Charles Bryant

The census suggests

Miss W. #52ancestors, Bryant , , , , ,

In Australia we rarely have any census records so Electoral Rolls are the best way to find out where a person lived at a certain time in their lives. Before finding out my grandfather was English, I didn’t get back to any census until about the 1850’s in England. And one of these records made me wonder…..

 

Here was my great great grandmother Caroline Bryant in the 1851 census age 12, living with her mother and three other siblings. A couple of unusual things I noticed about this record:

  • Her mother Charlotte is unmarried but has four children
  • Each child is born about five years apart
  • Her mother is a dressmaker

I know this is the correct family as I have DNA matches from descendants of Henry and Charles. Julia married but had no children so no descendants there.

So a few questions relating to this census:

  • Who is the father of the children?
  • Where is he in the census?
  • Why a child born every five years? Was the father a sailor or a crew member that returned every five years?
  • Why is Charlotte a dressmaker on the census but a cook when she arrives in Tasmania in 1856?

On the 1841 census, there is a Henry Weight -surgeon- at the bottom of the page before Charlotte and her children are on top of the next page. Could he be the father? The children on their marriage certificates say their father is Henry Bryant a surgeon.

Questions and more questions – will I ever know the answers?

 

Have I found Caroline Bryant?

Miss W. Biography, Bryant , , , , , , , ,

When I write the biographies of my ancestors, I try to make sure I have records for their birth and names of parents as well as siblings. This sometimes involves a lot of research. If they were born in Tasmania, then the records are nearly all digitized.

But I am now researching my great great grandmother Caroline Chandler nee Bryant. I have researched her life in Tasmania:

  • her arrival with her mother in 1856 at age 17
  • her marriage in 1859  at age 22 then birth of her children
  • her death in 1919 in her 80th year

But I have yet to find out when and where she was born exactly back in England.

Clues to finding her birth

  1. Her mother was Charlotte Bryant – from arrival records into Tasmania – January 1856
  2. Her father was Dr Bryant – from death notice as Chandler
  3. Her sister was Esther Julia Winter nee Bryant – Robert Winter was informant at Caroline’s marriage
  4. On Esther’s marriage in 1852, a Caroline Bryant was witness. Father: Henry Bryant – surgeon Couple living Barclay Street
  5. The Winter family and his parents were sponsored by Charlotte Bryant – arrival records into Tasmania – December 1856
  6. She possibly had a younger brother called Charles who was supposed to come with them to Tasmania

Clues from census records

1841 census at Tottenham, parish Saint Pancras

  • Henry Weight 35 surgeon yes – born in parish
  • Charlotte Bryant 35 – no
  • Henry Bryant 9 – yes
  • Caroline Bryant 3 – yes
  • Emily Bryant 1 – yes

1851 census at 40 Barclay Street, Saint Pancras

  • Charlotte Bryant – Head – unmarried – 46 – dressmaker – born Arundel, Sussex
  • Julia Bryant – daughter – unmarried – 23 – house servant – born St Pancras, Middlesex
  • Henry Bryant – son – unmarried – 18 – jeweller – born St Pancras, Middlesex
  • Caroline Bryant – daughter – unmarried – 12 – scholar – born St Pancras, Middlesex
  • Charles Bryant – son – unmarried – 7 – scholar – born St Pancras, Middlesex

So from these clues Caroline could be born in 1837-1839 in St Pancras parish.

I checked the Free BMD website putting Caroline Bryant from Sep 1837 to Dec 1839 and the county of Middlesex.

Only one result so I ordered the birth certificate: St Pancras volume 1 page 273

  • Superintendent Registrar’s District – Saint Pancras
  • Registrar’s District – Tottenham
  • 1838 Birth in district of Tottenham in county of Middlesex
  • 9 June 1838 quarter before 8 Clock? at No 21 Warren Street
  • Caroline – girl
  • Father Henry Bryant a servant
  • Mother Charlotte Bryant formerly White
  • Registered 17 August 1838 by John Wells?? registrar Joseph Journey Supt Regd??

Looking at all the addresses mentioned in records: Warren Street, Cleveland Street, Barclay Street are all in Saint Pancras district and what is now Fitzrovia and Somers Town area and are only about 800 metres between them.

Readers: Do you think I could safely say this is my Caroline? Or do I need to find the births of the siblings to prove it is same parents? Would it be possible for Henry Bryant to become a surgeon between Caroline’s birth in 1838 and Esther’s marriage in 1852? Henry was a shoemaker at Esther’s birth in 1827 and living at Cleveland Street. Henry the brother also says his father was a surgeon when he married in 1851.