Census Look ups - Serious help needed!

[jillruss]

I have been stuck on this branch of my family tree for ages. Can someone please help?

I'm trying to find my greatx2 grandparents SARAH ANN ( nee SYKES) and RICHARD FRANCE on the earlier censuses so that I can hopefully find their parents etc .

I have found Sarah Ann on the 1871 and later censuses when she has remarried and her surname is Walker. (Richard died sometime between 1857 and 1867).

SARAH ANN SYKES was born c. 1834 and gives her birthplace as Kirkheaton on the 1891 census and Huddersfield on the 1871 and 1881 censuses. Her father's name was THOMAS SYKES, a weaver.

RICHARD FRANCE was born c. 1823. His father's name was JOHN FRANCE , a labourer. Because Richard died pre 1867, I do not have him on any censuses so don't know his birthplace.

Sarah and Richard France married in Nov 1851 in Kirkheaton when they were both living at Colne Bridge, Kirkheaton. They had a daughter - another Sarah Ann France! - who was born in Northumberland Street, Huddersfield in 1857.

So they were both unmarried and ( hopefully!) still living with their respective parents at the time of the 1841 and 1851 censuses.

On the 1861 census, they would either have been a young married couple with a 3 year old daughter called Sarah Ann OR Sarah Ann (senior) would have been a widow with daughter.

I think that's as much as I know. There is talk in my family of an Irish connection so it's just possible that Richard France was born in Ireland.

Please, can someone with access to one or all of the 1841 - 61 censuses help? It would really help!

Thanks, Jill.

[PaulineJ]

1841 & 1851 are online at www.familyhistoryonline.net (Pay-per-view) OR you can do at one-surname search from the Kirklees society at www.hdfhs.org.uk

1861 will probably have to be an address search or look at www.thegenealogist.co.uk to see if they cover 1861 West Yorks as yet. MOST of Huddersfield had been covered, the last time I was able to check.

Pauline

[jillruss]

Pauline,
thanks for your reply. I'm finding  the Genealogist website very difficult to understand!! It's probably me - I'm having a bad day!

I looked on the 'counties covered' bit and it seems to indicate that Yorkshire and everywhere else except Ireland is covered for the 1851 census but , on top of that, they only have the 1891 and 1901 censuses for Yorkshire.

When I go on to the 'subscribe' page, it tells me I can pay £5 for 90 days access - but this seems only to access BMD's. When I scroll down to the Yorkshire subscriptions, I find I have to pay £5 for access to each of the 1861/71/91/1901 censuses but no mention of the 1851!

I may possibly have curdled my brain with too much family history but can you help? I have emailed them but so far - no reply.

Incidentally, I am going to write to the Huddersfield fhs for the name searches as you suggested.

Jill.

[ChrisBros]

Jill
I just checked Familyhistoryonline and found 6 Richards on the Kirklees census for 1841 and 4 on the 1851 census.
It's easy to subscribe to the site - it cost me about 80p to get the census schedule numbers and the household details would probably leave you some change from a well-invested £5.
I looked at the 41 census for Colne Bridge and found John 40,a publican with Mary 45, Benjamin 20, Sarah 20, John 1 & Mary age 60 plus others including Richard age 20 a Masons apprentice nearby.
The 51 census has John 53 & Mary 55 again with Benjamin & Sarah next door with John age 6 & George only a few months old.
Regards
ChrisB

[jillruss]

Thanks Chris,

I really appreciate that. I am now going to check out familyhistoryonline armed with my credit card!

Best wishes, Jill.

[ChrisBros]

Jill
I've just checked the '61 census.
The FRANCE family are no longer the Innkeepers at Colne Bridge & I can't find them anywhere close by. I did however notice a fancy Woolen weaver by the name of Henry Sykes age 49 with a wife Mary 49, an unmarried daughter Sarah Ann 21 a fancy Cotton weaver and son Duke age 17 a fancy woolen weaver. They were living at Shaw Cross, Kirkheaton.
Quite possibly yours??
Enjoy the hunt
ChrisB

[jillruss]

Thanks for that, Chris,

I'm doing well on familysearch and have found most of what I need - although it was worrying me that Richard's father was described as a labourer on Richard's marriage certificate in Nov 1851 but the John we've ( let's be honest here! you've) found was an innkeeper at the time of the 1851 census. But , now you've said they were no longer at the inn in 1861, I suppose it's possible that they left later in 1851. Everything else fits beautifully.

The only downside is that I've dicovered that Sarah Ann's mother's name was Bathsheba!!!

Thanks again, Jill.