Robert Gifford Brooks

[Joy Dean]

Robert Gifford Brooks, brother to my ancestor Joseph Barber Brooks, married in Gillingham in 1825. He and his wife Ann, living in Acton, Middlesex, had three children baptised in Gillingham, between 1827 and 1831. Moving to London, their next two children were born in 1833 and 1834 and were baptised in 1834 in London; the last was born in Newington in 1839.

I have noticed a burial in the ancestry site for a Robert Gifford Brooks, age 5 months, of Duke Street, Westminster Road, buried 1 January 1826 at St George the Martyr, Southwark. However, I cannot find a baptism for him. I do not like assuming but, given that it is such an unusual name, would you add him as their first child?

[Merry]

The trouble is, he might be the child of Robert G Brooks sibling, rather than his own child. It's most likely to be his, but maybe not 100%.

If it was me I would make a note about the burial on my tree and wait to see what else crops up.

[Joy Dean]

Not sure I worded that sensibly / understandably! :)

Do you think that baby Robert G Brooks is the son of Robert G and Ann Brooks, please?


My ancestor Joseph Barber Brooks married in 1830 and had just one child.

[Merry]

Probably it was me not wording things right - I knew what you meant! I meant - a child may have been named Robert Gifford Brooks and been named for the child's uncle rather than for it's father. However, I don't know how many siblings Robert and Joseph etc had and whether it would have worked time-wise for one of them to name a child after their brother. I have quite a few Nathan Maynards in my tree, but none of them are father and son - the name always moves sideways before it moves down, if that makes sense?!!

*reaches for another glass of red*

[Joy Dean]

Ah, I see :)

They had no other brothers, but they did have four sisters, born between 1795 and 1806 and, so far, I only have baptism information about them. So yes, I agree, it is possible that baby Robert belonged to one of them. I shall make a note about him that he may have belonged to one of them.
Thank you :)