Genealogy Chat

Every now and again I return to these wretched children in the hopes of turning up something new!! George, Harry and Emma Locke/Lock, born respectively 1867, 1868 and 1870, Rochester, Kent. (Their parents were born in Portsea, Hants.) The children were never born or christened, anywhere, on land or sea, as far as I can make out. Has anyone got any ideas? I'm descended from Harry.

Helen Do you know definitely that they were born in Rochester, or are you going on info from a census? Have you tried asking the relevant register office: Medway Ingleside, 114 Maidstone Road, Chatham, ME4 6DJ. Tel: 0845 678 5000. nell

Hi Helen! Where have you already looked? I had a quick glance at Free BMD, and presume George Frederick LOCK born in Medway March quarter 1867 is not the one you want? What variants of the name have you tried? Regards from one of the other Helens!

1871 census Emma Locke abt 1847 Portsmouth, Wiltshire, England Wife St Margaret Kent Emma Locke abt 1870 Chatham, Kent, England Daughter St Margaret Kent Goerge Locke abt 1861 Chatham, Kent, England Son St Margaret Kent Harry Locke abt 1868 Chatham, Kent, England Son St Margaret Kent Thomas Locke abt 1833 Porlka, Portsmouth Head St Margaret Kent Chatham comes under Medway

Hi both you Helens (long time no see), no it's not George Frederick. The 1871 census is a bit faint but gives Rochester for Harry and young Emma, also George, but there seems to be a correction on George's name. In 1881 they're in Portsea without little Emma who could have died or been with Granny - it seems to have been a very common name in Hampshire then. In 1891 Harry is at Woolwich Barracks, place of birth Rochester. He married in Derby in 1895 - I've got the marriage marriage certificate - and went on to have my Granny and great aunts, all in Derby. I've looked everywhere, including overseas births, etc, and came to the conclusion last time that their father Thomas just didn't follow conventions! It's irritating though because I can't definitely move further back without at least one birth certificate and so far I haven't had to assume anything on my tree! Arghhh!

Hi Jim, thank-you, I already have the image of the 1871 census. Is that ancestry? They're mis-transcriptions are funny! But it's so frustrating when that's the furthest I go back with them! Cheers!

Well Helen I have looked at image from Ancestry and it does not read Rochester more like CHA?HAM

Sorry Jim, yes, Chatham which turns into Chatham and Rochester as an area. The parish of St Margarets comes under Rochester, I think. Didn't mean to offend you! In fact I meant Porlka, which is Portsea, and Wiltshire, which should be Hampshire. It's the awful writing on the image, I know.

At FRC there are some books with Army records of births, - near the Overseas section, - could this be the place to look? What about baptisms, perhaps in a Garrison church. Any record there is likely to have a birthdate too, knowing the Army's keeness for form filling.

George's birthplace was written as Chatham and then crossed out and replaced by dittoes above, making it Portsea. There's a match for that: Births 1866 Apr-Jun LOCK George, Portsea 2b 374

Hi Gwyneth, thank-you, it's certainly worth a try. I wonder if these records are on line yet? The father was a tailor, according to some census details, I used to wonder if he sewed for the navy or something similar! He doesn't have a rank or a military job specifically but all suggestions gratefully received. Thank-you.

Thank-you Robin, I'll look into that, it sounds promising.

Hi Helen, Just out of interest my Gt grandfather was a tailor in the marines. Ann Glos

Hi Ann, well I never! Maybe I'm going down the right path at last!

If you aren't pretty sure which church (if any) they might have been baptised in, then you'd have to be pretty determined, but it might be worth looking here: http://cityark.medway.gov.uk/ at their 'image base' - see near-top left in the menu, when you reach the site. I don't find it user-friendly, but I have succeeded at least once... and have made a set of instructions on how to battle your way through and would post them here, or mail them if you'd like. If you find what you're looking for, it's a real pay-off, 'cos it's the images of the actual Register pages... just not well-labelled to make it easy to work through. Christine

Thanks, Christine, I've emailed you.