I wonder if some one can shed some light onto a mystery concerning two branches of my family living in Oxford between the 1851 and 1861 census returns? The first is a Henry Hicks whose father, Paul Hicks a grocer in Oxford, died in 1839 leaving his business to him. This is reflected in the 1841 and 1851 census returns. The 1861 census has him in the workhouse where he spent the rest of his life until his death in1893. The second concerns Henry Hicks' cousin, Thomas Joy,whose father William Joy (Henry Hicks' uncle) died in 1847. William Joy was a tailor and son Thomas,together with his brother Alfred,took over the family business. This is reflected in the 1851 census. The 1861 census has Thomas,no longer a tailor,living in London. The 1871 census has him as a temporary clerk at a Post Office in London. No sign of Alfred Is it just a coincidence that these two businesses failed or did something happen in Oxford during this period to cause a down turn in the economy? The effects of the Crimea War perhaps? Peter Taylor Glossop Derbyshire

For Thomas perhaps it was because Alfred may have emigrated to Melbourne check out the following link (provided by Wendy Archer some time ago) www.oxfordshire.gov.uk-heritage and using the advanced search put the names in the exact phrase box . In the Local studies results for Thomas Joy you will find a link to Alfred's account of his migration to Melbourne. There is nothing for Henry Hicks Wendy -----Original Message----- From: D Taylor Sent: Sunday, September 16, 2012 3:00 PM To: OXFORDSHIRE@rootsweb.com Subject: [OXF] Henry Hicks & Thomas Joy 1850s Oxford I wonder if some one can shed some light onto a mystery concerning two branches of my family living in Oxford between the 1851 and 1861 census returns? The first is a Henry Hicks whose father, Paul Hicks a grocer in Oxford, died in 1839 leaving his business to him. This is reflected in the 1841 and 1851 census returns. The 1861 census has him in the workhouse where he spent the rest of his life until his death in1893. The second concerns Henry Hicks' cousin, Thomas Joy,whose father William Joy (Henry Hicks' uncle) died in 1847. William Joy was a tailor and son Thomas,together with his brother Alfred,took over the family business. This is reflected in the 1851 census. The 1861 census has Thomas,no longer a tailor,living in London. The 1871 census has him as a temporary clerk at a Post Office in London. No sign of Alfred Is it just a coincidence that these two businesses failed or did something happen in Oxford during this period to cause a down turn in the economy? The effects of the Crimea War perhaps? Peter Taylor Glossop Derbyshire ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OFHS Open Day - 6 October at Woodstock. See www.ofhs.org.uk ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to OXFORDSHIRE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message