Jean NICOLAI (jean.nicolai @t pandora.be) of Hasselt, Belgium, is looking for information about Charles Thomas Hoy, who died on April 19th 1933. Rebecca Anne Hoy was his daughter and also my wife's grandmother. She came to live in Belgium, was very happy here and died in our town 1983. We never knew a lot of her history and are very anxious to find out more. Charles Thomas Hoy was married with Anne Waters (born 28.11.1851 in Elmdon Essex, married 19.10.1875 in Elmdon Church Essex and died 29.1.1906 in Ponders End). The family had 10 children, first child died on the day of birth 29.5.1877? We have reasons to believe the lived in Barkway, because the following two children were born in Barkway. My question is: were did they live (street, house, condition), occupations, work, schools, military information, etc...

From another amateur-genealogist I got details on possible ancestors of Charles Thomas Hoy : Thomas Hoy (born 20.4.1817 Chishill Essex - died 8.2.1898 Barkway Herts - living at Mill House, Barkway Herts) married with Martha Walters (born 9.3.1815 Elmdon Essex - died 9.3.1912 Barking Herts.) 8 children in this family. Who can verify this information for me ?

In order to research your family in Hertfordshire you need to have a good understanding of the records and how to get hold of copies. The help files on this site (sere the menu) give much useful information - but I will give a few examples to show what you can expect to find. (There are about a dozen LDS Family History Centres in Belgium where you can arrange to see a wide range of relevant records on microfilm. Their addresses are given on familysearch).

From what you say a good starting point would be the 1881 census (widely available and remarkably cheap). This shows that Charles Hoy, a 29 year old corn miller, born in Barkway, was living in a private house in the High Street, Barkway, with his 30 year old wife Ann (born Elmdon, Essex, and two children born in Barkway - Ethel (2) and Catherine (14 months). An examination of the returns will show their neighbours - for instance there was a public house next door. It will also show that a Thomas Hoy (corn miller, 63, born Great Chishill) and his wife Martha (66, born Elmdon, Essex) lived in the Mill House. In the last few days the 1901 census has become available on line, and other censuses should be available through your nearest LDS Family History Centre. These should allow you to study changes in the family, and their neighbourhood at 10 year intervals between 1841 and 1901.

Charles Hoy's marriage certificate should tell you whether his father was called Thomas, and you have enough information to purchase his birth certificate - which will, among other things, confirm his mother's maiden name. In fact getting the confirmatory birth and marriage certificates is an essential part of researching your family.

Because of Charles's occupation he is likely to be listed in trade directories. In fact the 1882 Kelly's directory only lists Thomas Hoy, miller and farmer, and the absence of Charles may indicate that he worked in (his father?) Thomas's mill. He may well be listed in later directories - such as those included on the archiveCDbooks CD. Trade directories also include information about the place, including local schools. (Information from the 1850/1 Post Office Directory is given on the Barkway page on this site, later years give more detail.)

July 2003

Tom Doig (tomdoig @t aol.com) writes saying that he holds some 30,000 pages of information on people from Barkway and Reed, including 63 pages on the Hoy family.

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