Re William Kelly

[BNNS]

Hi,

Thanks, that does mean that William was with Rosanna at her first marriage, I will see if I can locate him in Lancashire, perhaps until his death.

Cheers again

[aghadowey]

No, father's name and occupation are listed on English marriage certificates but that extracted record DOES NOT show that William was at the marriage or even alive at that time. The actual certificate may, or may not, show father as deceased as sometimes that detail was omitted.

[BNNS]

Hi

Thanks to everyone, that is great I will use this info and see if I can locate William in Lancashire, perhaps until his death

Cheers

[CaroleW]

William may not even exist.  It was common practice for illegitimate children to make up a father when they married so as to appear "respectable"

If William did exist - he possibly died in the USA hence Rosanna coming to England - but where was her mother?

[heywood]

As Carole says, he may not exist but at the moment we know nothing .
It is a mystery why Rosanna is in Accrington in 1861 though.
There is a death on Lancashire Free BMD for William Kelly, 50 yrs, Haslingden district.

Free BMD shows it March quarter 1857 Haslingden 8e 102

However, it is a common name but may be worth checking - if only to eliminate.

[BNNS]

Hi,
 
It does seem that he may or may not have been alive, will check free bmd, it is a mystery as to why she was in Accrington on her own.

Cheers

[aghadowey]

All that you really know, so far, is that Rosanna was born c1845 in America (Boston, Massachusetts listed in at least one census but that could refer to the area or state rather than the city itself) and that her father was supposed to be William Kelly, a tailor, and that by the 1860s she was in England.
Perhaps her father died in America and Rosanna came to England with her mother. There are all sorts of possibilities.

[healyjfch]

Suggestion to look up English census 1871 & 1881, William may have lived with daughter

Do you have Rosanna's mother's name ?

Passenger lists may help

As a tailor would William show up on any trade directory in USA or England

[aghadowey]

Suggestion to look up English census 1871 & 1881, William may have lived with daughter
Do you have Rosanna's mother's name ?
Passenger lists may help
As a tailor would William show up on any trade directory in USA or England

I think the problem is that the name of Rosanna's mother is not known.

Passenger lists for this period will not be any help. It's too earlier for lists of passengers entering the U.K. (as Rosaan would have done sometime between 1845-1861). Early lists for travel to N.Y., Boston, etc. do survive but detail is minimal (usually just name, age, occupation & ciountry of origin). If William was born in the U.K. he may not have been a tailor when he left but actually we have absolutely no idea when or where William was born (could have been England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, U.S., Canada, etc.).

It would be worth looking for a tailor named William Kelly in England in the area where Rosanna lived but if he was working for someone else then he's less likely to be listed.