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Could any of these be a millwright?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Barbara Anne
  • Start date Start date
B

Barbara Anne

Guest
Looking for help please:

William OWEN ( occupation baker ) m Hannah EMBLEY Feb 20 1851 ,
married St Peter and St Pauls church, Aston. Residence of both bride and groom - Deritend, father of William also named William OWEN , Millwright
In the 1851 census, young William is found with his wife, he is a hawker of bread and biscuits.
Where is William OWEN senior? I have searched the 1851 census and cannot find any likely person.
Looking for William junior in the 1841 census I find a possible, William Owen, apprentice to baker, age 14 years. As William junior became a baker perhaps this is him. If so then he is not at home with his father so I must look for William OWEN senior without his son William.
Looking for William OWEN senior in the 1841 census, the only likely candidates in Birmingham area are :
a journeyman candlestick maker age 30,
a baker age 45,
a labourer age 35,
a blacksmith age30,
an engraver age 35,
a brewer age 30 and
a tailor age 38.
I think ages were rounded down in this census so all might fit. However could any of these be described as a Millwright as on the marriage certificate?
If the marriage certificate did not state that William senior was a millwright, I would think that the William Owen age 45, baker, was the father.

I would be grateful for any thoughts on this, especially regarding the occupation.
Any advice on how to go forward ( ?backward?) most welcome,

Barbara Anne
[email protected]
 
Barbara,

According to Wikipedia a Millwright could be someone who erects machinery in stitu. I guess the two occupations of Blacksmith and to a lesser extent labourer could 'fit' this open description during part of their work.
 
At the date you are looking at a millwright and a blacksmith would have been almost interchangable in working practices.
 
Many thanks to Mike-g and Apollo for your responses.
I am pursuing the blacksmith as you both think he is the most likely, I am grateful to know that a blacksmith could have been described as a millwright. Unfortunately both the blacksmith William Owen and his wife Sarah are described as born outside of county!
nil desperandum !
regards
Barbara Anne
 
I don't want to put you off the blacksmith idea but I think at the time you are talking a millwright would be a more skilled job. More like an engineer. I've copied a bit from wikipedia for you.

Derived from the trade of carpentry, a millwright originally was a specialised carpenter who was trained as a carpenter and as well had working knowledge of gear ratios, driveshaft speeds, and other equations. The "mill" in millwright refers to the genesis of the trade in building flour mills and other watermills and windmills. Several important early civil engineers were originally trained as millwrights, including James Brindley and John Rennie.
 
Hello Beatrice,

Thank you for that information. However none of the William Owens that I have found seem to fit that description. Of course he may not have been living in Birmingham at the time the 1841 or the 1851 census were taken so this may be an insurmountable brick wall. That is unless anyone can advise me where else to look.
Barbara Anne
 
Beatrice, you should also look at the death register. One of my grandfathers was shown on his sons marriage certificate with no indication that he had died. It took me a long time to realise what had happened.
 
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