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READING John b1864 or maybe 1869

smallheathexplorer

master brummie
Is anyone able to help me with this, please? I feel like I am trapped in a very cleverly designed maze.

The 1891 census return shows John Reading aged 27 with wife Louisa aged 25, mother-in-law Matilda Francis aged 64, sons William aged 5 and Charles aged 1.

In 1897 Louisa Reading married Charles Hartwright. This is verified as being the correct marriage by the census return of 1901, which includes William, Charles and Alfred (b1891) as Charles Hartwright's stepsons.

I CANNOT find:

  • marriage record of John Reading and Louisa Francis
  • death record of John Reading b1864 Clerkenwell, London
  • birth record of John Reading b1854 Clerkenwell, London, though I found a birth record of John Charles Reading b1869 in Clerkenwell, London.
I really would appreciate any help you can give!
 
Strangely, there is a marriage for a John Charles Reading to a possible Louisa Maxwell 1889 Bham and birth for Louisa Maxwell 1867 Bham. I wonder if the mother in law, Matilda Francis was on her second marriage? Just a thought:)

Suzanne
 
Also a death for John Charles Reading Bham 1896 born abt 1869 aged 27 ref JFM 6d 70 so this would fit with Louisa marrying the year after?
 
Thanks, Suzanne, yes I found those too - that's why I said it's like a maze. The part after he seems to have died, between 1891 and 1897, looks clear: Louisa married Charles Hartwright in 1897. I also wondered if Louisa Maxwell is her maiden name, not Francis, but I see no way of confirming that from BMD searches, nothing has shown up so far anyway. I am a little bothered that the only possible birth record I can find for John is John Charles Reading b1869. It seems a little way off the dates in the 1891 census. Another factor is that the name Reading seems fairly common for that area of London.

Many thanks for your help.

:)
 
Hi

Yes it certainly is a maze:)

You have probably seen the following but just in case you haven't -
The 1861 census has at 3 Branston Street, All Saints a Matilda Maxwell B1831 Scotland - unmarried, no occupation and a daughter Violet Maxwell aged 1 month. She is lodging with William & Elizabeth Preston (transcribed as Curton but image does look more like Preston.) EDIT Now think it is PARTON

Births for Violet Maxwell 1861 Bham AMJ 6d 211 and Louisa Maxwell B1867 Bham JAS 6d 165. These birth certificates may prove that their mother is Matilda Maxwell and perhaps father unknown?

I can't find any sign of them after this at the moment and certainly not a marriage for a Matilda Maxwell to a Francis.

Also have you seen other births on the family history records site, all with parents John Charles Reading and Louisa Reading at St Nicholas, Bham?

Annie Louisa Reading christened 27.3.1893 died 1893
Clara Elizabeth Reading christened 10.9.1894 died 1896
Alfred Reading christened 8.6.1891
Charles Frederick Reading christened 19.8.1889
 
The 1871 has Violet Maxwell (transcribed as Manwell) at 3 Branston Street listed as the adopted daughter of William and Elizabeth mentioned previously.
Then next door at Court 1 house is Matilda Maxwell aged 41 born Scotland employed as a Laquerer and Louisa Maxwell aged 3 daughter born Bham.

Suzanne
 
There are so many links here that I find it difficult to believe that this is not the same John and Louisa Reading that I am looking for. I still can't work out why the age of John Reading would be 5 years out, if he was the John Charles Reading born 1869.

Matilda Maxwell certainly sounds like the most likely candidate for the Matilda Francis of the 1891 census, maybe sent from Scotland to Birmingham out of the way to have Louisa out of wedlock. And then she does it again and has Violet! So maybe they got her married off to Mr Francis at some point to prevent further mishaps. I do hope that is all there is to it - can't help wondering if the natural father of Violet, if not Louisa, is William Preston.
 
Looks more likely she had Violet first (1861) then Louisa (1867) as supported? by the 1871. She gives Violet up for adoption to William & Elizabeth PARTON (not Preston).
She is living with William Parton in 1881 in Augusta Street, he is now a Widower and she is listed as his daughter, Violet PARTON. Then there seems to be a marriage for Violet Parton, in Bham 1882 to either William West or Oliver Neville Woodward. EDIT 1911 suggests husband is Oliver Neville Woodward B1857 Bham Sweetshop keeper. Married 29 years and they have a son living with them William Hamlet Woodward b1887 Bham a brass founder's cashier. Living at 409 Monument road. 2 children born, 2 alive.

So it is indeed a tangled web:) And just think, if this Violet Parton is indeed a Maxwell, future generations, ie births will most likely have her maiden name as Parton, and so off later generations will go searching for Partons:)

Suzanne
 
Sorry, Suzanne, getting myself all confused in this tangled web, yes, Violet first born, Louisa second. As for confusion due to adoption, I am very thankful that my partner's father, Arthur Edward Reading, was adopted aged 2, but did not have his name changed. Even so, I spent quite some time exploring his adoptive parents' roots to see if there was a family connection, hence the adoption. Had it not been for BHF I might have wasted much more time. This site has transformed my research!
 
If these are the same Matilda Maxwell / Francis and John Reading, something odd is going on with their ages in the 1891 census return. If he IS John Charles Reading b1869 he should be 21 or 22, not 27 as stated. That would also mean that he would have been 15 or 16 when the eldest son, William, was born - if indeed he is William's natural father. Matilda, if she is one and the same, should either be 44 in 1871 and 64 in 1891, or she should be 41 in 1871 and 61 in 1891.

Any ideas why they might both have given the wrong age in one or other of the censuses?
 
Sorry no idea about wrong ages in census but I believe they can be out by 5 years or so? You mention William, and he is the only one I couldn't find a christening for with parents John Charles and Louisa Reading. They didn't marry till 1889 and he was born 1886. I realise this doesn't preclude John from being the father but as you say he would have been about 15. Louisa marries again in 1897 but on the 1911 census one of the Hartwright children, a William is listed as born 1890 along with Percy 1893, Harriet 1899, George 1901 and stepchildren Charles 1889 and Alfred 1892.
EDIT Just realised some are Hartwright's children from previous marriage? :)
I'm as confused as you now:)
 
Sorry to involve you in my lopsided virtual reality! Where do I look for more records, other than the ones on Ancestry.com? And Ancestry doesn't yet have available the full details from 1911, which is most frustrating. I realise I will need to come over to Birmingham and look at original records, get certificates etc, but I don't want to order a basketful of certificates with no idea whether I am on the right track.

I am guessing that the first son William, born 1885/6 would have left home, maybe married, by 1911.
 
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