Birmingham, Warwickshire & Staffordshire?

[ElizabethHerts]

I'm helping a friend of OH from the badminton club to sort out his family tree.
He has started to compile it, going back pre-registration but I'm checking it for him as he hasn't bought many certificates and I'm advising him how to check what he has.

Most of the family appear to be from Birmingham, Warwickshire and Staffordshire, and I'm not very conversant with what is available for these counties.

Any recommendations would be most welcome.

[borobabs]

Theres site called the black country that has links on it Elizabeth sorry dont have link to it on lappy
heres one but just pt black country into google for whole choice of them

http://www.blackcountrygenealogyandfamilyhistory.co.uk/

[kiterunner]

There is loads of Warwickshire stuff on ancestry, parish registers and other parish records, tax records, etc. And I think FreeREG is good for Staffordshire.

[kiterunner]

Some Staffordshire links on here:
http://www.genealogistsforum.co.uk/forum/showpost.php?p=107788&postcount=14

[ElizabethHerts]

Thanks, Babs and Kate.

When he told me what counties his family was from my heart sank, because I'm up to speed with the counties my ancestors came from, but these counties don't feature much at all in my research.

His father's 80th birthday is in June and it's a race against time to get the information verified and in good order.

[Mary from Italy]

I have a lot of people in Warks and Staffs, so let me know if you get stuck.

These are some of the sites I often use:

Staffordshire:
http://www.staffsnameindexes.org.uk/StartPage.aspx?
http://www.archives.staffordshire.gov.uk/DServe/DServe.exe?dsqApp=Archive2&dsqCmd=Index.tcl
http://www.wolverhamptonhistory.org.uk/resources/indexes
http://www.staffordshirebmd.org.uk/
http://www.westmidlandsbmd.org.uk/

Warwickshire:
http://www.hunimex.com/warwick/index.html
http://heritage.warwickshire.gov.uk/warwickshire-county-record-office/county-record-office-collections/
http://www.coventrycollections.org/

Midlands, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1955 (mostly Birmingham, I think)
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=2584

Plus the Warwickshire PRs on Ancestry (which don't include Birmingham, or didn't last time I looked).

This is the Birmingham archives online catalogue, which I've never used myself:
http://calmview.birmingham.gov.uk/CalmView/What.aspx

[ElizabethHerts]

Mary, many thanks for those. I think I shall be needing them. For most of the people I can only see the registrations, and it's hard to find any baptisms or marriages, although I have a few.

The problem is also a common surname - Ward.

[JBee]

Birmingham used to be split into 3 at one time I believe.

Staffs to the North, Worcs to the south and Warwickshire to the East.

[ElizabethHerts]

Could someone also tell me a good site for Derbyshire?
I have a Richard Ward born c. 1843 in Derby and the IGI doesn't appear to have his baptism.

[Durham Lady]

Elizabeth just to tell you if you find anything that might be at Worcester give a shout and I can look in the parish records.
Also, the new Library where Birmingham records are kept is still not up and running.

Birmingham Archives and Heritage is now CLOSED until 3 September 2013 when the Library of Birmingham on Centenary Square will open.
Staff are working on our collections to check, document and repackage thousands of items ready for their transfer to the new building during this time. This work will be our major task and consequently we are not able to respond individually to enquiries until after September 2013.

I don't have a sub for Ancestry but apparently there's supposed to be a lot of Derbyshire records on there. Found this on Rootsweb.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~brett/parregs.htm

Also this

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~engdby/ you can get IGI batch numbers for the various parishes from the site.

[ElizabethHerts]

Daphne, that is a very kind offer and I'll let you know later if I need your assistance.

OH's friend has been using the Genealogist for his research and so far, despite the lack of certificates for most of it, it looks OK. I'm filling in some holes for him and also instructing him which certificates to buy. I'm also building a tree for him on Family Historian, because he isn't using any software at present.

I've got so many avenues to pursue, but I'm just going one step at a time.

[kiterunner]

Could someone also tell me a good site for Derbyshire?
I have a Richard Ward born c. 1843 in Derby and the IGI doesn't appear to have his baptism.

Findmypast has the Derbyshire local registrars' indexes although infuriatingly they are included in "parish baptisms", "parish marriages" and "parish burials" on the UK site and you can't easily tell that they are just registrars' index entries until you have paid to view them. The US site labels them as "Derbyshire Registrars Birth Index" etc.
Anyway, so there is a birth registration for Richard Ward Derby St Peter, year of birth 1843, matching up to the GRO index entry for Apr-Jun 1843. Could be that he wasn't baptised, or not at a church whose records are online, or after the family moved away from Derby. It looks as though FamilySearch covers St Peter's for that period.

[Margaret in Burton]

Could someone also tell me a good site for Derbyshire?
I have a Richard Ward born c. 1843 in Derby and the IGI doesn't appear to have his baptism.

Is it Derby or Derbyshire. There are numerous churches in Derby itself. www.wirksworth.org.uk has some records for Derbyshire but it does tend to concentrate on the area around Wirksworth and north Derbyshire.

Records for Derby itself would be at the local studies library in Derby, which I could check if you knew where in Derby. What parish is he in in 1851? Derbyshire as a whole is at Matlock which I can't get to.

edit: just checked the 1851 and it looks like he is in Birmingham by 1851 so no clue as to where in Derby he came from. It would mean checking a lot of parishes if nothing is online.

[kiterunner]

On the 1851 census Richard and his family are in Birmingham, and he has a sister Phebe age 4 born "Rumford, Essex" which I guess is supposed to be Romford. So he could have been baptised anywhere!

[Guinevere]

Loads here for Warwickshire-

http://hunimex.com/warwick/

[Mary from Italy]

Could someone also tell me a good site for Derbyshire?
I have a Richard Ward born c. 1843 in Derby and the IGI doesn't appear to have his baptism.

Lots of non-conformists in Derbyshire. Might be worth checking the NC records on the Genealogist if they have them after 1837.

[ElizabethHerts]

Many thanks, everyone, I haven't been back on here as I have made a slight break-through.

The children of Samuel and Ann were born all over the place! However, I have cracked Samuel now and found that OH's friend had the wrong parents for him.
On one census it says he was born in Willenhall and I then found a likely baptism.

Name: Samuel Ward
Gender: Male
Christening Date: 24 Jan 1813
Christening Place: WILLENHALL, STAFFORD, ENGLAND
Father's Name: Richard Ward
Mother's Name: Phoebe
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: C05609-1
System Origin: England-ODM
GS Film number: 497354

Samuel called one of his daugthers Phoebe, and his son Richard I am actively researching.

This site has got PR transcriptions and I found Samuel's baptism and the marriage of his parents.

http://www.wolverhamptonhistory.org.uk/resources/indexes

Richard Ward married Phebe Wooten on 22 Jun 1800.
Richard and Phebe are still alive in 1851, living with their married daughter Rebecca.
I'm now on a mission to find their deaths.

[ElizabethHerts]

Just for the record, here are Richard and Phebe in 1851:

1851 Census
WEST BROMWICH, Staffordshire
HO107 piece 2025 folio 423 page 18
Sheepwash Lane, West Bromwich
Daniel Round Head Mar 47 Moulder Staffordshire Tipton
Rebecca Round Wife Mar 43 Staffordshire Bilston
Phoebe Round Daug U 20 Staffordshire West Bromwich
Rebecca Round Daug 12 Staffordshire West Bromwich
Richard Round Son 8 Staffordshire West Bromwich
Arthur Round Son 6 Staffordshire West Bromwich
Daniel Round Son 4 Staffordshire West Bromwich
Samuel Round Son 2 Staffordshire West Bromwich
Richard Ward Father in law 83 Carpenter Salop High Harkel
Phoebe Ward Mother in law 79 Staffordshire Brewood/Barwood?

[tenterfieldjulie]

Wonderful Elizabeth. Great Census too .. You must be so pleased .. you'll have lots for the old gents 80th in June .. Julie

[ElizabethHerts]

Findmypast has the Derbyshire local registrars' indexes although infuriatingly they are included in "parish baptisms", "parish marriages" and "parish burials" on the UK site and you can't easily tell that they are just registrars' index entries until you have paid to view them. The US site labels them as "Derbyshire Registrars Birth Index" etc.
Anyway, so there is a birth registration for Richard Ward Derby St Peter, year of birth 1843, matching up to the GRO index entry for Apr-Jun 1843. Could be that he wasn't baptised, or not at a church whose records are online, or after the family moved away from Derby. It looks as though FamilySearch covers St Peter's for that period.

I found that too, Kate, and I was pretty disgusted!

I'm finding it nigh on impossible to find any baptisms for the family.

[Margaret in Burton]

St Peter's is the church right in the city centre, surrounded by shops these days.

[Asa]

Just to reiterate, Freereg is excellent for at least some of Staffordshire - mine are mostly Cannock/ Penkridge area - if I can help, let me know

[ElizabethHerts]

Thanks Marg and David. At daughter's today so I'll be looking again tomorrow.

[ElizabethHerts]

A little challenge for you -

Can anyone find a baptism for
George Edwin Walton, c. 1819 Birmingham

Here he is in 1861:

1861 Census
BIRMINGHAM, Warwickshire
RG09 piece 2166 folio 80 page 11
8, Hylton Street, Birmingham
George E Walton Head Mar 41 Gilt Toy Manufacturer
Employing 6 men 10 women 4 boys and girls Birmingham
Elizabeth Walton Wife Mar 37 Birmingham
George E Walton Son Unm 14 Scholar Birmingham
Mary Ann Walton Daur Unm 12 Scholar Birmingham
William Walton Son 9 Scholar Birmingham
Frederick A Walton Son 7 Scholar Birmingham
Martha Harper Niece Un 20 Hand Burnisher Birmingham
Catharine Hussey Servt Un 20 House Servant Ireland

I'm trying to get back a generation.

[ElizabethHerts]

Someone has an Ancestry tree giving George's birth as 3 April 1819 and parents as Michael John Walton and Elizabeth (Turley).

I suspect they mean baptism. I just wish I could find it.

[kiterunner]

FamilySearch has a marriage for George Edwin Walton and Elizabeth Walker 8 Nov 1840 Harborne, Staffordshire, father "Walton Mathew" which I presume should be Mathew Walton. (Elizabeth's father is shown as Walker Richard.)

[ElizabethHerts]

FamilySearch has a marriage for George Edwin Walton and Elizabeth Walker 8 Nov 1840 Harborne, Staffordshire, father "Walton Mathew" which I presume should be Mathew Walton. (Elizabeth's father is shown as Walker Richard.)

Now I must have seen that a few days ago but didn't note it down. It seems as though the Ancestry tree is wrong, and I did have my worries as the other baptisms for the couple were easily found.

Many thanks, Kate.