Ancestry BMD help - am I doing it wrong?

Question

I never use Ancestry, because I find it such a chore to navigate around. Here is a prime example. I am trying to look for a marriage record at the following link -

http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/default.aspx?rt=34

I typed "John Salter", and put the YOB as 1844, in England. It came up with nothing. Fine, then perhaps I should specify that I'm after a marriage record, not birth or death. But there's nowhere I can specify this. It doesn't even let you state what year you think they married. So then I typed in John Smith, to see if it was me being stupid or if there was a problem with the system. There's bound to be some John Smiths, right? I didn't specify a YOB or POB, and guess what? It came up with nothing, implying no John Smiths were born, married or died anywhere in the world ever!

PLEASE can someone help me? Is it me being stupid, because the title of the page is "Search Birth, Marriage & Death Records" - surely it's the right place.

Answer 1

I answered your last question regarding John. In it you asked if it was possible to search for all the Henrietta's born in 1844 in London, well the answer is yes you can. I tried it and it and ancestry.co.uk  came up with hundreds of Henrietta's born in that year in London.

I shall continue to search for any information for you.

Edit:

Are you absolutely certain of Johns wife's name, I found this but it may be just a coincidence that this John was born in Chiselhurst in Kent and Bertha his wife was born in Woolwich in 1844. Have a look and see what you think I will search again on your behalf if you think I am wrong.

1891 England Census

about John Salter

Name: John Salter

Age: 47  

Estimated Birth Year: abt 1844  

Relation: Head  

Spouse's Name: Bertha

Gender: Male

Where born: Chislehurst, Kent, England

  

Civil Parish: Plumstead  

Ecclesiastical parish: St Margarets  

Town: West India Dock London  

County/Island: London  

Country: England  

  

Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status: View Image

  

Registration district: Woolwich  

Sub registration district: Plumstead, West  

ED, institution, or vessel: 4  

Neighbors: View others on page  

Household Members: Name Age

Frances Briglington 25  

Lily Briglington 5/12  

Thomas Briglington 31  

Alice Hurry 22  

Augustus Salter 17  

Bertha Salter 47  

John Salter 47  

Maud Salter 15  

Percy Salter 8

This is Bertha's details.

1891 England Census

about John Salter

Name: John Salter

Age: 47  

Estimated Birth Year: abt 1844  

Relation: Head  

Spouse's Name: Bertha

Gender: Male

Where born: Chislehurst, Kent, England

  

Civil Parish: Plumstead  

Ecclesiastical parish: St Margarets  

Town: West India Dock London  

County/Island: London  

Country: England  

  

Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status: View Image

  

Registration district: Woolwich  

Sub registration district: Plumstead, West  

ED, institution, or vessel: 4  

Neighbors: View others on page  

Household Members: Name Age

Frances Briglington 25  

Lily Briglington 5/12  

Thomas Briglington 31  

Alice Hurry 22  

Augustus Salter 17  

Bertha Salter 47  

John Salter 47  

Maud Salter 15  

Percy Salter 8

Do you know what Bertha is short for ? .can do a search using her christian name if I can find the full name.

Answer 2

I have had similiar problems with pay sites like that.  John Smith though sounds like a very common name. hmmm.

I would try looking at familysearch.org. Its free and has pedigees and info on families and individuals from people who submitted them. Of course, you have to be careful and verify the info. they also have the British Isles census for 1881.

I did find a John Salter.

John Salter b. 1844, Clayhidon, Devon, England

   Father: George Salter

   Mother: Susan Manley

Wife: Elizabeth Strawbridge b. 1844, Stockland, Devon, England

Free sites like this can help with the research, but require more time and effort.

EDIT: Sorry these weren't the ones you were looking for, but what you need to look into is a site that you can search with first name only and the information on Henrietta (approx age and birthplace) from the 1881 census that I sent you.  You would be looking at 1851 and 1861 British Census Records. Unfortunatley all roads seem to lead to ancestry.com.

What wold we do without ancestry.com? Would genealogy research cease to exist????

Answer 3

Hi I found these John Salter's   I do hope one of them is who you are looking for.



John Salter 1844 Jan-Feb-Mar    Exeter  Devon  

View Record

John Salter 1844 Jan-Feb-Mar    Pershore  Hereford and Worcester, Worcestershire  

View Record

John Salter 1844 Jan-Feb-Mar    Newton Abbot  Devon  

View Record

John Salter 1844 Jan-Feb-Mar    Wellington Som  Devon, Somerset  

View Record

John Salter 1844 Jan-Feb-Mar    St Thomas  Devon  

View Record

John Salter 1844 Jul-Aug-Sep    Exeter  Devon  

View Record

John Salter 1844 Jul-Aug-Sep    Rotherhithe (To 1869)  Surrey