Kay Stevens (Snippet @t dsl.pipex.com) says: I am trying to find my great great grandfather, Noah Elmer. He married Mary Bates at Baldock on 8 November 1819 and the first baptism for children I have found is for Robert Elmer on 1 June 1827 at Hitchin.  It is known that there were earlier and later children.  Noah and Mary moved to London and I have found my Great Grandmothers baptism in the Westminster area.  The name later changed to Aylmer, as it was when my great grandmother was baptised, but in the 1841 Census for Westminster it is shown as Elmore. Can anyone please help me, and several cousins, find Noah and/or his children as we are all stuck!

There are often no quick answers to such questions, and in such cases it is essential to marshal every bit of information you have. As you don't detail your sources it is not clear whether you have already looked at the microfilms of the relevant registers or are merely relying on indexes which only give part of the story and sometimes contain errors. From what you say it would seem that Noah was comparatively mobile so what parish does the marriage register say he came from - could he sign his name (which would suggest some education) and are there any witness signatures that might give a clue. Do you know anything about Mary Bates and her parents - as society was highly stratified (see All things bright and beautiful) so information about her parents could give a clue to his.

The baptismal registers will include an address and even if the address is no more than the parish whose register it was it at least indicates they were not from another parish. These registers will also give Noah's occupation - which may give a clue to why he was moving round and possibly a clue to his social status.

The 1841 census will give Noah's occupation - is it the same as the registers or have things changed with his move into London. It will also give an approximate age . Presumably some of the children were at home and perhaps some were named after his parents (see The Inheritance of Single Christian Names). A study of other households in the neighbourhood is another clue to his social status. Obviously if he was still alive, and you can find him, the 1851 census would be more valuable.

Any clues as to his religious life would be helpful - as Noah is an Old Testament name and this could mean that his parents worshiped in a chapel, rather than the Church of England, and the survival of their records is patchy meaning that his birth/baptism is not recorded anywhere.

If you post again giving full details of what the above documents say it might be possible to give further advice.

If you can add to the information given above tell me.