Thomas Henry Dranfield, Rebecca Rhodes and Ann Powell

[Neale1961]

Birth

   DRANSFIELD, EBER              mother - POWELL 
GRO Reference: 1875  D Quarter in DEWSBURY  Volume 09B  Page 703

Here is the GRO index, but Eber is registered as a female.

[Neale1961]

Thomas Dransfield married Ann Powell 1874, Huddeersfield district.

This is the marriage. You will have to order the certificate, as it was a civil marriage.

I wonder if Thomas calls himself a widower on this record. Perhaps, don’t “assume” that Rebecca was dead by 1874.

You will need to look at the marriage if you want to track down Ann Powell.

[Bilham]

I have found an interesting article in the Huddersfield Chronicle (12 Jan 1877). Seems highly relevant - it's in Dewsbury; relates to a Thomas Dransfield who has neglected wife and two children. I've tried to copy the image here but it didn't work; neither the wife nor the children's names are mentioned. "the prisoner stated that he and his wife had lived unhappily together, in consequence of the interference of her father and mother". Note that Rebecca Dransfield was with her father and mother in the 1871 census but we can't prove that she had children and we can't find Ann Powell/Dransfield! Also, the article is in 1877 and George Henry wasn't born until 1878.
I'm still confused!

[Neale1961]

….. father Thomas Dransfield and they are at Beckett Nook, Dewsbury. Father is a "seamer". Not sure what this is. In the past he was down as a weaver.

Are you sure it is “seamer”. In 1881 census, he is a “teamer”, (carter with a team of horses or oxen.)

[Neale1961]

Don’t get hung up on Thomas missing his middle name on some documents. It’s fairly common to NOT use middle names.

[J.R.Ellam]

Thomas's mother came from Cork so might be a long shot she might have died on a visit to Ireland so wouldn't be registered over here.

His birth seems to have been registered & baptised as Thomas Henry but his elder brother was also call Henry so he might have dropped it.

It does look like he died in 1916 as Thomas H. Dransfield.

John

[Neale1961]

I have found an interesting article in the Huddersfield Chronicle (12 Jan 1877). Seems highly relevant - it's in Dewsbury; relates to a Thomas Dransfield who has neglected wife and two children.

Not sure this is your Thomas. By 1877 he only had 1 son - Ebor, to mother Ann.
No sign that Thomas had any children with Rebecca.

[Bilham]

After a small investment with the GRO index I have some more clarity. Eber (Oct 1875); George Henry (Feb 1878) and Emma (Dec 1879) were children of Thomas Henry and Ann Elizabeth (nee Powell). In order, Thomas Henry was a Cloth Weaver (Eber); a cloth weaver (George Henry) and a teamer (Emma). They were living at Hall Lane (1875); Whitehead Row (1878) and Beckett Nook (1879).
Sadly, Ann Elizabeth Dransfield (nee Powell) died of exhaustion from 6 hours of labour; Emma also died.
Here is my next problem, I have also found the birth of a child Mary Ann Dransfield in Dewsbury Moor (Beckett Nook is in Dewsbury Moor). The parents are Thomas Henry Dransfield and Ann Elizabeth (per the baptism record) - no surname but Ann Elizabeth interesting. The birth is also on 18 Dec 1879 (!) exactly the same day as Emma's birth and the day of Ann Elizabeth's death from childbirth complexities.
My assumption was that this was the birth of twins but, when I go onto GRO there are no matches for a birth of a Mary Ann Dransfield.

[Mabel Bagshawe]

The baptism was the day after the birth, and is marked as a private baptism, often carried out in a hurry at home when the child might not live. Given there's a baptism but not birth or death reg of Mary Ann, and a birth and death reg for Emma, but no baptism that I can see, I wonder if it's the same child who was baptised quickly with one name, but another name was used for the official docs later on