MOSS, Aston (near Stevenage), 19th century
June 2001
Robin Waldock (robin @t mediaid.org) of London says: I have very little information on James Moss other than his name which appears on the Marriage Certificate of his son James Henry Moss. James Henry was born on 30th Dec 1880 in Stevenage and died November 29 1915 in Bethune, France, killed in action WW1. He married Susan Fanny Taplin on 1st August 1904 in the Bunyan Baptist Church in Stevenage being the first couple to be married there
With a birth date of December 1880 the place to start looking is the 1881 census and the following household is recorded at Aston End, Aston, near Stevenage:
|
James MOSS |
M |
27 |
M |
Aston |
Head |
Ag Lab |
|
Matha MOSS |
M |
27 |
F |
Aston |
Wife |
|
|
Sarah A. MOSS |
|
5 |
F |
Aston |
Daur |
|
|
Alice MOSS |
|
3 |
F |
Aston |
Daur |
|
|
James H. MOSS |
|
3 m |
M |
Aston |
Son |
|
|
William HORNETT |
U |
21 |
M |
Aston |
Boarder |
Ag Lab |
This is obviously the right family and there are a number of other Moss families listed in Aston who may well be close relatives.
A check on the VRI index shows that James Moss (21+, father James Moss) married Martha White (21+, father James White) at Aston on 1 May 1875. It also shows that the following children of James and Martha were baptised at Aston:
12 Dec 1875 Sarah Ann
11 Nov 1877 Alice
21 Dec 1879 Mary Jane
13 Feb 1881 James Henry
14 Jan 1883 Elizabeth
8 Jun 1884 Hannah Mary
3 Oct 1886 Florence Elizabeth (in Stevenage)
The Index also shows that at Aston on 6 May 1838 James Moss (father John Moss) married Elizabeth Smith (father Benjamin Smith).
My search had been no means comprehensive, and Aston is only a small village (less than about 30 pages in the census enumeration books). You will undoubtedly collect many relatives - and probably at least another generation back on the Moss, White and Smith lines - if you visit the Family Records Centre in Myddleton Street and look at the microfilms of at least the 1851, 1861 and 1881 censuses. You should also have a look at the VRI index (and familysearch for earlier dates) for other Moss entries and also for White and Smith entries and a look at the Aston baptism, marriage and burial registers (at HALS) should provide you with much more information.
I'll be interested to know how you get on.
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