William Atchison/Atkinson father of Robert Atkinson

[JenB]

William Graham and William Wilson were the witnesses at the wedding of Robert and Jane.

I had been hoping the name one of the witnesses might give a lead, but it doesn't look like it.

[rayaco]

Thanks anyway

[WolfieSmith]

I dont think there can be much doubt that the Robert in 1851 census reply 1 from Kay99 is the right one. He's a Pitman, 32, living in Byker, born Wallsend, with widowed mother Isabella. You also have the baptism for Robert, son of William, Pitman, and Isabella in Wallsend in 1819.

You have said that the 1852 marriage details say Robert is a Pitman, of Byker, age 28, father William is a Pitman, deceased.

All matches bar the age, but you have to bear in mind that Robert was marrying a much younger woman and may have been understating his age.

In the later census he consistently states he's born Wallsend and gives his age as :

1861 – age 39, so born around 1822.
1871 – age 48, so born around 1823.
1881 – age 65, so born around 1816.

So I think 1819 baptism is fine.

Alan.

[keyboard86]

Looks like they also had a son Jeremiah https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NKZS-7PP

William was also a Pitman on this baptism?!
Keyboard86

[JenB]

I agree completely with what Alan says.

Family Search indicates several children born to a William and Isabella Atkinson in Wallsend between 1811 and 1819.

One of these was a George Atkinson born 15th November 1811 and baptised 2 June 1811, Crucially, the baptism is a Shute Barrington era entry, which gives the mother's maiden surname:  Isabella Turnbull. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NBCT-V4J
The original entry would also give the mother's native parish, but I wasn't able to find this on the BT's.

However.......

WIlliam Atkinson married Isabella Turnbull at Heworth on 26th April 1800.
http://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/55108dfee93790ccb6416011?search_id=5629e5c933045bb21b00054e

They had some children in Heworth.

One was called Alice and her baptism shows the following details: father William Atkinson,pitman native of Tanfield, mother Isabella Turnbull, native of Washington.
http://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5510d83de937900271fcdb81?search_id=5629e59c33045bb21b000548

Washington was the birthplace of Robert's mother, Isabella on the 1851 census.

[Kay99]

And in 1861 Isabella is living with her daughter and son in law in Hetton le Hole, Durham -Still listed as born in Washington  - JenB - Great find re Alice bapt with parents origins

James Small 38
Isabella Small 38 b Wallsend
Jane Small 6
Robert Amsley 20 Stepson b Thornley, Durham
Isabella Aitcheson 85  Mother in Law b Washington Durham

Looks like Robert was born late 1819 and I agree with Wolfie that he may have taken a few years of his age when he married a much younger woman - One of my relatives certainly did

[rayaco]

Thank you all so much, you are all very talented and great stars, we were on the verge of giving up. Now we can continue. Many thanks   

[JenB]

Sometimes you have to go sideways to find information, which is all I did. 

Everything I found was freely available to anyone on the internet via freeReg, Family Search and the Durham Bishops transcripts. The Durham bt's for the very last years of the 18th century and the first decade of the19th century are a goldmine of information because of Bishop Shute Barrington's insistence that the native parishes of the parents and the mother's maiden name were entered in baptism records.

You said in your initial posting that you'd employed a researcher? I'm really surprised they didn't come up with any of that information for you as its so accessible on the internet 

[JenB]

However.......

WIlliam Atkinson married Isabella Turnbull at Heworth on 26th April 1800.
http://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/55108dfee93790ccb6416011?search_id=5629e5c933045bb21b00054e

They had some children in Heworth.

One was called Alice and her baptism shows the following details: father William Atkinson,pitman native of Tanfield, mother Isabella Turnbull, native of Washington.
http://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5510d83de937900271fcdb81?search_id=5629e59c33045bb21b000548

Washington was the birthplace of Robert's mother, Isabella on the 1851 census.

Annoyingly, both of those links seem to have expired 

here's a different link for the marriage http://www.rootschat.com/links/01gck/
and here on the Bishop's transcripts  http://www.rootschat.com/links/01gcl/ From this you can seen that one of the witnesses was a Jeremiah Turnbull

Here's the baptism of Alice via the Bishops transcripts http://www.rootschat.com/links/01gcm/