Baldock/Fagg/Small Family History

I was surprised the day I looked up my mother’s great-grandparents on the 1911 census. The data indicated that there were an additional three children who had not survived to 1911. But who were they, when were they born and when did they die? I was not looking forward to trawling through BMD records to locate them!

Well, the first question has been partly answered – two of the three children were a daughter called Ino Kate HOLLANDS, and a son called Uno Frank HOLLANDS. What unusual names!

How did I find them? Via the 1891 census on FindMyPast ! However, the data showed why I may not have found the household previously via Ancestry – the family was listed as HOLLARD! Thanks to FindMyPast’s improved correction submission system, I have now had this corrected.

Now to find child three and when they all died …

After trying so desperately to locate the family of my dad’s uncle Walter BALDOCK, I may have hit on something …

I had been searching Kent records (particularly Thanet, where they had lived) for marriage records, with no luck. I knew his wife was known as Jessie, but this could have come from anywhere. Nevertheless, I finally gained the patience to search systematically through Ancestry and FindMyPast.

And there I found it! Uncle Wally and Aunt Jessie were married in Norfolk  – Erpingham district, to be precise! Walter A BALDOCK married Jessie I ABRAM !

Now armed with a maiden name, I also found six daughters; we already knew the names of some, but this confirmed things, along with birth quarter-dates, a marriage and two grandsons. Of course, all this has yet to be verified.

I now hope to get the marriage certificate, and plan to further investigate the children to seek out possible marriages, further grandchildren, and maybe locate a family member living somewhere.

The Norfolk marriage is spooky, given my belief that the BALDOCK family may have some ancestry there. Maybe Jessie was from Norfolk? Or perhaps she was a Cromer seaside holiday romance?  The certificate will help …

The 1911 Census was finally made available as a subscription option today, via FindMyPast.com, but being an existing Explorer subscriber, I have had the benefit at a discounted rate for about a week now as a “top-up” to my subscription.

I must say that if you are at all in two minds as to whether you subscribe, and you have anything other than a small quantity of records to check out, just do it. At a cost of £39.95 for 6 months’ full access to the 1911 alone (or £59.95 for 12 months), it would not take long to reach this cost if you were only to use PayAsYouGo credits via 1911census.co.uk, which until now has been the only method to access the census online.

I have already gained the benefit – the census highlighted that I had entered the wrong person for one of my mother’s uncles. Both born the same year (1907) in the same district (Medway), but had different middle names. The 1911 census showed the correct middle name, which allowed me to determine the correct details.

The census has also, of course, enabled me to determine extra children/siblings born between 1901 and 1911, who would not (obviously) have appeared on the 1901 census. In addition you can of course see your ancestor’s own handwriting to feel that little extra personal involvement!