Apologies in advance for the length of this message, but I am completely stuck!! Below is the information I have, and I would welcome any suggestions as to where to look now. I live in a hilltop village in Tuscany, so getting to UK libraries etc. to find relevant information is a rare event & getting to Bolton (where I was born) virtually impossible for the forseeable future. I have sent for a birth cert. for the William Brierley b 1840, but as the given name is so common, fear it may well not be the right family. My maternal g g g grandparents, John & Joanna Brierley (written as JONAH, and her birthplace as I - which means Ireland according to the Ancestry.com entry) appear in the 1841 census, but are absent in 1851, although three of their children are living together in 1851. This (and their ages in 1841) leads me to assume that both John & Joanna died between the two censuses, but unfortunately I can't find a death (or birth or marriage) for either of them on any of the online sites I know of. (IGI, Find my Past, Ancestry, Free BMD) Their eldest son, my g g grandfather, John Henry Brierley born around 1819, was already married by 1841, and states his birthplace in all censuses from 1841 as East Indies or Bombay, India. Their eldest daughter, Sarah Brierley, was christened on 11 March 1821 at St. Peters, Bolton le Moors & all the children listed in the 1841 census below were born in Bolton, so was John Henry mistaken or misinformed re. his birthplace? Was it Ireland, not India? If the family were in India (and I can find no record of that) then they were back in Bolton by 1820-1. If they were in Ireland, I can find no record of John & Joanna's marriage &, not knowing her surname, no record of her birth. Some time ago, Charlotte (from this list) gave me the following information, "I have checked the Regimental Births 1771 - 1924 which I have on disc and the only John Brierley born around 1820 was born in 1822 in Buttavant, Ireland." but that date is too late for my John Henry's birth, as the family were in Little Bolton by 1821. 1841 Census Halliwell Rd., Bolton le Moors, Little Bolton John Brierley 55 Weaver b Bolton (as were all the children) Jonah (sic) Brierley 45 b I (presumably Ireland or could it be India?) name should read JOANNA Mary Brierley 15 Ellen Brierley 13 Eliza Brierley 10 Robert Brierley 8 Hannah Brierley 4 William Brierley 1 1851 census 50, Blackburn St., Little Bolton Robert Brierley Head 17 Machine Turner b Bolton Hannah Brierley sister 13 Power Loom Weaver b Bolton Phoebe Aspin visitor 7 scholar b Darwen John Kenyon lodger 22 Iron Turner b Bolton Eliza Kenyon lodger 19 Turner's wife b Bolton (older sister of Robert & Hannah Brierley) WHAT CAN I DO NOW??? Any suggestions will be most helpful. Liz (alias Desperate) Coreglia Antelminelli

How about this Liz? Name: Joe Hannah Brierley Age: 70 Estimated Birth Year: abt 1791 Relation: Head Gender: Female Where born: Liverpool, Lancashire, England Civil Parish: Little Bolton Ecclesiastical parish: St George County/Island: Lancashire Country: England Street address: Coopers Sqr. Occupation: Midwife Condition as to marriage: Widow View Image Registration district: Bolton Sub-registration district: Little Bolton ED, institution, or vessel: 22f Neighbors: View others on page Household schedule number: 102 Household Members: Name Age Hannah Brierley 23 Daughter Weaver Cotton Joe Hannah Brierley 70 Source Citation: Class: RG9; Piece: 2824; Folio: 103; Page: 20; GSU roll: 543034. and this Lancashire Death indexes for the years: 1870 Surname Forename(s) Age Sub-District Registers At Reference BREARLY Juliana 76 Little Bolton Bolton LB/40/90 Joan

I have checked Military Births on www.findmypast.com and can't find anything for a John Henry born around 1819, sorry. Meg Please note change of surname following my recent marriage -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Elizabeth Wilde Sent: 21 January 2008 13:17 To: [email protected] Subject: [ENG-LAN-BOLTON] Joanna BRIERLEY Apologies in advance for the length of this message, but I am completely stuck!! Below is the information I have, and I would welcome any suggestions as to where to look now. I live in a hilltop village in Tuscany, so getting to UK libraries etc. to find relevant information is a rare event & getting to Bolton (where I was born) virtually impossible for the forseeable future. I have sent for a birth cert. for the William Brierley b 1840, but as the given name is so common, fear it may well not be the right family. My maternal g g g grandparents, John & Joanna Brierley (written as JONAH, and her birthplace as I - which means Ireland according to the Ancestry.com entry) appear in the 1841 census, but are absent in 1851, although three of their children are living together in 1851. This (and their ages in 1841) leads me to assume that both John & Joanna died between the two censuses, but unfortunately I can't find a death (or birth or marriage) for either of them on any of the online sites I know of. (IGI, Find my Past, Ancestry, Free BMD) Their eldest son, my g g grandfather, John Henry Brierley born around 1819, was already married by 1841, and states his birthplace in all censuses from 1841 as East Indies or Bombay, India. Their eldest daughter, Sarah Brierley, was christened on 11 March 1821 at St. Peters, Bolton le Moors & all the children listed in the 1841 census below were born in Bolton, so was John Henry mistaken or misinformed re. his birthplace? Was it Ireland, not India? If the family were in India (and I can find no record of that) then they were back in Bolton by 1820-1. If they were in Ireland, I can find no record of John & Joanna's marriage &, not knowing her surname, no record of her birth. Some time ago, Charlotte (from this list) gave me the following information, "I have checked the Regimental Births 1771 - 1924 which I have on disc and the only John Brierley born around 1820 was born in 1822 in Buttavant, Ireland." but that date is too late for my John Henry's birth, as the family were in Little Bolton by 1821. 1841 Census Halliwell Rd., Bolton le Moors, Little Bolton John Brierley 55 Weaver b Bolton (as were all the children) Jonah (sic) Brierley 45 b I (presumably Ireland or could it be India?) name should read JOANNA Mary Brierley 15 Ellen Brierley 13 Eliza Brierley 10 Robert Brierley 8 Hannah Brierley 4 William Brierley 1 1851 census 50, Blackburn St., Little Bolton Robert Brierley Head 17 Machine Turner b Bolton Hannah Brierley sister 13 Power Loom Weaver b Bolton Phoebe Aspin visitor 7 scholar b Darwen John Kenyon lodger 22 Iron Turner b Bolton Eliza Kenyon lodger 19 Turner's wife b Bolton (older sister of Robert & Hannah Brierley) WHAT CAN I DO NOW??? Any suggestions will be most helpful. Liz (alias Desperate) Coreglia Antelminelli ------------------------------- 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