- Define the Problem
- Timeline
- Evaluate Evidence 1
- Evaluate Evidence 2
- Evaluate Evidence 3
- Evaluate Evidence 4
- Evaluate Evidence 5
- Evaluate Evidence 6
- Search for New Evidence
- Brown Family Certificates Received!
- Robert Unwin Will
- Search for New Evidence 1
- Search for New Evidence 2
- Charles Healey Will
- Going Around the Brickwall
- The Lost Children
In my first post, I defined the problem. In this post I will go through my database and construct a simple timeline for the Brown family.
Create a Simple Timeline
- 1813: Ann Healey born about 1813 in Liverpool, Lancashire
- 1815: George Brown born about 1815 in Sheffield, Yorkshire
- 1833: George Brown marries Ann Healey on 30 September 1833 in Sheffield (undocumented)
- 1837: George and Ann’s first son is born: George Brown on 27 July 1837 in Sheffield
- 1837: George Brown Jr is baptised at St Peter and St Paul in Sheffield on 27 November 1837
- 1841: Census taken on 6 Jun 1841 shows George Brown, aged 25, file cutter; Ann Brown, aged 25; George Brown, aged 3 all born in Yorkshire, living on Watery Lane in the Netherthorpe district of Sheffield
- 1841: George and Ann’s first daughter is born: Caroline Brown in the December quarter of 1841
- 1849: George and Ann’s second daughter is born: Ann Brown in about 1849
- 1851: Census taken on 30 March 1851 shows George Brown, head, married, aged 36, file cutter, born Yorkshire, Sheffield; Ann Brown, wife, married, aged 38, born Lancashire, Liverpool; George Brown, son, aged 13, file cutter, born Yorkshire, Sheffield; Caroline Brown, daughter, aged 9, scholar, born Yorkshire, Sheffield; Ann Brown, daughter, aged 2, born Yorkshire, Sheffield and all living at Ct 1, No 5, Scotland Street in the Ecclesiastical District of Hollis Croft in Sheffield
- 1852: George and Ann’s son and last child is born: William Joseph Brown on 14 December 1852 at Haywood’s Yard in Sheffield
- 1859: George Brown Jr marries Mary Ann Holmes in the December quarter of 1859 in Sheffield
- 1859: Caroline Brown marries Walter White in the December quarter of 1859 in Sheffield
- 1861: Census taken on 7 April 1861 should most likely show George and Ann Brown with their unmarried children Ann and William in Sheffield, but no record is found
- 1861: Census taken on 7 April 1861 shows George Brown Jr and wife Mary Ann living as lodgers in Hawley Croft with the Holmes family including Charles Holmes, head, married, age 51, shoe maker, born Lincolnshire Wragley; Ann Holmes, wife, married, aged 46, born Artford; Charles Holmes, son, aged 15, table knife cutter, born Nottingham; Martha Holmes, daughter, aged 9, born Yorkshire, Sheffield; Frances Holmes, daughter, aged 1, born Yorkshire, Sheffield; George Brown, lodger, married, aged 24, file cutter, born Yorkshire, Sheffield; Mary A Brown, wife, married, aged 20, spoon buffer, born Norfolk, Lynn
- 1861: Census taken on 7 April 1861 shows Walter and Caroline White living as lodgers in the Weatherill household at Ct 2 Ellingham Court including George Weatherill, head, married, aged 24, table blade ?, born Carrisbrook, Lincolnshire; Harriet Weatherill, wife, married, aged 24, lock filer, born Yorkshire, Sheffield; Robert Weatherill, brother, unmarried, aged 21, labourer, born Gamston, Lincolnshire; Walter White, lodger, married, aged 26, table blade cutler, born Twyford, Nottinghamshire; Caroline White, lodger, married, aged 20, file cutler, born Yorkshire, Sheffield
- 1865: Ann Brown marries George Smith in the June quarter of 1865 in Sheffield
- 1867: Caroline Smith, daughter of George and Ann Smith, is born about 1867 in Sheffield
- 1869: John William Smith, son of George and Ann Smith, is born about 1869 in Sheffield
- 1871: Census taken on 2 April 1871 shows George Brown, head, married, aged 55, file cutter, born Yorkshire, Sheffield; Ann Brown, wife, married, aged 57, born Yorkshire, Sheffield; William Joseph Brown, son, aged 19, file cutter, born Yorkshire, Sheffield; Caroline Smith, granddaughter, aged 4, born Yorkshire, Sheffield living at 28 Dunscombe Street in the Ecclesiastical District of St. Mary’s in the Nether Hallam ward in Sheffield
- 1871: Census taken on 2 April 1871 shows George Brown Jr, head, married, aged 33, file cutter, born Yorkshire, Sheffield; Mary Ann Brown, wife, married, aged 30, spoon buffer, born Norfolk, Lynn living at the back of No 16 Blue Boy Street
- 1871: Census taken on 2 April 1871 shows George and Ann Smith George Smith, head, married, aged 26, joiner, Yorkshire, Sheffield; Ann Smith, wife, married, aged 22, Yorkshire, Sheffield; John William Smith, aged 2, Yorkshire, Sheffield living at 106 Scotland Street in the Ward of St Philips, Sheffield
- 1873: Isobella Smith, daughter of George and Ann Smith, is born about 1873 in Sheffield
- 1874: Ann Brown died on 15 February 1874 at Greenhow Street in Nether Hallam of excessive drinking of alcohol
- 1874: Ann Brown was buried on 17 February 1874 in Burngreave Cemetery in Section A3, grave 88 in unconsecrated ground
- 1874: William Joseph Brown marries Emily Theresa Fores on 13 September 1874 at Christ Church in Pitsmoor, Sheffield.
- 1876: Fred Smith, son of George and Ann Smith, is born about 1876 in Sheffield
- 1876: Joseph Brown, son of William Joseph and Emily Theresa Brown, is baptised on 26 July 1876 in Sheffield
- 1876: Arthur Brown, son of William Joseph and Emily Theresa Brown, is baptised on 26 July 1876 in Sheffield
- 1878: Annie Smith, daughter of George and Ann Smith, is born about 1878 in Sheffield
- 1880: Walter Brown, son of William Joseph and Emily Theresa Brown, is baptised on 28 April 1880 in Sheffield
- 1880: Lucy Smith, daughter of George and Ann Smith, is born about 1880 in Sheffield
- 1881: Census taken on 3 April 1881 shows widowed George Brown living with daughter Ann’s family: George Smith, head, married, aged 36, joiner and cabinet maker, born Yorkshire, Sheffield; Ann Smith, wife, married, aged 33, born Yorkshire, Sheffield; Caroline Smith, daughter, aged 14, scholar, born Yorkshire, Sheffield; John W Smith, son, aged 12, scholar, born Yorkshire, Sheffield; Fred Smith, son, aged 5, scholar, born Yorkshire, Sheffield; Annie Smith, daughter, aged 3, born Yorkshire, Sheffield; Lucy Smith, daughter, aged 7 months, born Yorkshire, Sheffield; George Brown, father-in-law, aged 66, file cutter, born Yorkshire, Sheffield, all living at 112 Scotland Street in the Ecclesiastical Parish or District of Jericho in the ward of St Phillips in Sheffield
- 1882: George Brown died on 12 October 1882 at the home of his daughter on 112 Scotland Street of chronic bronchitis. His daughter, Ann Smith, registered his death and was present when he died.
- 1882: George Brown was buried on 15 October 1882 in Burngreave Cemetery in Section A3, grave 88 in unconsecrated ground with his wife Ann
- 1883: George Smith, son of George and Ann Smith, is born about 1883 in Sheffield
- 1885: George Brown, son of William Joseph and Emily Theresa Brown, is born on 30 Jun 1885 in Sheffield
- 1886: Nellie Smith, daughter of George and Ann Smith, is born about 1886 in Sheffield
- 1889: George Brown Jr was buried on 7 October 1889 at City Road Cemetery, Grave 12020, Section X
- 1889: Verden Smith, son of George and Ann Smith, is born about 1889 in Sheffield
- 1890: Lily Brown, daughter of William Joseph and Emily Theresa Brown, is born in the March quarter of 1890 in Sheffield
- 1891: Census taken on 5 April 1891 shows the Smith family including George Smith, head, married, aged 46, cabinet maker, employer, Yorkshire, Sheffield; Ann Smith, wife, married, aged 42, Yorkshire, Sheffield; Isabella Smith, daughter, aged 18, French polisher, Yorkshire, Sheffield; Fred Smith, son, aged 15, French polisher, Yorkshire, Sheffield; Annie Smith, daughter, aged 13, scholar, Yorkshire, Sheffield; Lucy Smith, daughter, aged 10, scholar, Yorkshire, Sheffield; George Smith, son, aged 8, scholar, Yorkshire, Sheffield; Nelly Smith, daughter, aged 5, scholar, Yorkshire, Sheffield; Verden Smith, son, aged 2, scholar, Yorkshire, Sheffield all living at 112 Scotland Street
- 1892: Ellen Brown, daughter of William Joseph and Emily Theresa Brown, is born in the June quarter of 1892 in Sheffield
- 1892: Albert Smith, son of George and Ann Smith, is born about 1892 in Sheffield
- 1894: Annie Brown, daughter of William Joseph and Emily Theresa Brown, is born in about 1894 in Sheffield
- 1896: Edith Brown, daughter of William Joseph and Emily Theresa Brown, is born in about 1896 in Sheffield
- 1897: Ann Smith, wife of George Smith, died on 10 February 1897 at home at 112 Scotland Street by suicide by laudanum in a state of temporary insanity.
- 1897: Ann smith was buried at St. Philips Church on 13 February 1897 in Sheffield
- 1899: Mary Ann Brown died in the December quarter of 1899 in Sheffield
My timeline includes all known events for George and Ann Brown and for their children and grandchildren up until the turn of the century. I see some holes in my research including
- no record from the 1871 census for George and Ann Brown
- no records after 1861 for Walter and Caroline White
- little information on the Smith children
Have you noticed the last names of some of the Brown children’s spouses? Smith and White?!
In my next posts, I will begin to re-evaluate the known evidence, going through each document in detail, to see if I’ve missed any clues.
