Sarah Church (sarahj.stevep @t turnerchurch.freeserve.co.uk) from Taunton, Somerset, says: Hi, I'm new to all this, I've tried all sorts of sites to no avail, your site seems to be the most relevant and useful so i thought id see if you could help me. I'm looking for information about my dads side of the family, surname Turner originating in St Albans.

Great grandfather = Edward John Turner, a Draper, lived in a house called Gainsborough House around the turn of the century.

Great grandmother = Lucy Ellen Turner, maiden name possibly Aldridge

Sons =  eldest (grandfather) Archibald Roland Turner 1898-1976
            middle = Rupert Turner
            youngest = Alan Turner

I  think the house was sold just before the second world war, and split between the three sons. I also know my grandfather fought in the first world war as he had just turned 16 d.o.b 07/04/1898.

The first thing to realise is that most of the information you will need is not online, or is from indexes which will need following up to the original source documents. This means that it is important to read books, online teaching material (there is some on this site but I give priority to specifically Hertfordshire material) in order to plan a campaign of attack.

In fact the 1898 Kelly's Directory for Hertfordshire lists Edward John Turner as a private resident of St Albans living at 3 Verulam Road, which is probably the address on your Grandfather's birth certificate. (Have your brought this yet to get full details? or does it survive somewhere in the family papers?) If he was the eldest child his parents presumably married a year or so earlier so you have enough information to get the marriage certificate. The 1901 census will give your information about the household including the parent's place of birth, and would also give details of any resident servants, etc., if any. It should be available online later this year - when they sort out the problems.

Another essential tool is the 1881 census index which is available on CD at a very low price - so will be relevant to all branches of your family - wherever they lived within Great Britain. It shows your Edward John Turner was living in Church Cresent, in the parish of St Michaels, St Albans, in the following household:

William TURNER	Head	M	55	Linen Draper	Hounslow, Middlesex
Kate TURNER	Wife	M	59	Linen Draper Wife	Walthamstow, Essex
William TURNER	Son	U	29	Shopman	Croyden, Surrey
Elizabeth M. TURNER	Daur	U	20	Milliners Asst	Croyden, Surrey
Edward J. TURNER	Son	U	18	Draper	Croyden, Surrey
Kate TURNER	Daur	U	16	Draper	St Albans

William Turner first appears under St Albans in the Post Office Directory for about 1866 as a draper in George Street, St Albans, and is listed in the 1898 Kelly's Directory (the latest I have to hand) as a draper & boot & shoe dealer at 2, 3 & 4 George Street.

The 1881 census CD shows a Lucy E. Aldridge living with her family in Hatfield Road, in the parish of St Peters, St Albans:

John ALDRIDGE	Head	M	41	Stapleford, Herts	Ag Lab
Philis ALDRIDGE	Wife	M	39	St Peters, St Albans
Ernest A. ALDRIDGE	Son	U	17	St Peters, St Albans	Ag Lab
Agnes A. ALDRIDGE	Daur		14	St Peters, St Albans
Lucy E. ALDRIDGE	Daur		12	Benjo [Bengeo, Hertford]
Edgar J. ALDRIDGE	Son		10	St Peters, St Albans
William T. ALDRIDGE	Son		8	St Peters, St Albans	Scholar
Harry G. ALDRIDGE	Son		3	St Peters, St Albans	Scholar
Ada ALDRIDGE	Daur		4 m	St Peters, St Albans

I happen to have an isolated note from the Herts Advertiser Newspaper that records a death on 4th November 1881 "At the Horse Shoes, near St Albans, Miriam Eliza, infant daughter of John Aldridge".

While the above is likely to be your Lucy, care must be needed (see Right Name, Wrong Body). If you look at neighbours on the census Church Crescent was quite a posh area and William Turner was a shop keeper. John Aldridge was an agricultural labourer living near the Horseshoes Public House, with mainly other agricultural labourers as neighbours. Marriage across such a difference in social status was still comparatively uncommon at this period.

It should be noted that the first census return misspells Croydon, and the second Bengeo and it is always a good idea to look at the microfilm of the original to ensure there are no other errors. You can probably arrange to do this at your local LDS Family History Centre - which will be listed under Family History Centre in your telephone directory - and on familysearch.

This has given you a lot of new names to think about and you may be lucky and find relevant entries at familysearch, the Rootsweb FreeBMD index, or on the British Vital Records Index CD - but must remember that the coverage of these is vary far from complete. Fortunately you have enough information to buy further birth and marriage certificates so you should be able to do a lot more on your own. However if having followed up these leads you get stuck on a Hertfordshire ancestor feel free to ask again - but I can't help on the Turners before they came to Hertfordshire in about 1865.

May, 2003

Amanda Turner (colin.pipe @t ntlworld.com) of St Albans writes (apparently without seeing the above): I am just starting out tracing my Fathers family...the Turners from Gainsborough House, St. Albans. From what I gather, they were quite wealthy and my great grandfather- Edward John was possibly head of the hunt at Gorhambury. Gainsborough House, in St. Michaels burnt down in 1936 I think (this was the 2nd time it caught fire)

This is what I have found so far:

My Great Grandfather= Edward John Turner
My Great Grandmother= Lucy Ellen
My Grandfather= Alban Stuart (or Stewart) Turner (youngest son-b.approx 1901 or shortly after)
My Grandmother= Doris Lefar (Albans 1st wife)
My Great Uncles=Archibald (eldest-b.1898) and Rupert (middle son)

I would really appreciate any information you can give or advice on how to carry on with my search.

As I have already posted significant information on this family, following request from someone who is presumably your cousin, I will only comment on the new areas of the enquiry. As you are just starting out, the general advice I have just given on another reply (GINN/LOVICK, Ware area, late 19th century) is probably relevant in your case as well.

Since my first answer the 1901 census has become available. An Edward Turner (37, born Croydon, Surrey, Living on own means) and Lucy (31, born Bengeo [misspelt "Bengee" on computer index], Herts) are listed on the same page of the returns in "St Alban". (I didn't check whether Archibald was there.) As one has to pay to see full details I leave that to you. 

Edward John Turner is listed at 3 Verulam Road, St Albans in the 1898 Kelly's Hertfordshire directory but is not listed for St Albans in either the 1890 or 1912 County Directory. (He is not in the 1933 county directory either). However the St Albans Central Library has specific St Albans directories for nearly every year from about 1880 so, as you live in St Albans, you can check these to find the dates he was at Verulam Road, and the people who lived at the address before and after him. You may also be able to use them to track other members of the family if they lived in separate households in St Albans.

Clearly you will want to exchange notes with Sarah Church as there would be no need for you both to buy the relevant birth and marriage certificates, and the 1901 census. 

There are web pages for Gorhambury, St Michaels and St Albans

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