Answers

CARTER, Hertford, baptised 1832

January 2007

Lynn Hatfield (lhatfield06 @t aol.com) of Birmingham wrote: I am trying to chase John Carter baptised in 1832 at All Saints and Saint John, Hertford. His father was Henry and his mother was Mary and I cannot find them on the 1841 or 1851 census. I know John moved to West Bromwich in the West Midlands and married a lady name Mary Richards in Tipton in 1854 and died in West Bromwich in 1901. I cannot find if he had brothers or sisters or even his father or mother.

There are two key bits of information you have not provided in your message which could help.

The 1854 marriage certificate will give John's father's name and occupation and sometimes will say "deceased". It may also provide some useful occupation and residential information for John. Occupations normally run in families. However John moved to the West Midlands at the time of the industrial revolution and became a glass maker - and it is very unlikely that his father was a glass maker in Hertford in the 1830's - so what did he do?

The 1832 baptism entry will provide Henry's occupation (a good check - does it match the information on the marriage certificate?) and may well give a street address - so one would know what part of Hertford he lived. The occupation may give clues to social status, as will the address. In addition some occupations were more mobile than others - and it is important to know this. (You could arrange to see the microfilm of the register at your nearest LDS Family History Centre.)

The names of John and Mary's children may well reflect names in the previous generations and so can sometimes provide clues - see The Inheritance of Single Christian Names..

There is a web page for Hertford

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

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