I wondered if George Tyson was still living in Sunderland.Our houses both shared the same back lane when we were kids and we both went to Hendon school.We emigrated to Australia in 1975 and used to watch George on TV when he was a football referee. On holiday back home in Sunderland, I saw a lot of old school friends but I never ever caught up wwith George Tyson.Regards to you George where ever you are. From Ann Pike

The twins Robert Tindle Dodds and Thomas Tindle Dodds were born in Monkwearmouth in 1844. They were pilots and well known in the Roker area. Thomas had a distinctive bushy beard that came down almost to his waist. I am told that an article about them appeared in the Sunderland Echo and until recently there was a photograph of them in "The Pilot Cutter", now renamed "The Harbour View". Help in tracing the article or the photograph would be greatly appreciated. Colin

Hello All Does anyone have any information about Farrington Hall near Silksworth (perhaps the spelling should be Farringdon Hall?). An ancestor was listed there on the 1871 census as a farm servant. Can anyone tell me more? Or perhaps may have a map or image they could scan and email?? Many thanks Rob

Hi Rob, You can see the location of Farrington Hall on the map at http://gis.durham.gov.uk/website/interMAP/viewer.htm do a post code search on SR3 3HG and select the 1951-59 map Stan

In a message dated 10/08/2007 14:36:00 GMT Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: Also the 1841 census ,I will stand corrected if I am wrong ,normally only shows if the householder is of the county or not ________________________________________________________ In where born there are two columns; "Whether Born in the Same County" and "Whether born in Scotland, Ireland, or Foreign Parts". It also does not give relationships Stan

Could SKS do a lookup for me, my GG Father Walter Smith was b.6 apr 1834. what were his parents names and if possible where they were from Tks Chris Smith

Chris would Walter have been in Sunderland ? Also the 1841 census ,I will stand corrected if I am wrong ,normally only shows if the householder is of the county or not Cheers Pat ----- Original Message ----- From: "chris smith" <[email protected]> To: "ENG-DUR-SUNDERLAND-L" <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, August 09, 2007 6:55 PM Subject: [ENG-DUR-SUNDERLAND] 1841 census > Could SKS do a lookup for me, my GG Father Walter Smith was b.6 apr 1834. > what were his parents names and if possible where they were from > > Tks > > > > Chris Smith > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.11.8/940 - Release Date: 06/08/2007 > 16:53 > >

Hi Chris Only found one Walter Smith in the area of Sunderland - but actually at Gateshead - of the right age so hope it is the one you are seeking. I've sent you the original image separately Best wishes Mary Armitage in sunny Devon England ----- Original Message ----- From: "chris smith" <[email protected]> > Could SKS do a lookup for me, my GG Father Walter Smith was b.6 apr 1834. > what were his parents names and if possible where they were from

In a message dated 09/08/2007 10:27:27 GMT Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: Could SKS do a lookup for me, my GG Father Walter Smith was b.6 apr 1834. what were his parents names and if possible where they were from Could you have been 10 years out? A Walter Smith was baptised at Bishopwearmouth on 26 December (Boxing Day!) 1824. His parents were Walter and Ann. There was also a Walter, son of Thomas and Isabella, baptised at Gateshead Fell (St John's) on 11 July 1831 and another Walter baptised at Heworth in 1838 (no further details known to me). However, to fail to give a parish or even a district containing a small number of parishes requires, for the whole of Co Durham, much more than a "look-up": It requires a considerable amount of research time! There will be much more detail of the entries I have mentioned in the originals, which are in Durham County Record Office. They should include both parents' names, the address and the father's occupation. Geoff Nicholson

There was a lovely poem in the Echo recently about the town as it used to be, written by a lady called Mary Taylor from Grangetown. She mention the big brass weighing chair in the market, cost a 1d to be weighed. Does anyone know what happened to that chair. Her poem brought some happy memories to us Ex Pats.Regards to All from Ann Hansen (Australia)

Hi Ian Was John's brother William Hunter, the father of Margaret Jane Hunter who married Thomas Wright in 1890? Thomas and Margaret were living at 14 Queen Street, Ryhope at the time. They were married in 1887 and Margaret was living with her parents William Hunter and Jane, at 14 Burdon Street, Ryhope. According to the 1881 census William Hunter was born in South Shields about 1833. William was a horsekeeper in the mines. William's father was also named William and his mother is called Dorothy. In the 1851 census William jr is 17, his brother Thomas is 15, sister Dorothy is 13 and sister Elizabeth is 9. As their mother is then 50 I would assume that John must be older than William. I don't suppose there is a conection as Hunter is quite a common name but they are in the right area at the right time so I thought I would give it a whirl. Susan ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ian Ridley" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, August 03, 2007 9:25 AM Subject: [ENG-DUR-SUNDERLAND] Errors in civil registration > Thanks to everyone for their replies, I think it is definately a case of > the declarant not really knowing the details as she was not family but a > sick nurse. It would not have been a nickname as he had a brother called > William. > Still I suppose it makes it more challenging. > > Regards > > Ian

Thanks to everyone for their replies, I think it is definately a case of the declarant not really knowing the details as she was not family but a sick nurse. It would not have been a nickname as he had a brother called William. Still I suppose it makes it more challenging. Regards Ian

Ian my husband is William Derek but has always used Derek -and we thought he was Derek William We were married as DW ,he had a British passport as DW and it was only when we were naturalised Australian that the clerk noticed his birth certificate said William Derek That same cert. had been used to obtain official documents for 55 years To make things worse in Sunderland my hubby is known as Philly so when I say Derek they all wonder who that is ! Cheers Pat Phillips ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ian Ridley" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, August 03, 2007 4:06 AM Subject: [ENG-DUR-SUNDERLAND] Errors in civil Registration > Hi Listers, > I was just wondering if I am the only person who has errors in the > information on certificates or is it fairly common. > I have recently received a death certificate with the wrong name for her > late husband. > In the 1891 census residing at 8/9 Flag Lane are John Hunter, a block > mastmaker by trade and his wife Elizabeth. > John passed away 29/04/1893, the only error being his age which I accept > is fairly normal on a death certificate. > His Wife Elizabeth died 22/01/1898, I have the burial entry which confirms > this date,address and that she was the wife of John Hunter block > mastmaker. However when I sent for the death certificate the address was > right,Flag Lane, the date of death was right but the husband was wrong it > had William Hunter instead of John. When I checked the declarent on the > 1901 census she was just a sick nurse. > Were there no checks made to ensure that the information was correct. I > would be interested to know if other listers have had similar problems. > Regards > > Ian > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.11.2/931 - Release Date: 01/08/2007 > 16:53 > >

Hi Ian, Yes, I've found errors on certificates issued by Records Offices. On one, hand-written in 1831, the surname Wadsworth was recorded as 'Woodworth', which caused immense confusion in my research. Either the parish clerk was hard of hearing or someone mumbled the name. Another was a recently hand-written copy of a 1903 original, showing the name Eleanora as 'Ellenorer'. As Doris says, headstones are another possible source of such errors. There are errors on the headstones of two married couples in my family, one related to each of my parents. One stone, in Wales, gives an incorrect birth year and the other, in England, has a name incorrectly spelt. One of my aunts was always known by a certain first name, and I never knew her called by any other, yet I can find no record of her birth or marriage under that name, only ones for dates which coincide but show a different name beginning with the same letter. My aunt was the eldest of the siblings, and no-one still alive is able to confirm that these records do in fact relate to her. I've also been given 'dud' information by family members who were adamant that it was correct, while official records show otherwise, but can anyone prove the official record is 'gospel'? We can only go by information we are given or can find. In the light of examples we've seen here, perhaps we shouldn't be too hard on transcribers who mis-read or mis-spell information they take from original records. It may confuse and irritate researchers, but, with the best will in the world, we do all make mistakes! Best of luck with your research. Mary O

Hi , I my self had a sister in law ,she died ,she was always known as Mary , but her first name wasn't Mary she was Heather Mary , and certificates are only as good as the person giving the information, and again half the time they did not know how old the person was ,just assumed a date ,same with headstones so take ages with a pinch of salt . Doris ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ian Ridley" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, August 02, 2007 7:36 PM Subject: [ENG-DUR-SUNDERLAND] Errors in civil Registration > Hi Listers, > I was just wondering if I am the only person who has errors in the > information on certificates or is it fairly common. > I have recently received a death certificate with the wrong name for her > late husband. > In the 1891 census residing at 8/9 Flag Lane are John Hunter, a block > mastmaker by trade and his wife Elizabeth. > John passed away 29/04/1893, the only error being his age which I accept > is fairly normal on a death certificate. > His Wife Elizabeth died 22/01/1898, I have the burial entry which confirms > this date,address and that she was the wife of John Hunter block > mastmaker. However when I sent for the death certificate the address was > right,Flag Lane, the date of death was right but the husband was wrong it > had William Hunter instead of John. When I checked the declarent on the > 1901 census she was just a sick nurse. > Were there no checks made to ensure that the information was correct. I > would be interested to know if other listers have had similar problems. > Regards > > Ian > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Hi Listers, I was just wondering if I am the only person who has errors in the information on certificates or is it fairly common. I have recently received a death certificate with the wrong name for her late husband. In the 1891 census residing at 8/9 Flag Lane are John Hunter, a block mastmaker by trade and his wife Elizabeth. John passed away 29/04/1893, the only error being his age which I accept is fairly normal on a death certificate. His Wife Elizabeth died 22/01/1898, I have the burial entry which confirms this date,address and that she was the wife of John Hunter block mastmaker. However when I sent for the death certificate the address was right,Flag Lane, the date of death was right but the husband was wrong it had William Hunter instead of John. When I checked the declarent on the 1901 census she was just a sick nurse. Were there no checks made to ensure that the information was correct. I would be interested to know if other listers have had similar problems. Regards Ian

In a message dated 02/08/2007 19:42:41 GMT Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: John passed away 29/04/1893, the only error being his age which I accept is fairly normal on a death certificate. His Wife Elizabeth died 22/01/1898, I have the burial entry which confirms this date,address and that she was the wife of John Hunter block mastmaker. However when I sent for the death certificate the address was right,Flag Lane, the date of death was right but the husband was wrong it had William Hunter instead of John She had been a widow for about five years. The person making the declaration may never have known her husband, and if they had they could well have forgotten his first name after that time. They may not have realised that they would be asked for his name and so when they were they made up a likely one. When giving courses in family history I always tell my students "When faced with a statement in an official document, always ask yourselves 'who said so - and who were they trying to impress?'" In this case it was an informant who may have known the deceased much better than they ever knew her husband, if they had known him at all, and they were trying to impress the registrar by letting it appear that they knew what they were talking about - don't we all do that sort of thing occasionally? (or perhaps more than occasionally!). Also do realise that someone may have had a "Sunday name" of William or John, but they were probably known to their friends by some other name. That would probably be some derivative of their "proper name", such as Billy or Johnny but it could also have been a quite unconnected nickname, given to them for some long-forgotten reason, dating back to their own childhood. That could have taken over from their "real" name to such an extent that only their immediate family knew what their real name was. I can think of an example from the last 20 years of someone who was keen to keep knowledge of his name from everyone except his wife and children, and who was always known by his "nickname". I also know of someone who was at the same school as I was, though a few years older than I. He was once spotted at night, leaning on a lampost, reading by its light a copy of a certain children's comic, when he should have been much too old to be interested in it. Ever after that he was known by the name of the comic. He became a High Court Judge (he must now be retired or about to become so) and I always thought that if ever I had to appear before him I wouldn't address him as "Your Honour" but by his nickname. Worth a couple of years on my sentence, but good for a laugh! Geoff Nicholson

Hi Folks, I have found someone on the 1841 census and don't understand the address. I think it might be some sort of institution, but the husband is described as a "worker". The address is City of Durham Cross Gate P B and M B, St Oswald, Crossgate, Durham. Can someone help me please? Jill

Hi Jill. In the 1841 Census it was only necessary for the enumerator to give the name, if any, of the house, or the name of the street, part of the town, village or hamlet in which it stood. From 1851 onwards they were specifically instructed to give the number of the house as well. The Street is Crossgate and end of each individual family in a house is marked with / and the end of a house is marked with //. There are three families living in the house you are interested in. MB does mean Municipal Borough (of Durham) and PB is Parliamentary Borough (of Durham). Stan

In a message dated 30/07/2007 22:16:51 GMT Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: Cross Gate P B and M B ___________________________________________________________________ Hi Jill, PB usually means Parliamentry Borough, and MB Municipal Borough. Can you give the census details so that the entry can be looked at? Stan