FORD Family

[KirstyGroomParticipant]

Hi I’m currently researching the Ford Family in my tree – we don’t have much information about them but I’m currently trying to find more information about a Thomas Ford born 1856 (roughly) in Leeds and he married Mary Jane Mellor in 1889 – I have successfully traced him after he married Mary but haven’t been able to find anything before – so we have no siblings only his fathers name and occupation in 1889 (John Ford and he is a Horse Dealer).
Any help/advice on what to do next or any of his descendants I would love to hear from as together they had 11 children; Leonard, Arthur, John Thomas, Fred, Harry, Herbert, Ernest, Nellie, Lily, Florence and Frank.
Thank you
Kirsty Groom

[janet LeBillonModerator]

Hello Kirsty

There is a birth registered as Thomas Ford of Leeds Dec 1856 Vol 9B Page 350. According to GRO this appears to be an unmarried mother as there is no mother’s maiden name. However, through experience, I have found this is not always the case as I wasted the cost of a birth certificate to find that the mother was married and that the information on GRO was not fully correct. This has not been corrected since my complaint. If you think it is worth sending for this detail it might be that this would provide the mother’s name but be prepared for the father’s name to be missing.

[KirstyGroomParticipant]

Hi, thanks for the advice – I have found that entry on freebmd – I thought it wasn’t until after 1901 that a mother’s maiden name was used on the entries?
We have the fathers name as I have the wedding certificate – if we could just find his mothers name it would unlock that side of the family as I’m at a brick wall as I don’t know any family members to ask

[Jackie12Participant]

hi Kirsty
I know you posted somne time ago but I was curious so had a look at your brick wall, and got nowhere … there are trees on Ancestry that include Thomas, Mary Jane and family but none have anything about his life before their marriage …. one tree appears to be of someone who is a living direct descendant through one of their sons, so you it may be worth you checking that out
I noticed there was a death record for a Thomas Ford in 1857 in Leeds age 0, so the birth in 1856 may be a red herring
I do wonder whether the father’s name and occupation might have been made up by him or the result of the story Thomas was told by his mother; I have certainly come across this in my tree
also, the occupation of horse dealer may be a clue to an itinerant background, so I wonder how certain it is that Thomas was born in Leeds … I couldn’t find any record that fits at all, so hope you’ve had better luck

[KirstyGroomParticipant]

Hi Jackie
Thank you for your reply – I have just recently been on a course run through Kirklees College and they also looked into my brick wall and couldn’t help! He is really beginning to annoy me now 🤣 I just can’t leave him alone as I feel I’m missing something obvious. I have contacted the direct descendant through ancestry but they also have no idea about his background – we have wondered if the information on his marriage certificate is a red herring to hide his background.

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