I'm trying to unravel a tricky ancestor problem. My best lead so far is a cousin (I think)
John Wood born around 1820 to William Wood, farmer. John says he's born in Bradfiels, or Wortley, or Waddesley bridge. I know there is a Wood family farming around Wightwizzle.
has anyone researched the family and has a family tree?

Hi Jane,

We are currently transcribing Bradfield Baptisms and the next two batches of baptisms to be uploaded cover the time period you are interested in.

However though I can see William the farmer I can not see a John born to him. Can you give us a little more info please.

Elaine in Ottawa.

Instant Messenger: Skype

Hello again. The variable places of birth are those John gives on census returns.He moves into Sheffield to work as a forgeman. The information about William Wood comes from his marriage certificate from 1843. A witness to that wedding is an Ann Wood, later Ann Fairest who I'm guessing is his sister.
I'm actually trying to trace my great-great grandfather who I think is John's cousin. I'm well and truly stuck with him so I thought I'd try tracing John back to see if I can find the elusive common ancestor.
John's possible cousin is called George b@ 1814 and he lists his father as John Wood, farmer.
John's children are named John, Charles, Fanny and Joseph if that helps.

Thanks

I'm getting a little confused. With dates in particular.


Could this baptism be Fanny? Ecclesfield Parish Church.

7 Aug 1853 WOOD Fanny John Martha Forgeman Wadsley bridge

There are also a very large number of BURIALS of Woods & Fairist at LOXLEY Congregational Chapel.

Elaine in Ottawa.

Instant Messenger: Skype

That birth is John's daughter Fanny. John is born around 1820, his sister Ann around 1822.She gives her place of birth as Bradfield

Hi Jane,

In 1853 Ecclesfield Parish Church was the Parish that covered Wadsley Bridge NOT Bradfield.

The 1861 census bears this out.

Name: Fanny Wood
Age: 8
Estimated birth year: 1853
Relation: Daughter
Father's name: John Wood
Mother's name: Martha Wood
Gender: Female
Where born: Ecclesfield, Yorkshire, England
Civil Parish: Ecclesfield
Ecclesiastical parish: Ecclesfield
County/Island: Yorkshire
Country: England
Street address: Wadsley Bridge




View image
Registration district: Wortley
Sub-registration district: Ecclesfield
ED, institution, or vessel: 11
Neighbors:
Household schedule number: 40
Piece: 3458
Folio: 79
Page Number: 17
Household Members:
Name Age
John Wood 41 Steel Forgeman Born Ecclesfield as they all were except John jnr.
Martha Wood nee Loy 38
John Wood 9 born Sheffield
Fanny Wood 8
Charles Wood 6
Joseph Wood 6/12

The other children all registered in Wortley.

Does this help?

Elaine in Ottawa.

Instant Messenger: Skype

Hi Jane,

On the 1861 census its states they are all from Ecclesfield except for John jnr born in Sheffield. Living in Wadsley Bridge which comes under Ecclesfield.

The GRO index has the childrens births in Wortley.

Have you checked the Ecclesfield Parish Registers out?
Do you live in Sheffield?
Have you found the marriage for John Wood & Martha Loy?

Elaine in Ottawa.

Instant Messenger: Skype

From FMP, marriage of William wood to Sarah Bivins in 1814 Bradfield.
They had 5 children including John 1819 and ANN 1822. The others wer Jane, Sarah and Mary
Dave
Edit. There is a tree on Ancestry which has William Wood and Sarah Bivins

Hi Jane et al,
There is a baptism record on Family Search website for:
John Wood Baptized 26/Dec/1819 at Bradfield
Parents William and Sarah. (this is possible support for Dave's info)

On 1851 census for Brightside Bierlow(Harvest Lane)
John Wood - 31 Wadsley Bridge (Head) Steel Forgeman, Married
Martha Wood - 28 Wadsley Bridge (Wife)
Mary Wood - 7 Wadsley Bridge (Daughter)

Mary Wood does not show up on 1861 census, she would have been 17 years old, maybe she died or maybe married or working away.??

HAPPY HUNTING:sleuth_or_spy:

Hi Jane,

Our Bradfield Baptisms have just been updated and are now in our database.

Johns baptisms is now there. Over to the left under PARISH RECORDS.

His wife Martha Loy 18yrs old in our 1841 census index aged 18yrs.

She was baptised Martha Rebecca Loy 29th Sep 1822 at Ecclesfield Parish Church
Parents William & Tabitha Loy.Wadsley Bridge. File Grinder.

Elaine in Ottawa.

Instant Messenger: Skype

There is a tree on GenesReunited which has William Wood and Sarah Bivins on it. According to that tree (owned by a lady born in Sheffield) William was born Sheffield in 1791 and Sarah born Sheffield 1787.
Dave

Thanks everyone. I'll look up the trees you mention. If the birth for William turns out to be right then maybe, just maybe, I can find he has a brother called John.

Jane, if you have a subs with FMP you will probably succeed in that. It will be tricky because Williams parents were John and Mary, so very common
Dave

Hi Jane et al,

On Family Search website, there is a father named John Wood of Wadsley whose name appears as the father of about 8 children all of whom were baptized in Ecclesfield between 1779 through 1811.
Among the children are a John bapt:1779- William bapt:1791- George bapt:1782-
Joseph bapt:1788 and the rest are all daughters.
This could possibly be your family..?? Then again...!!!

HAPPY HUNTING:sleuth_or_spy:

thank you all very very much, John,Joseph,George and William are very much Wood family names coming down, though they are of course all very common names too.
One last query that's just asking for an opinion really.
The reasons I think this John and my George are related are too convoluted to go into, but on the one census I know for certain is George (1861), he gives his place of birth as Sandal. Is that usually Sandal Magna?
There is a baptism there in the right year, but there's also one in Doncaster which may be for a birth in Kirk Sandal. My hunch is it's Sandal Magna.
One little bit which may back that up is I found a census entry around the Waddsley Bridge/Bradfield hinterland of a Mary Wood, widow and farmer, who also gives her place of birth as Sandal. So maybe George was raised west of Sheffield but born and baptised near his mother's family in Sandal.
That's the theory anyway, all I need to do is prove it.
The silly thing is when I started this family history lark the Woods were the bit I new most about, and now they're almost the least.

Hi Jane et al,
Might I suggest you go to the Genuki website where you will discover Sandal & Sandal Magna are part of the same community separated only by the Barnsley Rd,both are about 2 miles south of Wakefield.

However, Kirk Sandal is 4 miles N.N.E. of Doncaster. It also boasts a couple of Rev. Wood's in that area.
The parish of Frickley with Clayton, near Doncaster, is where two of George's children were born. If I am correct in my findings, George first married Elizabeth Appleby on 28 Jan/1840 at Clayton (Elizabeth appears to be from Clayton).
In 1841 George and Elizabeth were living at Clayton with Frickley.
In 1851 they are in Reg.District of Doncaster. George is a Brewery Man, they have four children born in various places around Doncaster.
By 1861 George and who I believe is his second wife, Elizabeth Gill, are living at Pitsmoor, with one child, Valentine Wood B; 1857/8. George died in April 1866 at Orchard St/Harvest Lane.
Now it becomes confusing, did Elizabeth Wood nee Gill die in 1870..?? or did she go to live with John Wood who in 1871 was recorded without his wife Martha,(possibly dead) records show he has taken in Valentine as his stepson and has 3 other children of his own at home and a married daughter + hubby.
The only connection I have been able to draw between John Wood from Ecclesfield/Wadsley and George from Sandal is they both lived on/near Harvest Lane, Brightside.
Most of the above can be found on Family Search website.
HAPPY HUNTING:sleuth_or_spy:

Thanks for your e mail Wendy, I only just found it, been away. It's interesting, and I'd love to know who entered the info on Family Search because some of it is very definitely wrong!George's seond wife isn't Elizabeth Gill. She did die in 1870.
The George Wood in Clayton in 1851 had four children. His second marriage is in 1853 and I can't locate any accurate deaths for his first wife or what happened to the two youngest children who'd be 2 and 5 in 1853. I think I've found the oldest two girls are in service on the 1861 census. Neither of the those children lived with George and his second wife and George's granddaughter (reliable in all other info she gave me) and my grandad knew of no other children of George so I'm not at all sure the Clayton family are the same family.
The 1871 census doesn't say Valentine is John's stepson it says he's his nephew, but as I've said in an earlier bit of this thread I think John and George are not brothers but maybe cousins. Valentine was baptised from an address on Harvest lane which is where John was living at the same time. I do think John and George are related but can't find anything certain.
the hunt goes on