Genealogy Chat

This is spelled slightly differently, but may be the birth reg for the child. Births Mar 1852 Ferkins Hannah Dudley 6c 5 Dudley is right for Rowley Regis. You could order it with a checking point of father's name, though whoever she is, I suppose there's a good chance her dad is called William lol Merry

Hi all, Yes hannah must be his first wife, althouth I do know that a lot of the firkin clan where well married! this plus the fact they where all boatmen makes it difficult to trace them all!

I think there is some confusion here. In 1861 he is recorded on a form for Ships crew. This doesn't give marital status, but it looks as if he has a wife and child with him. Hannah, the likely wife is a few years older though. Because Lynda said she had him in 1861, yet she knew nothing of the first wife, I took Hannah to be the second wife, but Lynda says wife no 2 came much later! There's a possible marriage in Dudley in 1846, but the GRO indexes need to be searched for any more likely marriages nearer the birth of the child Hannah. Merry

Oh, right, so Hannah is his first wife....... Merry

Lynda If you know he was a widower by 1861, try looking for a death between then and the start of registration for the names you suspect - with an unusual surname there can't be that many. If you find suitable matches, then start looking for the marriage. Try and do it in a logical fashion, it's painstaking, but then that's what this sort of research is all about - I've had people that have taken me literally years to find. Regards Trudy

Have no idea who the mother of hannah is williams second marriage took place in manchester in the early 1870s, his bride was martha yates widow,after the birth of his son william

Could this be the second marriage then?? WILLIAM FERKINS Marriages: Spouse: HANNAH PRIEST Marriage: 08 JUN 1846 Saint Thomas, Dudley, Worcester, England Messages: Extracted marriage record for locality listed in the record. I'm a bit confused, as William was only 20 if this is the right record, and even if it's the wrong record, he was probably married to Hannah by the time he was 25, so not a great deal of room for a first marriage...... Merry

So in 1861 was he in his second marriage?: Hannah Firkin abt 1813 Rowley Regis, Staffordshire, England Wife Vessels Staffordshire Hannah Firkin abt 1852 Rowley Regis, Staffordshire, England Daughter Vessels Staffordshire William Firkin abt 1826 Birmingham Boatman Master Vessels Staffordshire Henry Smith abt 1849 N Mate Vessels Staffordshire Do you know who the mother of the daughter Hannah is? It would seem likely it is wife No 2, but do you know that for certain? When did the second marriage take place. Merry

Have found the william firkin I am looking for on the 1861 census, born birmingham 1826 mater boatman in staffs. I know he married for the second time later in life, he was a widower. How do I find out about his first wife, belived to be ann, mary or sarah, and if he had children?I have looked on bmd and ancestry but so far can find no evidence of a 'first' family or marriage