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Children of William Foden

I've got a copy of Gone are the days myself.My Gran Kathleen Ellen Cutler contributed to it.I think posting photos from it is fine.Dont remember any complaints anyway.I think I remember my gran and grandpa, Jack and Kath Cutler were executors to the will of a Ferneyhough.Must be a relative of yours.
 
Hi Jonathan,
Yes! Tom was my granddad. My dad is his son David. He grew up on Chester Road with a bunch of Fodens and Ferneyhoughs around. Dad has a book about Little Aston area history called Gone Are the Days and there's a photo of your grandfather Jack's christening party in it! I've attached it to this post. (I'm not sure what the rules are about posting images from books. If it's a problem, I can remove it).
Ohh, so it's a photo of Harriet and not a drawing? It's hard to tell, it has a soft pencil quality to it. Anyway, it's lovely.
--Liza.
Would you mail me at [email protected] please
 
Long time since any posts on here.I was wondering if any of the contributors would be interested like myself of further investigating the ages old question.Were William Foden's ancestors from Cheshire?
 
I know its not easy given that the records run out,so maybe the only avenues now are contacting researchers looking into the Cheshire Fodens to see what they found and new fangled DNA if that can be trusted.Is there any interest out there?
 
Might have already said this but there's a tree on family search that lists William's grandfather as John Foden b1768 Yardley. Cheshire prior to this?

DNA is an interesting subject and might be of help. It might be my only option for a couple of brickwalls.
 
I have last known ancestor as John Foden Born about 1767, dies May 1829 Aston. Wasnt there a debate on here whether he was born either in Walsall or Cheshire?Long time since I looked.Have to go back through posts.
 
Found my notes now.I have John Foden marries Sarah Bennett, 22 Oct 1790 Yardley.Possible Bapt 1, 1766 Walsall.Possible bapt 2, 23 Aug 1767, Lower Peover, Cheshire.
 
My own taken on John Foden is that with all his descendants being in Perry Barr area why on earth would you want to choose a christening in Lower Peover Cheshire over a christening in Walsall. The only way to decide definitely which is correct would be to discount the Cheshire John Foden by proving that he and his family stayed 'up north'.
One argument however for choosing Cheshire John is that the Walsall John's parents are John and Elizabeth and the Cheshire John's parents are John and Sarah. When you look at the names of Perry Barr John's children there is no Elizabeth (there is an Eliza) but there is a Sarah. Not strong evidence but the best I can offer.
 
Reference the forename Linnaeus. My father Lineaus James Middleton (someone couldn't spell when he was registered) told me that the origin for it being in my family went back to the Linnaeus Cutler born in Halesowen in 1810. The story is that the parents William and Jenny(ne Coley) were waiting outside the church awaiting their baby's christening time when a "fine" lady came past. She enquired what name they had chosen for the child and upon being told that they hadn't yet decided suggested Linnaeus. I like this suggestion as the richer educated class may well have been more likely to have read of Carl Linnaeus the Swedish botanist. Linnaeus Cutlers family came up to Witton and his daughter Emma married William Middleton so thereafter there was always a Linnaeus in the Middleton family. The tradition has now spread to New Zealand because my cousin's six year old grandson has been blessed with name. Imagine the discussion on the New Zealand history forums when the name gets picked up over there.
 
You've also got to consider other John Foden's born/baptised at places that have not been put online yet.

There is a marriage for a John Foden in Lower Peover, 1789 which could be the 1767 John Foden.
 
Interesting points thanks. As is said "A little knowledge is dangerous thing". The clues don't always come from the expected places which is why as you say family historians shouldn't rely on just online registration records. Anecdotes, newspaper reports, family bibles etc. often provide the answer which is why "local knowledge" provided by history forums are so brilliant.
 
My own taken on John Foden is that with all his descendants being in Perry Barr area why on earth would you want to choose a christening in Lower Peover Cheshire over a christening in Walsall. The only way to decide definitely which is correct would be to discount the Cheshire John Foden by proving that he and his family stayed 'up north'.
One argument however for choosing Cheshire John is that the Walsall John's parents are John and Elizabeth and the Cheshire John's parents are John and Sarah. When you look at the names of Perry Barr John's children there is no Elizabeth (there is an Eliza) but there is a Sarah. Not strong evidence but the best I can offer.
Surely the norm back then was to be Baptised when just days old and locally.The question is then, did John Foden born about 1767 migrate to Perry Barr from Lower Peover or Walsall?
 
Might have already said this but there's a tree on family search that lists William's grandfather as John Foden b1768 Yardley. Cheshire prior to this?

DNA is an interesting subject and might be of help. It might be my only option for a couple of brickwalls.
I can see the tree on Familysearch you refer to.It gives John Foden Baptised 17 Aug 1768 Yardley, Parents George and Sarah.However no such Baptism to be found in a search of records on there to corroborate.
 
No but there seems to be one on Ancestry. Can't see the actual record but narrowing the search to John Foden 1766 - 1770 Yardley results in John Foden, son of John (not George) & Sarah baptised St Edburgha's,

There is a marriage for a John Foden & Sarah Ryley or Rigley 1762 Aston.

And a baptism for a John Foden St Phillips 1740 son of John Foden.
 
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This is the entry from Ancestry - not that it contains much information. Not sure how it gets transcribed as "John" but it does.
1615657896444.png
 
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Having had another look I think the entry reads:
John & Mary son and dr of John and Sarah Foden. The first John is under all the discolouration in the left hand
Having had another look I think the entry reads:
John & Mary son and dr of John and Sarah Foden. The first John is under all the discolouration in the left hand corner.
I agree with you all from Mary onwards but how can we be sure it says John and initially?
 
Ive gone back over the posts and the relevant previous ones are #112, #114, #115.I would agree that if the record for the Yardley Bapt does say John and Mary then this is the most likely Grandfather of William Foden. Ancestry will churn out hints that appear to fit the bill but have to be checked out throughly.
 
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The joys of genealogy. If the records for Yardley are the parish records and there's no way to decipher what it is then hopefully the bishop's transcripts (wherever they are) will be clearer.
 
I was about to say that I suspect the original would be clearer. The very dark markings are probably brown aging marks and a name might be visible through them. Digitisation tends to make marks darker and less transparent. There must be a reason the missing bit is transcribed as John.

The transcripts may be at Worcester Archives as the parish of Yardley was formerly in Worcestershire
 
Just to check out how much we agree on I have:-
William Foden, 20 Feb 1830, Aston - 15 Jul 1885, Perry Common,(Subject of the thread),married Eliza Horton.
Father:-Caleb Foden, 9 Sep 1805, Erdington - 27 Jan 1885, Perry Barr, married Elizabeth Wells.
Grandfather:-John Foden, ? ? - May 1829 Aston, married Sarah Bennett.
Please do criticise if you think any of this is incorrect.
Also, anybody with an Ancestry Subscription please contact the owner of "The Giles Wright Family Tree" on there and quiz the tree owner as to whether his/her John Foden did remain in Cheshire or could have moved to Perry Barr?Apologies in advance for my cheek, funds low to pay the subs.
 
If it was me I wouldn't even be considering any Cheshire John Foden without more evidence and I haven't seen any yet.

The Yardley records you want are probably at The Hive, Worcester. You can download an index here...


I'd be looking at this and trying to prove or disprove it...

Grandfather - John Foden 1768 Yardley - 1829, married Sarah Bennett
Great Grandfather - John Foden 1740 Bham - ?, married Sarah Ryley/Rigley
Great Great Grandfather - John Foden 1694 Castle Bromwich - ?, married Isabella Cookes (previously Martha Hargrave?)
Great Great Great Grandfather - John Foden ? - ?

Also Caleb is a distinctive name, where did that come from? There's a Caleb Foden (b1770s) buried 1846 Stoneleigh, could he be an ancestor instead or a relative?
 
I think if the tree I mentioned is well researched it will be evidence that should be taken into consideration.If his/her John Foden remains in Cheshire, that point to the Walsall or Yardley Bapts being more likely our John.Your suggested starting point assumes Mary's brother was a John under that mark in the records.I will be contacting archives for evidence of the name under the mark.From memory when I rang the Hive they pointed me to Birmingham as holding the Yardley records.
 
Birmingham may hold the parish records which is what I posted a copy of. However, there should be "Bishops Transcripts" - copies of the parish records sent annually to the Bishop. Typically these began in 17th century and lasted until into 19th century and later in some places. They may hold a clearer entry although looking at the original parish record may be clearer than the online copy.
The Transcripts may be at the Hive.
 
Just to check out how much we agree on I have:-
William Foden, 20 Feb 1830, Aston - 15 Jul 1885, Perry Common,(Subject of the thread),married Eliza Horton.
Father:-Caleb Foden, 9 Sep 1805, Erdington - 27 Jan 1885, Perry Barr, married Elizabeth Wells.
Grandfather:-John Foden, ? ? - May 1829 Aston, married Sarah Bennett.
Please do criticise if you think any of this is incorrect.
Also, anybody with an Ancestry Subscription please contact the owner of "The Giles Wright Family Tree" on there and quiz the tree owner as to whether his/her John Foden did remain in Cheshire or could have moved to Perry Barr?Apologies in advance for my cheek, funds low to pay the subs.
I have just looked at the tree and am confused. The information for John's birth seem to come from other trees or calculated from his death. I am not sure why they have attached the Cheshire Transcript other than a name. It also seems to relate to John's (1767) son also John born in 1809.
It is interesting to see the marriage of John to Sarah Bennett is at St Edburgha's.
 
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