----- Original Message ----- From: KAREN WATERWORTH To: ENG-LANCS-PRESTON-L@ROOTSWEB.COM Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2005 6:46 PM Subject: Woodcock's in Preston Hi All Many thanks to you kind people for the help and advice. Jim Catholic or Anglican, I will leave that one for just a moment. I have spent a long time debating which Thomas and Jane belong to me. If you think I have gone wrong, please advise. My great Grandfather was Francis Albert Woodcock born 30-Sep-1863.Preston I also knew for certain that his parents Francis Woodcock 1840-1915 & Margaret Shields c1841-1918 had also come from Preston. My late uncle had at one time looked at the family tree and found the Thomas with the Jane Gillett (IGI) but had no idea about the Thomas and Jane Brown. After the death of my uncle I looked at the census and IGI info he had put together along with the marriage certificate of Francis & Margaret and found it did not add up at all. Although my late uncle had the Marriage certificate and death of Francis he did not have the birth. This I sent for and found his mother was Jane nee Brown. I did a search to see if a Francis had been born to the other Thomas and Jane but found nothing. I then decided to use the census to find both families. Francis's marriage certificate in 1858 stated that his father was Thomas Woodcock (Spinner) and he was deceased by the time of the marriage. In the census info Jane Brown's husband was a spinner and Gillett's was a sizer. I sent for a certificate of one of the Woodcock/Gillett family to be certain I had found Jane Gillett. Woodcock/Brown census info 1841 - Mill street Thomas = 25yrs 1851 - 13 Frank street Thomas = 33yrs 1861 this family are at 83 Adelphi St and Jane is now a widow (Adelphi street was home address on Francis's marriage certificate in 1858) Woodcock/Gillett census info 1841 - Seddon street Thomas = 30yrs 1851 - 4 Castle street Thomas = 40yrs 1861 - 9 Ashmoor street Thomas = 50yrs Any further advice would be most helpful Karen

Hi, Karen, You wrote > I have spent a long time debating which Thomas and Jane belong to me. and I quite see why! You end - > Any further advice would be most helpful You provide the information > I sent for a certificate of one of the Woodcock/Gillett family to be certain I had found Jane Gillett. > Woodcock/Brown census info > 1861 this family are at 83 Adelphi St and Jane is now a widow (Adelphi street was home address on Francis's marriage certificate in 1858) > Woodcock/Gillett census info > 1851 - 4 Castle street Thomas = 40yrs > 1861 - 9 Ashmoor street Thomas = 50yrs I think these statements prove that Francis is the son of Jane (BROWN). This should be nailed down if you obtained Francis' birth certificate (you may already have it). The question of Francis' father's date of birth is now the awkward question. I don't think that the Census information is consistent between Censuses. You have found - > 1841 - Mill street Thomas = 25yrs > 1851 - 13 Frank street Thomas = 33yrs This does not look too bad, but the instructions to the enumerators in the 1841 Census were to round adult ages down to the nearest 5, specifically "for Persons aged 25 years and under 30 write 25" so your Thomas MAY have been older than 25 in 1841 so he aged well in 10 years. In your earlier note you stated "Thomas married Jane Brown in Garstang in 1833". Have you seen the entry in the Marriage Register? It may not be much help as I think many of the Anglican registers at this time only gave the name, condition, occupation and residence of the couple with no mention of their fathers. You have also found that this couple had at least six children who were all baptised at St. John (Parish Church), Preston. Have you looked at the god-parents? Again they may not be helpful as some churches seem to have had a parish representative as god-parent. However, if the god-parents are family members it may help to identify the WOODCOCK family to which Thomas belonged. Have you looked for other children of Thomas in Garstang baptism registers? Finally, the characters 3, 5, and 8 can be very difficult to distinguish in some hands. I hope this makes sense and is helpful Jim Lancaster (Bury, Lancs.) > ----- Original Message ----- > From: KAREN WATERWORTH > To: ENG-LANCS-PRESTON-L@ROOTSWEB.COM > Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2005 6:46 PM > Subject: Woodcock's in Preston