Thread: WOODHEADs of Oswaldtwistle,Church/Accrington, Lancashire

Hello there. I've been researching the Woodhead family as above. I have got back to Thomas Woodhead who married Ellen (Nellie) Whalley at St James, Church Kirk, Lancashire on 12 March 1811 (online parish records). I have spent countless hours trying to find where or when they were born but can get no further.

I have hit several other brickwalls. One being Selina Woodhead (d.o.b. 1856) unmarried, and her daughter Mary Jane Woodhead (d.o.b.1879) who disappear after the 1881 census, along with Selina's sister Margaret Woodhead (d.o.b.1850) and her husband John Dooley just prior to that. All were living in Accrington, Lancs before they disappeared.

I am relatively (pardon the pun) new to this and have run out of ideas as to where else to look. I have searched IGI, freebmd, censuses (censi?), online parish records, library online 19th century newspapers and various online genealogy sites and forums. How do people just disappear? Any tips please? I would be very grateful for any replies and happy to share any info I have found so far. sweat)

Hello ossielass

I've been researching the Woodhead family as above. I have got back to Thomas Woodhead who married Ellen (Nellie) Whalley at St James, Church Kirk, Lancashire on 12 March 1811 (online parish records). I have spent countless hours trying to find where or when they were born but can get no further.

You do not indicate whether you have visited a Record Office ( RO*) or local LDS ( look for the local centre on the familysearch site) library to view the original Parish Record ( PR), the record will indicate the parish the couple belonged to and any other detail the minister noted at the time of the event.
The on line entry indicates they are of Church KIRK, there is every likelihood that you may fons them in the records of the parish.
Not all the parish records have been transcribed or digitalized yet!

* ChurchKirk

I did find an entry for a baptism of a Thomas WOODHEAD in 1786 in Blackburn!

elsabels

Selina Woodhead (d.o.b. 1856)

There is an entry in the Philidelphia Passenger list Selina WOODHEAD 1856 England, departure Liverpool arrived 4 May 1884 Philidelphia Pennsylvania