the best way to trace hawkers/travellers

[ros]

can anyone point me in the right direction for tracing relatives that were known as gypsy hawkers/travellers
i have a possible link to the family in the 1901 census of wales  but despite birth places listed on this i canot find them on previous census.
ialso have been told that the family name was changed around the 1890's which makes it more difficult
can anyone advise the best place to look for them , i canot seem to get hold of a copy of a birth certificate for my grandfather, i have tried several times to order online but just get a message back to say it cant be traced , i have very little to go on.
any advise on where to start or look would be appreciated

[CatOne]

Hi ros 

What are the names you are looking for? We'll have a scout round for them...... (the GRO once said they couldn't find a certificate I ordered cos I'd written Osborn instead of Osborne, so a simple mispelling could account for them not being able to find it, although if you have the actual GRO reference I dont know how they cant find it!)

Regards
Catherine

[ros]

hi catone , yes i did have the reference numbers and everything but they still camr back and said they couldn't find it but charged me for a search anyway ?
right here goes this is what i have :
my grandfather edward walter gale b 1906 hereford (i was told )
his father on his marriage cert in 1952 listed as ernest gale deceased
i have been told that ernest wife was called elizabeth
supposidly the family name was originally "heath" and changed around 1891 to gale after walter gambled and lost everything the family owned
someone in thias site found me on the 1901 census walter gale age 40 born southampton occ pedlar
alice gale 48 born leeds
ernest gale 14 born cheltenham
still not certain whether these are mine or not
on the census they were living in an area in which there were several pedalr / hawker families in canton glamorgan s/wales , when i mention the "canton" bit to a cousin of mine he says he can remember his father saying the family were living in canton for a while


i really am at a loss as to where to go i think i have read every site possible on here and via google

[CatOne]

I see what you mean about them being difficult to find! 

Have you traced the death of Edward Walter Gale? May give his dob or at least a more certain idea of his year of birth.....

Did you get the GRO reference for his birth from a transcription or the actual image? If the certificate cant be found at the reference you gave, they usually search a year either side, then if they still cant find it, they refund the £7 cert. charge.

Cant even find the family you have in 1901, on the 1891 census!  Will let you know if I find anything though

Good Luck
Catherine 

[An65]

Dont know if this might be him??

87 Manor St, Clapham London 1891

Emily Heath, Head, wid 60 bn Poole Dorsetshire
Walter Heath, son, single, 32 Ironmonger bn Southampton Hants

[An65]

I took a look at the 1901 cr of Glamorgan.

Listed on the same page are several other travelling families.
He is lodging with William Foot 39 Pedlar Sherborne Dorset
and his wife Mary 35 also a Pedlar
Herbert Knowles also a Pedlar bn Norwich
Alfred Cross also a pedlar Durham

A couple of doors away is
Samuel Bannell 21 travelling gipsy Dudley
Charlotte Bannell 22 wife Selby Yks
Samuel Bannell 3 son ? Glamorgan, Wales
Now I wouldnt mind betting that Bannell should be - Boswell.

Travelling families often travelled or lodged with/near in-laws. If I were you Id start checking out these people as well, as it may just be that it will lead to more info.

[Manchester Rambler]

There's no birth for Edward Walter Gale in 1906 on the complete GRO images at http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/vital/freebmd/bmd.aspx .

How old is he on his marriage cert?

Rambler

[ros]

thank you for all your replies
edward walter gale (grandfather0 was born 1906 hereford ive been told, married galdys evelyn clark in bath somerset1936, on the wedding cert he was listed as age 30years

date of death14/2/1952 in bath somerset

brother william john gale b 1912 ? hereford  died 2004 bath somerset / avon
sister elizabeth susan gale b 1910c ? hereford married james john selway 1930 in bath

grandfather; ernest gale on edwards wedding cert of 1936 as deceased
there are no certificates in tha family as all paperwork was destroyed by another relative !!!
i managed to get a copy of edward walter and galdys wedding cert via the bath registry office , using what little details id been given from my mother
i have been told that edward walter had either an uncle or cousin called edward heath  who had a daughter called susan , they changed their name and emigrated to america he was a band leader she was an actress
elizabeth susan , william john and edward walter gale all settled in the bath somerset area
apart from these details eerything that ive put in the other messages is only what ive been told re name cahnge but every surviving member of the family all say the family name was "heath" up untill approx 1890

[CatOne]

Death - Edward W Gale March 1852 Bath Vol 7c Page 41 age 45

so yob - c.1907, dont know if death certificates from this date would record his precise dob? maybe someone else knows.....