No trace - what else can I try?

[yorkierose]

messing with pic

[yorkierose]

I decided to take a break from trying to find Bertram Wilkes and family for a while because I was just going round in circles and not really getting anywhere.  I then discovered a website I hadn't seen before www.familyrelatives.org and managed to track down two of Bert's siblings who turn out to have been older than him, which is not at all what I originally thought.  I found Maud G Wilkes marrying Alfred Parsons in Hemsworth 1911 (I already knew her married name was Parsons, although didn't know the first name of her husband).  I then found Abraham Wilkes marrying a Sarah E Clark in the Wakefield District in 1912.  (I know that Abraham lived near Normanton (possibly Heath or Warmfield) which comes under the Wakefield area).  From the same website I have also managed to find birth entries for children of Maud and also Abraham - but have still not found any record of the family on the 1901 census though which is most frustrating.....aaaargggh!! 

[yorkierose]

It just goes to show that you should never give up!!!  I finally, after well over a year of searching, found my great grandfather Bertram Wilkes on the 1901 census under the name Bertie Clark!!!    To cut a long story short, Bert's father Samuel Wilkes died when Bert was a baby in Staffordshire and his mother (Ada Esther) remarried a Frank Clark in 1900, Hemsworth - hence the children being recorded with their stepfather's surname on the 1901 census.  The jigsaw puzzle is almost complete and I have managed to track the family back through census records and bmd's to c.1801 but...and there's always a but!!  The 1901 census shows Bert's age as 1 year.  Now that would make him 17 when he married in 1917, yet his marriage certificate states age 22.  I know he could have lied about this, but when he died in 1952 his age was shown on his death certificate as 55, making his year of birth c.1897??    So the question is - when, between 1895 and 1900 was Bertram born?  The 1901 census gives place of birth as Torrester, Staffs.  I can't find such a place, so a bit more digging is needed - ah well, almost there.    

[JudyAnne]

Hi Shelly

Don't know whether this helps.  Between 1895-1900 there was only one Bertram Wilkes born according to FreeBMD.  He was born in Mar quarter of 1896 ref Leicester 7a 247. I haven't managed to find Torrester (or anything like it!) either but Leicestershire is next door to Staffs

Jud

[woodydog]

Hmmm! I'll tag on to this after you've solved most of the mystery-typical eh?
I've also had a good dig round for Torrester & come up with a great big fat zero- is the name as transcribed or is it from the original census page? Nearest I could come up with was a Forrester Road in Stone or even Forsbrook in the Staffordshire moorlands!!! I'm guessing that Samuel died in 1899 (either in Stafford age 42 or Walsall age 36) they were the only entries on Freebmd that seemed to fit! But if that is him surely Frank & Esther would be able to tell the difference between a 1 year old & a 3/4/5 year old? Had a quick look for a Bertram Clark being born- not a lot of luck there either.
Sorry I've probably been of no help whatsoever but maybe it'll throw up some differnt ideas (she says hopefully!!!!)
All the best
Rose

[yorkierose]

Judy I had looked at the Leicester entry previously as a possibility and came to the conclusion that the entry in the following year's deaths for Bertram Wilkes in Leicester age 1 was the same person....but thank you all the same.   

Woody, I appreciate your effors too and I am in agreement that Samuel probably died in 1899 Walsall - and that the most likely chap was the 36 year old.  It would have been so much easier if everyone just stuck to their proper names and ages!!

I am reading the name Torester from the orignal enumerator's record and looking at the handwriting and at other place names on the same sheet, I would definitely say it was Torester instead of Forester, Staffordshire.  (RG13/4307  Folio 61 Pg 18). 

Free BMD shows the following entries:  Bertie Wilkes 1895 Jun Qtr Walsall,  Bertrand Wilkes 1898 Jun Qtr Stone,  Bert Wilkes 1899 Sept Qtr Walsall, Bertie Wilkes 1896 Dec Qtr Cheadle, Bertwin Horace Wilkes 1897 March Qtr Walsall.    Now the latter entry looks favourite as my g.grandfather was known as Bertram Horace Wilkes, but that still throws the question, how can he be 1 year old in 1901 - I know about rounding up and down, but not when you're less than 5 years old?!?! 

It's all good fun this isn't it.....I feel a bit like Sherlock Holmes!!  lol  Actually, I do have Holmes in my family tree.... now there's a thought!!!!!

[sarah e]

Howdy,
             by putting in Torester as a birth place in the census with nothing else a couple of entries popped up. There is literally 6 or 7

1861 - Ann M Mobbs reckons she was bn in Torester, Northamptonshire.

1871 - Sarah Miller says Torester, Northamptonshire.

1881 - Sarah Barnes says Torrester, Northamptonshire.
no one in 1881

1891 - William G Humphries says Gilsworth, Torester, Northamptonshire
            David Lanspenry says Torester.

1901 - Bertie Says Torester, Staffordshire.
            Edith M Danerfield says Far Torester, Worcestershire.

So I reckon its in Northamptonshire.

[yorkierose]

What a clever idea!  Thank you for taking the trouble to look.  I've searched Free BMD for a birth record of Bertram Wilkes (varient spellings) in Northamptonshire without result though!? 

Shelly

[winston]

HI


Have looked at this family of Wilk* with mother Ada Esther (bn 1866 Ocker Hill) in the 1891 census but when searching for her only found her married  to a James Wilkes bn 1866 her birth place was misheard and put down as Hocker Hill, close enough for me.


So no Samuel shown with her.  The are both down as Boarders

James Wilks *1866 Wednesbury, Staffordshire

Ada E Wilks  *1866 Hocker Hill, Staffordshire

James Occupation is Iron Worker


Wendy