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Hi. I am looking for William Watson born 1874 Sunderland. His parents are Robert Gill Watson and Ruth Brown Watson. I have tried 1881 census for William with his parents but with no luck. Thankyou Alyson

Ally - does he have a middle initial? and do you have approx dates of birth for his parents? Sarah

Could this be them in 1881? Richard Watson abt 1841 Newcastle, Northumberland, England Head Bishopwearmouth Ruith Watson abt 1861 Sunderland, Durham, England Wife Bishopwearmouth William Watson abt 1874 Sunderland, Durham, England Son Bishopwearmouth

Hi Sarah. William does not have a middle name. I do not have any dates or place of birth for his parents as that is what i am trying to find but as i knew Williams i thought it might be easier to find them through him. The only thing i have is the marriage between Robert and Ruth March quarter 1874. Nikki. Found that one on 1881 but as fathers name does not match i printed it off and put it to one side. However it could well be a mis transcription as it does match with the occupation of Williams father. The other thing that puzzled me with this one is that Ruth must have only been 13 yrs old when she had William. Alyson

Johnathan. It could be her but still no sign of hubby Robert. He is not recorded as deceased on Williams marriage so i assumed that he was still alive. Thanks anyway i will make a note of it. Alyson

As you say Johnathan he could well have been deceased.I have found Robert and Ruths marriage in March q 1874 ( same as Williams birth) so both of them would have to have been of age so estimate their births before 1856 assuming them both marrying at 18 yrs old. Alyson

Hi Ally I'm still a bit new to this game but have you tried getting hold of Williams birth cert or his parents marriage cert. Mind you not all certs are correct I had a rellie who put his father down as deceased but he was very much alive and living in a workhouse!! Also I have rellies in the durham area and have not been able to find them in the 1901 census so maybe they haven't registered or that area isn't transcribed. sorry can't be anymore help. Jane

Think you are right Jane. I am waiting for Williams birth certificate to come. The registry office kindly gave me the information i have above over the telephone today as they allready had my cheque. I guess my next move is to send for Robert and Ruths marriage cert. I found their marriage today on free BMD ( March Quarter 1874 in Sunderland. Thankyou Alyson

OOH Johnathan. I wonder if that could be Roberts mother and brothers. Seems a bit of a co-insidence that Watsons are living where William was born. I will investigate further. Thankyou so much Alyson I am so stupid !! Just realised that Robert is there so it must be. Is he a shoemaker Johnathon Alyson

Thankyou Johnathon. You are an angel. I have been searching for William for months and in 1 day i have. William's birth His parents Robert and Ruth's marriage Robert with his mother and some siblings Ruth with her parents and siblings Next task now is to go back through the death indexes that i have to find William's death and then find where he is buried before we fly up in May. Thankyou once again. Alyson

Thankyou Johnathon for looking. Just been on 1881 to have a look. Only 1 Robert Watson i can find and he is onboard SS Prudhoe Castle as master of the ship. I cannot as yet find a match for Ruth though but will keep trying Regards Alyson

Gor Johnathon you are too quick for me. Hard to keep up. I think this lot will keep me quiet for a while. Can't wait to phone my mum in the morning. It must be the right ones that Nikki found but i wonder why Robert changed his name to Richard though. Maybe he was a criminal or he knew that i was going to be looking for him. Alyson

Johnathon. I don't know if you realise it but thanks to you i have gained another 3 generations to my tree tonight. I am sooo excited i cannot sleep. I cannot say thankyou enough to you and also to Nikki. Regards Alyson