Found! A Marriage Record for Robert Laws and Elizabeth Thompson

Robert and Elizabeth (Thompson) Laws are my third great-grandparents.  I've had their names and marriage date for a dozen or so years but my source was undocumented family records, passed by word of mouth, then written and copied, then passed on again and again.  That source for records in my Doyle line has been inaccurate many times.  I knew the record was available at a FamilySearch Center (on Film 1068674 Item 6 or 4629104 which may be the same) but I never made my way to the one near my home.  This record comes from FindMyPast's Northumberland Marriages collection which, I believe, was transcribed from the records held by FamilySearch.


This is a transcription of the record.

[At top of page, not visible in photo]

Marriages solemnized in the Parish of Tynemouth in the County of Northumberland in the Year 1834
page 67.

[Transcription of image]

Robert Laws of this Parish
Bachelor
and Elizabeth Thompson of this Parish
Spinster
were married in this Church by Banns
this Twenty-first day of
June in the Year One Thousand eight hundred and thirty four
By me Christⁿ Reed, Vicar
This Marriage was solemnized between us  { Robert Laws   his X mark
                                                                      { Elizabeth Thompson   her x mark
In the Presence of  { Thomas Oxley 
                               { James Pye
No. 200.

Notes and Comments

• My line from this couple:  Robert & Elizabeth -->  Elizabeth Jane Laws Doyle -->  William Doyle -->  Gust Doyle --> Lee Doyle --> me
  
• June 21, 1834, was a Saturday.  That surprises me, though it probably shouldn't.  Robert was a miner, likely having only Sundays off work so it makes sense that they would arrange to marry the day before.
• Robert was 24 when they married.  Elizabeth was 17.  It's surprising that a 17-year-old was described as "spinster."
  
• Civil marriage records in England began in 1837.  Had they waited till then to marry, that record would have stated Robert's occupation.
• This marriage record is available for viewing with a subscription at FindMyPast.  I'm grateful for the image but I do wish I could get to the first pages of the marriage registry to see for myself that it comes from Christ Church. 
• I was curious about Christ Church in Tynemouth and found this short video giving a history of the building.  I love seeing the places where events in the lives of my ancestors happened.  (And listening to British accents.)
  

I'm grateful for online images and the indexing that makes them easier to find.

—Nancy.

Copyright © 2023 Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 
.

Good News: Newspapers.com Is Free Through May 14!

If you don't have a subscription to Newspapers.com, these free days may be helpful to you.  I'm always thrilled when this happens!

Learn about the women who came before you Find the stories that made her who she is today by searching 20,000+ papers on Newspapers.‌com™, the largest online newspaper archive. From the front page to the sports page, from local news to social news, from birth & marriage announcements to classifieds & photos—discover your mom, grandma, and more in the paper this Mother’s Day! You have FREE ACCESS* to the entire Newspapers.‌com™ archive for a limited time. Search now and share your finds with the hashtag  #MomInThePaper.

Search for free Free access through this email only. *Access to all papers on Newspapers.‌com™ will be free until 14 May 2023 at 11:59 p.m. MT. Free access available via the links in this email only. Registration required. After the free access period ends, you will only be able to view papers using a paid Newspapers.‌com™ Publisher Extra® subscription. Terms and Conditions apply.

Robert Laws's 1881 Death Certificate

Robert Laws is my third great-grandfather.  He died in 1881, five years before his wife Elizabeth (Thompson) Laws.  Family information and this death certificate state that he was a coal miner but I have no way of knowing whether he was still working as a miner in 1881 when he was 71.  I hope he wasn't!

My line from Robert is this:  Robert Laws -->  Elizabeth Jane Laws Doyle -->  William Doyle -->  Gust Doyle -->  Lee Doyle -->  me.

This record comes from the U.K. GRO (General Register Office) in Southport, Merseyside.  I found it it their collection of death certificates, Year 1881, Quarter June, District Morpeth, Volume 10B, Page 200, and purchased it as a PDF copy.

This is a transcription of Robert's death certificate.

Superintendent Registrar’s District   Morpeth
Registrar’s Sub-District   Bedlington.
1881.    DEATHS in the Sub-District of Bedlington  in the County of Northumberland
No.   131
Columns
1.  When and Where Died.   Twenty-seventh June.  1881  Cambois, Bedlington
     N.S.D.
2.  Name and Surname.   Robert Laws
3.  Sex.   Male
4.  Age.   71 years
5.  Rank or Profession.   Coalminer
6.  Cause of Death.   Died suddenly from Natural Causes   (No Inquest held)
7.  Signature, Description, and Residence of Informant.   John Laws.  Son.
     Cambois, Bedlington
8.  When Registered.   Twenty-eight June 1881
9.  Signature of Registrar.  Geo. S. Waterson, Registrar

Comment
I always wish British death certificates gave more information:  birth date, parents' names, time of death, etc.  Maybe their modern ones do....  Still, I'm grateful to know Robert's date and place of death, his occupation, and where he lived.  Sometimes we find little or no information at all.

—Nancy.

Copyright © 2023 Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 

Elizabeth (Thompson) Laws's 1886 Death Certificate

Elizabeth (Thompson) Laws is my third great-grandmother and wife of Robert Laws.  My father's half-sister, Tressa (Doyle) Wilson told me her name but had little other information. 

My line from Elizabeth is this:  Elizabeth Thompson Laws -->  Elizabeth Jane Laws Doyle -->  William Doyle -->  Gust Doyle -->  Lee Doyle -->  me.

This record comes from the U.K. GRO (General Register Office) in Southport, Merseyside.  I found it it their collection of death certificates, Year 1886, Quarter March, District Morpeth, Volume 10B, Page 218, and purchased it as a PDF copy.

This is a transcription of the record.

Superintendent Registrar’s District   Morpeth
Registrar’s Sub-District   Bedlington.
1886.    DEATHS in the Sub-District of Bedlington  in the County of Northumberland
No.   56
Columns
1.  When and Where Died.   Eighth March 1886.  Cambois, Bedlington, N. S. D.
2.  Name and Surname.   Elizabeth Laws
3.  Sex.   Female
4.  Age.   69 years
5.  Rank or Profession.   Widow of Robert Laws, a Coal miner
6.  Cause of Death.   Hemiplegia 3 months.  3 [causes of death?]  Old age. 
     Hematemesis.  Certified by R. Laing, M. R. C. E.
7.  Signature, Description, and Residence of Informant.   John Laws.  Son. 
     Present at the death.  Cambois, Bedlington
8.  When Registered.   Eighth March 1886
9.  Signature of Registrar.  G. S. Waterson, Registrar

Notes.

• I have been unable to determine the meaning of M.R.C.E after the doctor's name.
• Hemiplegia is paralysis of one side of the body.  Stroke is one cause of hemiplegia
• Hematemesis is vomiting of blood.  Likely causes are a stomach ulcer or severe gastritis (severe inflammation of the stomach lining).
• Elizabeth's son Robert was very prompt in registering her death!
  

—Nancy.

Copyright © 2023 Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 
.

German Handwriting Generator

I thought this website, German Handwriting Generator, might be a helpful tool for those who wish to try translating a document from German to English, particularly from one of the older styles of German handwriting or fonts.  The website is written in German but Google Translate offers an English version here (whose accuracy I cannot verify).  Sadly, some of the writing is part of the image and, therefore, Google Translate cannot translate it.
 
Please note, this is not a website to translate German words into English.  It's simply a tool to help identify German letters and words.

When trying to translate German words, the hardest part for me is knowing what the letters are.  Old German fonts and handwriting are so different from our English alphabet.  I would use the box beside the word "Text" to test my idea of what the letters are by typing them in, then looking at the German letters that will appear in the larger box below. and compare them.  I suppose it could be a long, tedious process, but for someone who is determined, it might work.

Also notice that there are eight different variations of font/handwriting.  Each is the word "Schrift" in one font or another.  Click any of the words above the results box and the font will change.

Another way I would use this is to aid in translating German language newspaper articles. 

I suppose, with careful study, one could use this program to learn how to read various old German fonts.

All the best with your translating efforts!

—Nancy.

Copyright © 2023 Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 
.

May Celebrations among Ancestors and Relatives

It's unusual to have only one living relative with a birthday in a month, but here we are in May celebrating only my brother!  Happy Birthday, Bob!

I think it's also unusual for siblings (who aren't twins) to share a birthday.  Two Gerner sisters, Ida and Mabel, were both born on May 17, but 13 years apart.  (Two of my own grandchildren share the same birthday, two years apart.)

I've been unable to find a birth date for Emma Nelson, who married Ellis Bickerstaff, so I'm remembering her on her death date.

Living Relative
May 20    Robert Lee/Bob D., my brother

The Grands
May   1, 1878 d.    Emma Nelson (w/o Ellis Bickerstaff)
May   3, 1825        William Doyle and Martha Reay
May   8, 1851        Lydia Bell (w/o John Thompson)
May 12, 1854        Elvira Bartley (w/o Fredrick Gerner)

Collateral Relatives
May   5, 1810    Robert Laws
May   7, 1856    Rachel Anna Thompson
May   8, 1859    Josephine Bell
May   8, 1905    Laura Bell and Theodore Moses
May   8, 1936    Veronica June Meinzen and Burton Kenneth Gettings
May 10, 1849    John W. Bickerstaff, son of William and Susan (Holmes) Bickerstaff
May 10, 1937    Elizabeth Zerelda Hendricks and Leonard Miller Fair
May 12, 1878    Emma Everall, wife of George T. Doyle
May 12, 1886    Russel Rhome, husband of Naomi Meinzen
May 12, 1920    Clarence Leroy Bickerstaff, son of William and Lucy (Van Kirk) Bickerstaff
May 15, 1892    Ethel Clair (or Clare) Gerner
May 17, 1873    Ida Adelia Gerner
May 17, 1886    Mabel Lodenia Gerner
May 20, 1854    Matthew Laws
May 20, 1896    Lana Ellen Gerner and William H. Snair
May 21, 1850    Ann Armitage, sister of Elizabeth Armitage
May 22, 1898    Naomi Faye Meinzen
May 26, 1904    Agnes May Pressell, wife of Edward Bickerstaff
May 27, 1909    Elizabeth Zerelda Hendricks
May 28, 1890    Margaret Doyle and David Wood
May 28, 1919    Paul Victor Gerner and Ethel M. Knox
May 29, 1917    Elizabeth Ann Meinzen, daughter of Jacob and Sudie (Coss) Meinzen
May 30, 1903    Cecil E. Hashman

The Lines of the Grands

• Emma Nelson  >  Edward Jesse Bickerstaff  >  Emma (Bickerstaff) Meinzen  >  Audrey (Meinzen) Doyle  >  me
• William Doyle and Martha Reay  >  Andrew Doyle  >  William Doyle  >  Gust Doyle  >  Lee Doyle  >  me
• Lydia Bell  >  Mary (Thompson) Bickerstaff  >  Emma (Bickerstaff) Meinzen  >  Audrey (Meinzen) Doyle  >  me
• Elvira Bartley  >  Beulah Mae (Gerner) Doyle  >  Lee Doyle  >  me
  

I identified some of the relationships of the collateral relatives but if you're interested in ones I haven't identified, please ask.

I'm remembering, commemorating, honoring, and celebrating all of my relatives who have birthdays and anniversaries this month, but especially my brother.  Enjoy!

—Nancy.

Copyright © 2023 Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 
.