Please can anybody help:.

I cannot get back further than John Gurney, who from the 1851 census records was born Upton Bishop 1797.

In 1824 at Much Marcle he married Mary Hooper of Dymock.

On the basis of perhaps the 1851 census not giving the correct age, I believe this may be the same John Gurney as buried at Hampton Bishop in 1876, with his year of birth given as 1799. (Burial ref: HBP/174). I come to this conclusion after an exhaustive search of burial records for, and each side of 1797.

Sadly, I can find no evidence of a Baptism record which would give me the names of his parents.

The John Gurney mentioned above is my great great grandfather, and that is where my search comes to a full stop.

Please advise: Am I right in thinking the census records can be a bit of a hit and miss affair, with ages guessed at, and even place of birth guessed at sometimes.

Any suggestions please as to how I can progress from here: I have spent hours searching the information on this web site, Ancestry, Genesreunited, and a website I found for Herefordshire families.

Many thanks,

John Gurney (Current version)

http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?mode=thread&id=7874#p7874

Hello Slowhands,

Thanks for reposting that information, which I have combed through again, but still come to a dead end.

I am very new to this business of tracing ancestors and perhaps I am missing vital points during my search, e.g. should I just assume a person 'fits' even if the date is not quite right, which brings me back to my question regarding the reliability of dates on the census forms.

I find I am still stumped at John Gurney of 1797, or perhaps 1799. Oh well, it was nice to have got back that far and into the fresh air of the Forest of Dean, away from Shoreditch, St. Pancras, and similar areas of London to which the family gravitated from about 1850.

Many thanks for your help, which has been much appreciated.

Regards,

John Gurney

John

"dates" will vary ! esp. the 1841 which instructed enumerators to "round" adult ages to nearest 5 - however not all enumerators did this - hence a 1781 date.....( when you might expect 1779)

The 1841 did not record place of birth , other than "in County" and that can be hit and miss too !

Neither did the 1841 record relationships between household members. Thankfully over the years more and more was gathered , which is a great help to us now. However, I'm sure one or two individuals also gave an answer to the enumerator which was strictly "false" ---- Orwell had yet to write 1984, but even then the notion of privacy was developing :-)

Its hard to be 100% in this game, the best we can do is gather evidence and see the weight / trends develop.

this may be his death after the 1851 census

Name: John Gurney
Year of Registration: 1860
Quarter of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar
District: Newent
County: Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire
Volume: 6a
Page: 155

Name: John Gurney
Year of Registration: 1860
Quarter of Registration: Apr-May-Jun
District: Newent
County: Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire
Volume: 6a
Page: 139

there are also a couple in Middlesex to consider - just in case he travelled with the "children" to London, but I think this is his widow Mary

1861 Fishpool Kempley
Mary Gurney abt 1800 Dymock, Gloucestershire, England Head Kempley Gloucestershire
Benjamin Perry abt 1845 Linton, Herefordshire, England Lodger Kempley Gloucestershire

Fishpool is a hamlet just to the west of Kempley

Thanks Slowhands, that information is very helpful, and I think armed with that knowledge I may be able to progress from there. I will get back to the drawing board later today, and in due course report results.

Best wishes,

John Gurney

Year 1860
Month Apr
Day 28

Surname GURNEY
Forename(s) John
Place of Residence Kempley
Age at death 62
Officiating Minister T.B. Power
Event Burial
Cause of death
Memoranda
Notes
Register Reference AD99/8
Page No 70
Parish/Chapel Upton Bishop

Year 1822
Month Nov
Day 1

Surname GURNEY
Forename(s) John
Place of Residence Near the Fishpools in parish of Kempley
Age at death 59
Officiating Minister W.W. Gretton Vicar of Whittington
Event Burial
Cause of death
Memoranda
Notes
Register Reference AD99/8
Page No 14
Parish/Chapel Upton Bishop

Slowhands, you are an absolute genius. I am convinced you have got the right chap. The names and dates fit. The name of 'Fishpool' is familiar and I had previously passed it over as it had no meaning for me at that time.

I am delighted to find from the web there is a pub in Upton Bishop called 'The Moody Cow', and I hope it may be possible to stay there on a visit I am determined to make.

This all started out with looking up the Medal Index Cards of my uncles who had served in the First World War, and look where it has lead !!

Fantastic.

Regards,
John

its funny how the little pieces start to fit togther :-)

www.old-maps.co.uk
co ords 366500 229500

Hi John, just looking through the forum & came across your message. I have a Sarah Gurney who married Richard Taylor in Ledbury 1815. On the 1851 census she has her birth place as Gorsley, Gloucester. Think around the same area as you are looking for, could there be a connection - long shot I know. She would have been born any where about 1783-1791 according to the census, but havent managed to find any further back for her.
Jan

Hello John. Are you still looking for information on this family? I have something that might interest you, but it is in a document form that I will have to send to you. How shall I do that?