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The John Prices of Mathon, Worcestershire
Based on the English Census of 1841, 1851, 1861, and 1871 (I love looking at census data. It's so democratic. Everyone gets counted, no matter how poor you are. A census turns the masses into individuals.)
Highlighted are my direct ancestors.
Parents
John
b 1794. Wheelwright
There were two Price families in the Civil Parish of Mathon, in the county of Worcestershire. The brothers John and George (see below) were both wheelwrights* — possibly working out of the same shop by 1861.
Mary
b 1795 in Suckley Worcestershire, dead before 1861 census
Children
John
b. 1817 in Suckley, Worcestershire
Married: Elizabeth
Out of the house in 1841 and 1851 and working as an agricultural labourer; living separately from his father in later censuses. Because of age, assumed to be John's son, rather than George's. 1881: laborer
Child:
... ... Emma (b. 1849) 1881: still living with her parents, unmarried
Harriet
b. 1821
1841, living independently in St. Peter, Worcestershire, working as an agricultural laborer. 1851: working as a house servant for a hops merchant in the parish of Claines, Worcestershire. Living with her widowed father in 1861 and 1871. 1891: she was recorded visiting a friend in London and "living on her means."
James (see James & Ann Price for known details and Jim Price Leaves Home)
b. 1823; agricultural laborer. [Not at home in 1841. By 1851, already married and living in Derbyshire]
Married Ann Nash (see Nashes of Sudbury)
Children:
... ... George (b/d 1852)
... ... William James (b 1856; carpenter). Married to Sarah Newham
Died 1904
Samuel
b. abt 1826
1841: living at home. Out of the house by 1851
Philip
b 1831. Master carpenter.
Married: Jane.
Child:
... ... Ada (b 1871)
William
b 1836. Carpenter.
Married: Mary.
Child:
... ... Florence (b 1864)
John's Brother George
George (b 1800. Wheelwright*)
and Elizabeth (b 1808; Barham, Herefordshire).
George's family is not found in Mathon, Worcestershire in the 1841 census.
... Mary Ann (b 1828; apparently
never married)
... James (b 1831; laborer) Married
to Martha
... ... Lanvina (b 1856)
... ... Eliza
Jane (b 1859)
... ... Emila (b 1862)
... ... Fanny (b 1865)
...
George (b 1834. Agricultural
laborer). Married to Ann.
... ... Annie (b 1857)
... ... Ellen (b 1859)
... ... Jane (b 1864)
... ... Mary Ann (b 1867)
... ... George (b 1870)
... Thomas (b 1936; agricultural
laborer) Married to Melina
... ... Melina (b 1860)
... ... Eliza (b 1867)
... ... Ruth (b 1869)
... ... Thomas (b 1970)
Method
Last night I came up with a new way of researching family history.
I was tired but not ready to sleep. Poking away at my English history seemed like a mindless activity but I'd already laid out everything I knew about the Prices and Newhams.
I'm not 100% sure that John Price is my great-great-great grandfather. But I'm reasonably sure his son (my great-great grandfather) James was from the parish of Mathon in Worcestershire. Mid-nineteenth century, there were only about a thousand people living in Mathon. My hypothesis is that all the Prices would be related and that there couldn't be too many of them.
I went to the 1861 census of England. I did an EXACT name search on the Last Name = Price, County = Worcestershire, District = Mathon. 16 Prices came up, in 5 family groups (identified by Relationship = Head).
The original census sheets for each family gave me their configuration and helped me lay out the generations.
I tried to repeat this for the 1871 census. They threw me a curve by switching Mathon to Gloucestershire, but I wound up being able to identify several more children born in the 10 years since 1861.
Unfortunately in 1861, my ancestor James Price was already out of the house and living in Derbyshire. In my earlier research, I'd assumed George was his father. But I see there are two Heads of Household who are likely suspects.
Update: Ancestry.Com has now posted the 1841 and 1851 census data, so I expected to get a definitive answer about James' father. The results are still ambiguous, since James was apparently already out on his own by 1841. But finding a younger James in George's family strengthens the theory that my great-gret grandfather was the son of John Price.
9.14.05 (updated 12.30.05 )
*Wheelwright: carpenter who specializes in making wheels