLINSON 1855-1943.
My notes show I have a baptism record for Rosa ASHFORTH 1874-Deceased:
Ashforth, Rosie (adult) (of 172 Cuthbert Bank Rd).
Baptised December 5, 1888, by AH Rhodes at St John the Baptist Church, Owlerton.
Parents name(s) are Helena; William (File-cutter).
Rosa ASHFORTH 1874-Deceased is recorded as an adult. It would appear both William Henry ASHFORTH 1873-1926 and Rosa ASHFORTH 1874-Deceased were born before their parents were married.
This probably explains why Rosa was nearly 15 years of age when she was baptised.
My notes show a marriage in 1876 for William Henry ASHFORTH 1851-1899 and Ellen TOMLINSON 1855-1943. I will submit a request to Sheffield Register Office for this marriage certificate.
Notes:
The Church of Saint John the Baptist, Owlerton, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England.
Updates:
2007-11-25 I have transcribed the birth certificate of Rosa ASHFORTH 1874-Deceased. To view her birth certificate please click here.
I really should have obtained the marriage certificate of my great grandparents William Henry ASHFORTH 1873-1926 and Florence ASHFORTH (née Florence FLOWERS 1876-1973) before embarking on a search for my great great grandfather William Henry ASHFORTH 1851-1899.
Other than information found in the England and Wales Census 1881, searches for a date of birth for both my great grandfather William Henry ASHFORTH 1873-1926 and great great grandfather William Henry ASHFORTH 1851-1899 have not produced any conclusive results.
A search for Rosa ASHFORTH 1874-Deceased one of my great great grandfather William Henry ASHFORTH 1851-1899's daughters yields a single record, a birth during June 1874. Variations of Rosa i.e. Rosey, Rosie, Rosanna and Rosalind produce results outside my expected dates.
Therefore I have gone ahead and ordered from Sheffield Register Office the following certificates:
William Henry ASHFORTH 1873-1926 and Florence ASHFORTH (née Florence FLOWERS 1876-1973) - Marriage Certificate
Rosa ASHFORTH 1874-Deceased - Birth Certificate
Hopefully the birth certificate for Rosa ASHFORTH 1874-Deceased will reveal her mother's maiden name.
Previous research revealed my 2nd great grand aunt, Alice TURNER 1862-Deceased, the daughter of Mary Ann TURNER (née Mary Ann JENNINGS 1828-Deceased) and Edwin TURNER 1827-Deceased residing at King Street, Nether Hallam, Sheffield, Yorkshire was baptised on September 10, 1864, by John Livesey at the Church of Saint Philip, Shalesmoor, Sheffield.
I expected her date of birth to be about June, 1863 but her birth certificate records the date as 13th August, 1862 at 99 King Street, Nether Hallam, Sheffield, Yorkshire.
The primary reason for obtaining this birth certificate was to help to establish my 3rd great grandmother, Mary Ann TURNER's maiden name; this is recorded as Mary Ann TURNER (née Mary Ann JENNINGS 1828-Deceased). This information provides the key to another branch of the family and hopefully some online research may provide a few clues.
A previous attempt by Sheffield Register Office to locate a birth certificate for my 2nd great grandmother, Mary Ann BELLAMY (née Mary Ann TURNER 1861-Deceased) was unproductive, so I am hoping this additional information may be of help in obtaining this certificate.
As soon as time allows I will post a full transcript of Alice TURNER 1862-Deceased's birth certificate and update my GEDCOM.
I have posted off an order for the following certificates to Sheffield Register Office:
Birth Certificate: Alice TURNER 1862-Deceased
Marriage Certificate: George FLOWERS 1839-1891 and Harriet FLOWERS (née Harriet LAW 1836-1903)
Marriage Certificate: George ELLIS 1860-Deceased and Emily ELLIS (née Emily ROSEWARNE 1865-1944)
Hopefully this will provide the information I need to extend my research of these lines.
I have spent a great deal of time trying to establish a maiden name for Mary Ann TURNER 1828-Deceased, the mother of Mary Ann BELLAMY (née TURNER 1861-Deceased) the wife of Joseph BELLAMY 1857-Deceased. I have a copy of the marriage certificate for Joseph BELLAMY 1857-Deceased and Mary Ann BELLAMY (née TURNER 1861-Deceased) but Sheffield Register Office could not retrieve a birth certificate for Mary Ann BELLAMY (née TURNER 1861-Deceased).
I find this rather puzzling since FreeBMD records a birth during 1860, at Sheffield, of a Mary Anne TURNER. So in order to proceed further I have turned my attention to Mary Ann's siblings.
Originally I had planned to try and retrieve a birth certificate for Edwin TURNER 1859-Deceased but further research has produced a christening record for Alice TURNER 1862-Deceased. If my research is correct she was baptised on the 10th of September, 1864 at the Church of Saint Philip, Shalesmoor, Sheffield.
I have posted a request for a Birth Certificate to Sheffield Register Office and this time hopefully I will get a result.
Notes:
This is almost certainly the correct area of Sheffield since as a young child in the 1950's I remember my visits to the Saint Philips Road area of Sheffield and in particular to my uncle Edwin BELLAMY 1919-Deceased and aunt Margaret (Peggy) BELLAMY (née Margaret KETTLEWELL 1924-Deceased) and their only son and my cousin Philip BELLAMY 1948-Deceased. Sadly Philip died in his early twenties.
The family lived in a terrace house on a cul-de-sac behind the Roscoe Cinema, though the whole of this area was later cleared to make way for road improvements and the new tram system. One of my earliest memories is attending a 5th of November bonfire night party. This was a communal event with the bonfire built in the middle of the cobbled street and the neighbours contributing baked potatoes, hot chestnuts, slabs of black toffee and toffee apples.
The birth certificate I obtained for Joseph BELLAMY 1857-Deceased helped me confirm his mother to be one Emma Bellamy (née Emma BRADSHAW 1830-Deceased), born circa 1830 and at the time of Joseph's birth in 1857, living at 32 Castle Yard, Sheffield, Yorkshire.
The Census of England and Wales 1841 returns an 11 year old Emma BRADSHAW living with her parents William BRADSHAW and Elizabeth BRADSHAW in the Walkley district of Sheffield. William and Elizabeth were both born circa 1801.
Though I am once again in the realms of conjecture, my research does have an air of authority that is worth pursuing.
William BELLAMY has proved a little more difficult. My research has revealed several BELLAMYs whom are worth researching further, though at this time I cannot even propose a convincing hypothesis.