Category Archives: 1881 Census

What happened to Joseph William Rodway?

The Rodways of Castlemorton In 1853 my great-great-great-great-uncle John Rodway, a wheelwright by profession, died in the Worcestershire village of Castlemorton, where he had lived for most of his adult life. He was 60 years of age, a widower, and … Continue reading

Posted in 1851 Census, 1861 Census, 1871 Census, 1881 Census, 1891 Census, 1901 Census, 1911 Census, Civil Registration, Genealogy, Marriage, Murder, War, Women, Worcestershire, Workhouse, World War II | Leave a comment

The mysterious origins of Auntie Ivy

When I first began researching the English side of my family tree, I would occasionally ask my relatives to name my great-grandmother’s siblings as I’d try to figure out who was who among the mound of aunts and uncles that … Continue reading

Posted in 1881 Census, 1891 Census, 1901 Census, 1911 Census, Adoption, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Shropshire | 5 Comments

Mary Ann Allen (1807-1884)

In the course of your research, have you ever come across any relatives who just sit there, perched on your family tree, and no matter how many times you tried to find either a marriage or a death record for … Continue reading

Posted in 1841 Census, 1851 Census, 1861 Census, 1871 Census, 1881 Census, 1891 Census, Colwall, England, Family Search, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Illness, Marriage, Property, Women, Worcestershire | 1 Comment

Judith Allen (née Cooke, formerly Bond)

One of the most fascinating members of my extended family is, in my opinion, my “aunt” Judith – the second wife of my great-great-great-grandfather’s youngest brother. Although there are very few sources which shed light on her life, what we … Continue reading

Posted in 1841 Census, 1851 Census, 1861 Census, 1871 Census, 1881 Census, 1891 Census, Colwall, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Illegitimacy, Marriage, Women, Worcestershire | 1 Comment

The saga of the Vickresses of Marden

The following is an account of a branch of my own family whose fascinating story has captivated me since I began researching my family tree many years ago. It is, you might say, a family saga, as it covers several … Continue reading

Posted in 1841 Census, 1851 Census, 1861 Census, 1871 Census, 1881 Census, 1891 Census, 1901 Census, 1911 Census, Adoption, Birth, Death, England, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Hope-under-Dinmore, Marden, Marriage, Murder | 1 Comment

The confusing story of Henry Hodges and Catherine Morris

I remember years ago when I first researched my great-great-grandfather’s eldest sister Catherine Morris that I did not find her story particularly interesting: she married, had children, and died. It was all rather dull and straightforward – or so it … Continue reading

Posted in 1841 Census, 1851 Census, 1861 Census, 1871 Census, 1881 Census, 1891 Census, 1901 Census, 1911 Census, Archives, Bigamy, Birth, Death, Dymock, England, Genealogy, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Marriage | 8 Comments

Winifred’s Story

Years ago, while researching my great-grandfather’s family tree, I decided to delve into the family of my grandmother’s great-uncle William Henry Allen, who through his marriage fathered no less than nine children over a period of seventeen years. Most of … Continue reading

Posted in 1881 Census, 1891 Census, 1901 Census, 1911 Census, 1939 UK Register, Colwall, Death, England, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Who Do You Think You Are?, World War II | 2 Comments

The curious private life of Mary Willoughby

On 23rd December 1880, a wedding took place in the church of Saint James the Great, Colwall, at the foot of the Malvern Hills which separate Herefordshire from Worcestershire. The bride was twenty-five-year-old Mary Willoughby, my great-grandfather’s third cousin and … Continue reading

Posted in 1881 Census, 1891 Census, 1901 Census, Birth, Colwall, Colwall Soldiers, Divorce, France, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Marriage, Worcestershire, World War I, Yorkshire | Leave a comment

A Tale of Two Sisters

Drusilla and Milborough Vickress were not the only daughters that my great-great-great-great-grandparents William and Elizabeth had in the course of their 41 year-long marriage. However, the bond between the two girls seems to have been close, if one analyses their … Continue reading

Posted in 1861 Census, 1871 Census, 1881 Census, Birth, Death, England, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Hope-under-Dinmore | 1 Comment

The story of Charles Henry Vickress

During the summer of 1870, my great-great-great-great-grandparents Frederick and Ann Vickress welcomed their tenth (and last) child, a son whom they had baptised on 21 August in the local church of Lyonshall (Herefordshire), where Frederick worked as a humble carpenter … Continue reading

Posted in 1871 Census, 1881 Census, 1891 Census, 1901 Census, 1911 Census, Australia, Birth, Cheshire, Death, Emigration, England, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Lyonshall, Pembridge, Wales, World War I | Leave a comment