Farnsworth – The mystery photo

 

 

Is this picture my 2 x Great Grandfather, William Farnsworth (b. 1835 in Radford, Nottingham) ?  I found it in a suitcase of old photographs where it was far older than the others.  The reverse of the photo shows it was taken by W. Clayton, Artist and Photographer, Greyhound Street, Long Row, Nottingham and I found a website which dates the photo to 1873-1876.

 

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~brett/photos/eng/ntt/wclayton.html

I narrowed down the number of family members and believe that only William or his father Samuel Farnsworth (b 1812 Radford) could afford to have their photo taken or were in Nottingham at the time.  Some of William’s children also had their photo taken later in a studio.

So is the photo William aged 38-41 or Samuel aged 62-65 ?

The parents of Samuel Farnsworth and Ann Middleton

I seem to have hit a brick wall going back further than these two.  When I first starting researching my tree I found lots of people on Ancestry had trees showing that the parents of Samuel Farnsworth (b 1812, Radford) were Samuel Farnsworth (b.1775 Whittingham Moor, Derbyshire) and a Elizabeth Haynes (b1777 Whittingham Moor).  However they didn’t marry until 1814 in Derby before Samuel’s birth.  I could find no evidence linking these two to Radford in Nottingham where Samuel was born.

A search of Ancestry and the Christening records showed that a Samuel Farnsworth was Christened in Radford on 7^th October 1810.  Aware that ages were not always accurate on early census returns I believed this could be correct.  His parents were a Matthew and Elizabeth Farnsworth of whom I can find no further trace.

Samuel Farnsworth (b 1812) married Ann Middleton on 26 January 1834.  Just a few years before civil registration that would have confirmed details of their parents.

 

Samuel Farnsworth and Ann Middleton Nottingham and Calais Lace.

Found more evidence that my 3 x Great Grandparents, Samuel Farnsworth (born Radford 1812) and Ann Middleton (Born Radford 1812) did spend some time in Calais (and my 2 x Great Grandfather William). Previously I'd found through the 1861 census that they did have a son John Farnsworth born there around 1847.  There is a possibility a daughter Eliza Farnsworth was born there as per the 1881 census.  However on other censuses Radford is shown as her birth place.

Found this link:

http://gw.geneanet.org/pledoux?lang=en;pz=siobhan;nz=demko;ocz=0;p=samuel;n=farnsworth

Addresses are listed for 1842 and 1846.

1842: 261 rue du Temple, Commune de Saint Pierre lès Calais

1846: 107 rue du Moulin Brûlé, Commune de Saint Pierre lès Calais

There were censuses conducted in 1841 and 1846 but I can't find the 1846 one online. Not sure where the 1842 address comes from (perhaps shipping records). Both roads still exist on Google maps but either the roads have been truncated or the numbering system changed.

What is interesting is that they live in the same road Denman Street, Radford Nottingham, on the 1841 Census and 1851 Census, so either they had two houses and made the trip at regular intervals or came back to the same place. Calais is famous for lace and looking at the 1841 census there are lots of English names.   Nottingham seems closely linked to Calais and helped develop the Lace industry there.

Introduction

I started searching my family tree in January 2011.  Having just had two children I felt it important to look at where they and I came from. From something that I thought would take a day its become a very time consuming but rewarding hobby.  I am also interested in the social side and local history of where these people came from and the world in which they lived. 

I am from Beeston, Nottingham but now live on the Fylde coast in Lancashire.  Most of my roots are based in Nottinghamshire, with some from Derbyshire and the rest from far and wide.

 

Names researching and areas:

Murden               Shirebrook, Trowell

Farnsworth         Radford, Calais, Stapleford, Beeston, Nottingham

Mirfin                    Stapleford, Sandiacre, Lenton, Nottingham, Mansfield

Dickinson             Meadows, Nottingham, Liverpool, Bowdon, Altrincham, Dunham

Walker                  Selston, Ilkeston, Stapleford, Sandiacre

Hamson               Radford, Nottingham, Sneinton, Geningham, Chatham, Kent

Dickens                Wilford

Lilley                      Kimberley, Greasley, Basford, Nuthall

Hardy                    Mapperley

Beecroft              Wilford

Lingard                 Dunham, Bowdon, Altrincham

Graham               Liverpool, Carlisle, Harrington

Stephenson         Stanwix, Carlisle

Officer                  Basford, Nottingham

Fisher                    Kimberley, Nottingham

Brooks                  Bermondsey, Lenton, Nottingham

Tindal                    Packington, Ashby de la Zouch, Greasley