* Census - Birth Place?

[davidm_uk]

Can anyone decipher the place of birth for the two highlighted entries in this 1851 census image (HO107; Piece: 2399; Folio: 650; Page: 47; GSU roll: 87077, in Westoe, South Shields, Durham). I know that the one in between is Alnwick, Northumberland. The 1841 census is not much help, and I cant find them in any later census returns.

Census 1851 - John Brown (b1776) Birth Place.jpg (207.88 KiB) Viewed 6668 times

[tatewise]

I think the first one is Do (ditto i.e. Durham) Middleton-in-Teesdale.

The second looks similar to the one above Durham, Durham and is Durham, Middleton but not sure what the word above is.

[davidm_uk]

Thank you Mike.

Ancestry has that second one transcribed as "Stractoke Middleton, Durham" but google finds nothing remotely matching that. If anyone else has any ideas I'd be pleased to hear them.

[LornaCraig]

Findmypast has it just transcribed as Durham, England.

However, although it doesn't look the same as the entry two lines above, I think it is almost certainly supposed to be another instance of Durham, Middleton (in) Teesdale. My reason for thinking this is that the parents, John and Lucy Brown, had several children baptised in Middleton-in-Teesdale between 1816 and 1832, including Thomas (1821) and William (1832) who are in this census listed with this illegible birthplace. They can be found on Familysearch (just search for surname Brown, parents names John Brown and Lucy, baptisms in Middleton in Teesdale 1810-1840).

[davidm_uk]

Thanks Lorna.

There is a Lucy Brown baptised in Middleton-in-Teesdale in 1826 with parents John Brown and Lucy (I think the same family as the Thomas and William that you found). There is a Lucy Brown marrying in Darlington in 1841 so is not with the Brown family the time of the 1851 census (but I'm not certain that's the right Lucy, see below).

There also another family, with parents John Brown and Lucy, who had 5 children baptised in St. Cuthberts, Darlington, Durham, England, including Lucy Brown baptised in 1820.

I've found one marriage of a John Brown to Lucy Waites at St. Cuthberts in 1817 (the parents of one of the familes I think).

I'm trying to sort out which family is which, there are other people's trees on Ancestry that have all sorts of permutations. There seems to be a lot of John Brown's around that area at the time.

[tatewise]

Having reviewed the FindMyPast entry, I agree with Lorna, that the father & both sons were born in Middleton-in-Teesdale or Teasdale as it looks like it was spelt then.

If the ascenders from Durham Middleton are ignored, that word above looks very similar to Teasdale elsewhere.

[LornaCraig]

Yes, I can see there is great scope for chaos in the Ancestry members' trees!
However since the head of the family in this census was born in Middleton-in-Teesdale himself it seems very likely that he is the father of the seven (or more?) children baptised in Middleton-in-Teesdale.

The Lucy who married in 1841 would have been a bit young if she was the one baptised in 1826 although of course she might have been born somewhat earlier. (There is a gap in the family baptisms between 1821 and 1826). I suppose if you think it's worth it you could order that marriage certificate and see if the father's occupation is given and whether that helps to identify which family she belonged to.

By the way, just to throw in another 'red herring', there was a marriage of a John Brown to a Lucinda whose surname was 'Teasdale' in Newcastle upon Tyne on 1 Dec 1828 (marriage licence dated 27 Nov 1828)!

[davidm_uk]