Sheffield Indexers
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I really have hit a brick wall! My great granddad was James Biggins b.1846/47. He married twice and on each marriage certificate his age is shown as being born either 1846 or 1847 and his father was called John Biggins.
Some time ago I put out a plea on the forum to try and find his parents since I couldn't find (and still can't by the way) find a birth registered for James. Someone found a baptism on IGI showing parents as John Biggin and Rebecca Boyle. I then found a John Biggin and Rebecca Boyle marrying in 1845. The baptism however showed that James wasn't baptised until 1857 by this couple so I'm still not sure these were his parents. Has anyone any ideas where else I could look?
I seem to manage to solve everyone else's brick walls except my own.
Wendy Wood
Hello me owd duck...... lol.
Is this another connection we might have..??? Or have we already checked it out......
I have a spare John but 1832...... father Isaac. Upper Hallam.
John became a Table Blade Grinder born Dore.
Thats all I know.
I am sure you are aware of a huge number of Biggin's in Norton.
Fingers crossed.....
Elaine in Ottawa.
Skype Does this look like the family make up??
They are at Norton...... 1861 census.
John Biggins 41
Elizabeth Biggins 41
James Biggins 11
Fanny Biggins 10
Morris Biggins 7
Sarah Ann Biggins 5
Arnaud Biggins 3
Andrew Biggins 1
Ellis Biggins 1
George Oates 18
******************************************
Fingers crossed.
Elaine......
Thanks for all the replies but unfortunately I can't find John in 1 census! I can only find Rebecca in 1861 with son James and they are then living with a Henry Cooper, Rebecca having left John. I think John must have died in 1871 because Rebecca then went on to marry Henry Cooper.
Elaine, I've checked out the other John's and none tie up with mine! Urghh!
Wendy
Ps for the whole family/story look at my tribal pages
Elaine, I've checked out the other John's and none tie up with mine! Urghh!
As another thought occurs, I did find a John Biggins in the 1841 census b.1826 living with a Henry and Eliza Biggins. This John was born in Limerick, Ireland. Drawn another blank on this though, even tried a quick search on the Irish findmypast but nothing came up.
Wendy
Ps for the whole family/story look at my tribal pages
Have looked at Tribalpages and see who we are talking about.
I will have another look if I can spot anything but if you can't find him I probably wont either.
Just a thought. He may not have died prior to 1871.
He could have just moved away from Sheffield well away. If she could prove he had been gone seven years or more I believe she could have re married stating he could have died. I remember a great aunt telling me about that back in the '50s. She was talking about her husband but I didn't know that until I started my family history. He had remarried in 1925. No divorce.No contact etc. He lived in Northamptonshire. She left him in 1900.She never re married.
So dont give up hope.
Elaine in Ottawa
Well here I am, back again. I now have John and Rebecca's marriage certificate. It shows John's father as James Biggins (which I already thought it was). John was down as being a cutler, aged 20 years on 14th April 1845 (wedding day)living Pond Street and his father James was a file smith.
Rebecca Boyle aged 19 years (spinster) also of Pond Street and her father interestingly is called Casar Boyle and occupation shown as Chair Manfufacturer.
I have now searched the 1841 census for Pond Street and found a John Biggins and Ann Biggins both born 1806 and various children living there but no John and the head of household should be James not John. This particular John and Ann remain at 100 Pond Street through 1851 and 1861, always the name shown as John, not James (have checked the original and it's definitely John). Brick wall again. Can't find this Casar Boyle anywhere although there was a Rebecca Boyle living in Leeds with her brother Benjamin in 1841 aged 13 yrs. Any ideas?? The church where John and Rebecca were married is given as Par. Church by John Teague. Marriage solemnized by banns in the par. of Sheff'd.
I Think I have the solution Wendy.
1841 census. Piece 1333/13..... Bramall Lane.
John Biggins aged 15 Apprentice... born Ireland.
He is staying with a Henry Biggins aged 25 who is a cutler..and born in Yorkshire.
Could John be Henry's apprentice and maybe related.
John's age was probably rounded down so that in 1845 he could have been 20.
Maybe he knew Rebecca from over "ome" Certainly no Casare Boyle showing up. Would have thought he would have been in the directories. He's not in the burial indexes I have.
Crossing those fingers again.......
Cuz Elaine.
Hi Elaine,
I too had seen the 1841 census and thought it a possibility. I decided to look at the Irish records on find my past but James Biggins never showed at all. Haven't tried looking for Rebecca's dad on there yet. It's getting a bit late now. Will try tomorrow.
In the IGI I have a James Biggins and Ann baptising John Biggins in 1826. I also found a marriage for James Biggins and Ann Rayney in 1813 in Sheffield so I'm not wholly convinced he was Irish. The census records for Rebecca living with Henry Cooper show her as coming from Sheffield, although there seem to be a lot of Boyles in Leeds.
We'll get there in the end, some how, not sure yet!!
Glad you're thinking of me cuz!
Hi Sue
Thanks for all your effort and have managed to take my tree a little further. It would help if I could find John and Rebecca in 1851, they should have James as well but they're just not around.
The James Biggin you have found is probably the correct one but he died in January 1928 aged 80 years. Making his year of birth 1847/1848.
He wasn't baptised until much later which means mum and dad were still together in 1857, just don't know where.
I have tried getting onto the Ancestry matches but because I don't subscribe to Ancestry it won't let me in. I've got a couple of matches up on my Genes tree and am crossing fingers for a reply. Nothing has come up as a match with my Tribal tree unfortunately. I found the marriage for Caesar and Rebecca, his name then was Boylynn. In Whites Directory of 1833 it's Boylyn but son William's birth is registered as Boyle and it's definitely Boyle on Rebecca's marriage cert. to John Biggins.
Thanks again for all your help.
Wendy
Hi Wendy
I was going to Email you some of the info on Ancestry but the link didn't work. Can you Email me and then I will send you some attachments.
Regards
Sue