Week 9 (Mar. 1-7): Multiples - Arthur Wood
Week 9 (Mar. 1-7): Multiples - Arthur Wood
I initially thought of twins or triplets for this theme of “multiples”,
but as far as my mind recalls there is only one set of twins I know of and I used
them for the same theme last year. Then, as I was looking for a cert for
someone, I came to Arthur Wood’s marriage Certificate and a thought came to me
linked to him.
The image left shows my Dad, Arthur Wood and his wife Mary Elizabeth Mitchell. It is believed to be about 1946.
As I recall he remembered spending time with Grandad
Arthur and his wife as a child, Arthur was always smoking (even the picture), they fun fun people to be with and that they had a strong accent, which turned
out to be Yorkshire. This information and a name wasn’t much to go on at the time.
In order to find Arthur I had to work from his daughter
Hilda, we new her birthdate so this should be quite easy. One visit to the
library to find there were “multiple” Hilda Wood’s born in and
around Bradford in 1910. I left using Hilda’s birth and went back to her
marriage certificate of which was in with the photos, the original from 1939.
It didn’t tell me anything more than we already knew sadly.
Over the years Arthur was left on the side as I wasn’t
easily able to get documents (the internet wasn’t established and we didn’t
have it in our house) or get to places where he was believed to be from to do
searches. Move forward to the 2000’s and I am no longer living with my parents,
I have my own home and the internet, so I started looking into the family tree
again.
I went back to Grandma Hilda’s birth and bought “multiple”
certificates to get hers, which I did. This helped slightly as she was listed
in North Bierley part of Bradford. We knew Hilda was the eldest child of Arthur
and Mary, so I used to my advantage to look for weddings, there was about 30
Arthur Wood’s married to Mary’s (all over the UK and within 3years of Hilda’s
birth). However, when I added her maiden name of Mitchell (from birth
certificate of Hilda) there was only 1 that stayed and it was in Bradford, so I
bought it. I thought that I would end up buying “multiple” certificates to find
their marriage.
When the certificate arrived it stated that Arthur was
21years old, back I go to looking for him and a possible birth, this age took
me to 1886, but he may not have had his birthday when he married so I included
1885 when I was looking. I didn’t search just in Yorkshire (big mistake) and
ended up with pages upon pages of possible births. Adding all areas of Yorkshire
it came up with 27 of which 4 were in Bradford. I am 99% certain that I ordered
all of the certificates but if I did they are not in my folder that I keep them
in. The marriage certificate also gave his fathers name of Charles Wood.
However, going back to the internet I made full use of it
and set up an online tree. From here I managed to source information on Arthur
and his family. And over the years I have found more information linked to him.
Arthur Wood is my Great Grandfather, he was born 14th
September 1885 in Bradford, Yorkshire, England. He was the eldest child of 3
that his parents Charles and Sarah had. Arthur died in 1962 apparently back in his
home town of Bradford, there is a death record that matches and none listed in
Peterborough where he had lived.
On the 1891 census Arthur was living in Bradford and was a
scholar. On the 1901 census Arthur is
listed as Engine and machine maker (his father is a mill machinist so possibly same place). By the
1911 census Arthur has married Mary Elizabeth Mitchell and they have a daughter
Hilda and is listed as coalman stawker (I think it is meant to say stoker),
living in Eccles Hill, part of Bradford. In 1909 on Hilda’s birth certificate he
is listed as Engineer. On the 1939 census he is a lathe turner engineer living
in Peterborough.
So as well as talking “multiple” years to find
information on Arthur, he also held “multiple” jobs and lived in “multiple”
places and i bought "multiple" certificates linked to him and his family.
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