Alfred SMITH / Alfred ( W) HAYWARD
Hi, I live in Leicestershire and have been trying to track down a birth certificate for my Shropshire grandfather for ages. I’ve collected a fair bit of information but still can’t track him down. (I have mentioned him before on this site when my information was a bit thinner.)
I have a death certificate for 22 March 1936 when Alfred SMITH died in Queensbury, West Riding of Yorkshire, aged 79. ( death registered at Halifax )
I have census information from 1871 which indicates that his mother was Ann HAYWARD (1834 - 1891, born in Sutton Maddock)
1861 census : Alfred HAYWARD age 3 born Leighton, Shropshire. Living with Susannah SHARMAN (nee DELVES) in Wellington, Shropshire. Susannah was Ann Hayward’s aunt. This makes me think this is my grandfather - right age and family connection.
1871 census : Alfred W HAYWARD age 13, birthplace Rockwardin, Shropshire, living in Birmingham with Joseph SMITH as his stepson. Ann HAYWARD became Joseph’s wife.
1881 census : no trace as yet, but I know he spent time in the army in India.
1891 census : living with George ( Ann Hayward’s brother ) and Catherine HAYWARD as nephew, but now listed as Alfred SMITH. aged 31, birthplace Sutton Maddock. Working as an engine fitter.
Married Selina Davies 15 Nov 1891. Lived in Panshop Bank Ironbridge.
1901 census : Alfred SMITH aged 41, birthplace Sutton Maddock. Working as an engine fitter. Lived in Ironbridge.
1911 census : Alfred SMITH aged 54, birthplace Coalbrookdale. Lived in Coalbrookdale, up Paradise Hill.
I assume that Alfred took his stepfather’s name either officially or not.
The census facts seem to hang together ok, despite the variation in birthplace but I am still unable to find a birth certificate.
As his mother didn’t marry until he was 3, could the birth have been elsewhere, to keep it quiet until matters became respectable? I know his mum was working in Birmingham in 1861, quite close to Joseph Smith’s shop.
He could have joined the army under either name, but I’ve no information regarding regiments.
Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks for reading through this, Martin.
Oops, date was for a christening, so birth date will be earlier.
I checked with Shropshire records office to see if there was more info in the baptism book - the only extra thing I found out was Ann Hayward was living at Leaton at the time of the baptism.
Has anyone any ideas - as I mentioned earlier, I think Ann may have gone further afield to have the baby due to not being married. At this point, stuck once more.
Thanks for looking.
Martin
It wasn't mandatory to register births until sometime around the 1870s or 1880s (someone correct me if I have the wrong dates) and even after then some births weren't registered, particularly in the case of illegitimate children.
If you want to try and find the name of the father, consult petty sessions for the area. The petty sessional divisions are usually listed in directories of the period. When the father was out of jurisdiction, bastardy cases can be heard at quarter sessions, which are index by the SFHS and ava. from them or at Shropshire Archives. It is also possible there may be admonishments of the parents in parish records, but I don't think they are common in England & Wales after the 1830s.
Thanks for the info David, I'll take a look. Judging by the variety of birthplaces given on the various census returns, I'd say something was being hidden.
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Update.
Read through other entries on forum which led me to look up IGI.
result! Alfred William HAYWARD b 7 March 1858 at Wrockwardine. Mother Ann HAYWARD, no father.
However no result yet from General Records Office. Where could the boy have been registered?