William Smith

[Anstey Nomad]

A man of whom I know nothing.

On 20 January 1881, he married my great great grandmother Annie Goadby at the Register Office in Leeds. He said he was 35 years old, a bachelor and a shoe finisher. He said his father was James Smith, deceased, a shoe maker.

The Registrar was George Beckwith and one of the witnesses was W H Beckwith (son of George). Annie's grandmother was born a Beckwith, but whether this is only coincidence. I just don't know.

This is the family in the 1881 census, at 2, Greaves Place, Hunslet:

William H Chapman 32 Head Shoemaker Leics Market Harborough
Annie E Chapman 30 Wife Nottingham
William Chapman 9 Son Scholar Leicester
Joseph Chapman 8 Son Scholar Leicester
Mary Anne Whitworth 4 Visitor Scholar Leicester

I know that this is the right family, despite the name change, because Mary Anne is documented elsewhere as Annie's niece. The boys' surname was actually Goadby.

Those are the only sightings of William that I have. By December 1883, the presumption is that he is dead, because Annie Smith, widow, was back in Leicester, marrying Samuel Riley at St Matthew's.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to identify William Smith, where I have failed.

Thank you.

[Merry]

This won't help identify him!

Best fit:


Deaths Jun 1883
Smith William 35 Hunslet 9b 185

[Merry]

Did she have any children with Wm?

[Anstey Nomad]

That death looks like him (minus the H), although he's 35 on the 1881 Marriage Certificate.

They had two children; Arthur Henry Smith (DQ 1881 Hunslet), who lived and eventually took over the family shop, and William Ernest (DQ 1882 Leicester), who died 27 February 1883 aged 4 months.

Arthur appears on the censuses with his mother up to, and including 1911.

[Merry]

Oh, so if the last child was born in Leicester Wm may have died there and not in Hunslet.

Back in Hunslet there's also this one if he was being more accurate at the wedding!

Deaths Sep 1882
Smith William 37 Hunslet 9b 177


There are a few deaths in Leicester but none are in their 30s

[Merry]

That Sept 1882 death seems best because then Annie is widowed, then goes home, then has baby...... rather than leaves husband, has baby, is widowed.......

[Anstey Nomad]

If William was four months old in February 1883, he would have been born around October 1882 and conceived at the beginning of that year. Doesn't that exclude the SQ 1882 death?

[Mary from Italy]

Just had a quick look, and I can't see anything obvious.

She and Samuel didn't stay together long, did they? She always seems to be shown as married on the censuses, but they aren't together, although it looks as though they had at least two children: the Annie Riley on the 1891 census, and a Ross Ernest Riley who was born and died between censuses.

I found Annie senior's burial at Welford Road; she was buried with her mother and various Goadbys and Rileys, including Ross.

[Merry]

Originally Posted by Anstey Nomad

If William was four months old in February 1883, he would have been born around October 1882 and conceived at the beginning of that year. Doesn't that exclude the SQ 1882 death?

If we say he was conceived in about Feb 1882 I can't see a problem with his father dying before the end of June.

[Anstey Nomad]

I don't know which year is which any more. This thread is supposed to be an antidote to high levels of stress at home, but I'm not sure it's working

Thanks Mary, that's the family grave at Welford Road. Annie's daughter Sarah Ann Moir is in the adjacent plot.