Ezra Riley and the Missing 1861 Census

Since the 1861 Census for North Woolrich is missing, other sources are needed to verify that is where he was living.

First, we have the birth record of his son, Ezra Riley for 1862

This shows his birthplace to be Woolwich Arsenal.   His father's occupation is listed as Journeyman Blacksmith.

Another piece of evidence to verify the family's residence is this letter obtained by Mary Jane Riley Lacke.

This letter shows that he was a Manager of Cable and Telegraph Works and lived in North Woolwich in  Dec 1865.  It is interesting to note that he paid dues through 1878.  He had moved away at some point as we know he was in Wales in 1871.  

There are always alternatives to get at some of the information we need to put together the story.  It just isn't as easy as going to a Census Record.

A personal touch...

There is something quite special about seeing an ancestor's signature.  A signature is so personal and it's on something they touched.  We only have one object that is from Ezra Riley so finding a signature really makes him seem more real.

The 1911 UK Census was a mailed in.  Ezra signed this form!

What is a Journeyman?

A journeyman is a trader or crafter who has completed an apprenticeship. A journeyman was a craftsman who had fully learned his trade and earned money but was not yet a master. To become a master, a journeyman had to submit a master work piece to a guild for judgment. If the work were deemed worthy, the journeyman would be admitted to the guild as a master. (Wikipedia).

Ezra Riley was listed on the 1851 Census and his 1853 Marriage Record as a Journeyman Blacksmith so he must have served an apprenticeship.  I don't know if the Manchester Blacksmith Guild kept records or not on Apprenticeships.  I would love to find out if he ever became a Master.  A missing piece in this puzzle is the 1861 Census.  We haven't been able to find a record of Ezra, Jane and their family yet. Wikipedia has some interesting info on the history of apprenticeships in England.

A Great Mystery Solved...

I have learned from a recent flurry of research that any one program or subscription doesn't give you every thing you need.  We had found Ezra Riley, new wife and family in Wales in the 1871 Census but the two sons, Thomas Roberts and Ezra were missing.  Using Ancestry.Com, we weren't able to find them.  Also, we could find NO RECORDS for Ezra and Jane in the 1861 Census.

I signed up for The Genealogist, a UK based web site, hoping it could help me solve these two issues.  I hated to spend the money but I was desperate.  Well... I found Thomas and Ezra!  They were at a very small school (looks like there were fewer than 25 students) in Wales.  I still couldn't find the family in 1861.

Last weekend I went to Family History Expo in Atlanta.  I met with a professional genealogist who was very little help but she mentioned Find My Past.  It is also a UK based web site.  Fortunately, they offer a free 14 day trial.  I made a list of people I wanted to check and have downloaded a bunch of things that I need to put into my Ancestry.com files.

So now to the great mystery...I still cannot find Ezra and Family in the 1861 Census but now I know why....
The records for Woolwich are missing!  I had figured they might have been in Woolwich based on the place of birth of their last child.  It doesn't make me happy that it's gone but I am so happy that I know the answer to why they can't be found

From Find My Past:
. 1861 missing pages
Missing pieces of the 1861 census


There are a number of enumeration books missing, or parts of enumeration books (usually missing start or finish), from the 1861 census. Below is a list of the books affected that we know of, both those missing in their entirety (M) and those which are incomplete (I) in the National Archives.

145 Middlesex Islington         Islington East (2)                Islington M
217 Middlesex West London West London North (1)        St Bartholomew the Less I
219 Middlesex West London West London South (2)        Barnard's Inn M
220 Middlesex London City London City SW (1)               St Augustine Watling Street I
229 Middlesex London City London City NE (5)               St Christopher le Stock I
407 Kent Greenwich         Woolwich Arsenal (6)       Woolwich M

A Common Name in the Family Tree: Grace Riley

Grace was the 17th most popular girl's name in the US in 2006, and the most popular (#1) name in the UK in 2007. It is also very popular as a middle name. To Christians, grace means free salvation from God. Grace is also the name of the prayer said before a meal. In Greek mythology, the three Graces were goddesses of charm, beauty, fertility, nature and creativity - they were normally Aglaia, Thalia and Euphrosyne.


It was a popular name in Ezra's (Riley) family.  


He lived with his Aunt Grace Riley (born 1816) and was shown in her home in the 1841 and 1851 Census.


Grace had a brother, Ezra (born 1811) who had a daughter named Grace (born 1839).  Brother Ezra and his family was also living with Grace in the 1841 Census.  This Grace was also living with "our" Ezra's family in the 1871 Census in Wales.


"Our Ezra"  and Jane Roberts Riley had a daughter, Grace (born in 1857).  She was a milliner and lived with her father through the time of his death in 193.  She never married.


Thomas Roberts Riley and Elizabeth Maybury Riley also had a daughter, Grace.  Grace Amelia was born in 1894.