HARRIS family - Dover

[Tati]

I just checked the 1851 census for Thomas and Elizabeth Harris to see if it reveals anything interesting - other children, family or whatever. Nothing special, except they're the last household of the enumeration district (53 pages in total!) and this is what it says beneath their household 

[Kim Pearce]

A census taker with a sense of humour!  How delicious.

[Kim Pearce]

Everthing beyond the Harris surname is new to me, so I'll be interested to see if I can find any information on the Atkinson, George and Brooks families.

[Tati]

I was just looking at the George family:

1871
RG10/475 43 11
Bethnal Green, London
30 Old Castle St
William George, head, 36, Carpenter & Joiner, b. London
Susan, wife, 36, b. do.
Sophia, dau, 14, b. Bethnal Green
John, son, 16, b. do.
Margaret, dau, 12, b. do.
not yet christened, dau, 1 month, b. do.

Big age gap between Margaret and the little one!

Sophia should be only 12 too, going by this birth registration:
Sophia Fanny Susannah George, Sep 1858 Bethnal Green 1c 207

[Kim Pearce]

Could you recommend some websites?  I am in Montreal (Canada) so I have been relying primarily on Ancestry.co.uk.  Folks on Rootschat are finding information that I haven't found on Ancestry.

[Tati]

I'm surprised - they seem to have all the relevant records mentioned here.

Susan George is widowed by 1881, age 44, birth place Shoreditch.

Most likely marriage I can see:
St John The Baptist, Hoxton, 24 July 1854
William John George, minor, bachelor, Cabinet Maker, Nichols Street, father William George Licensed Victualler
Susannah Price, minor, spinster, Nelson Street, father's details blank
Witnesses William George, Caroline? A George, Ann Price

[Kim Pearce]

I found 3 other trees on Ancestry that had Thomas W. Harris and Sophia Frances Susannah George.  The branch ended with this couple on 2 of the trees.  On the 3rd tree, however, the owner has different mothers' names for both Thomas and Sophia. 

I have my doubts that they have the correct mother for Thomas, as her birth date would have her 15 years older than her husband and aged 48 when Thomas was born. 

Sophia's mother on this tree is Louisa Farrent of Southwark, Surrey.  Do you think Louisa or Susan is most likely to be Sophia's mother? 

[Tati]

Well, I've seen so many mistakes in ancestry trees that I'm not the world's most devout believer in them but then of course the research can be very good. Always worth contacting the submitter, I suppose 

In this case, are you looking at the tree showing her parents as John George, Hawker of fruit, and Louisa Farrant? I admit I have my doubts because it contradicts the marriage cert information. A quick look at BMDs makes this birth more likely for the daughter of John and Louisa according to me:
Sophia George - Jun 1858 - St George Southwark 1d 137

[Tati]

Just looked at the details for Thomas W Harris on the same tree and I'm completely lost. The parents never seem to be in the London area at all, and are never shown on the censuses with a matching Thomas. Hmmm ....