Hints re using this website (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Saturday, February 02, 2013, 17:02 (4314 days ago) @ SusanG

Hi Susan, welcome to the forum, dont worry about asking we've all been beginners at some point :-)

First step is always to search this forum for prior threads, very often someone else has already covered a query to some extent. That said I did see your post last night and searched for the various names you mention, absolutely no luck re the rather unusual Shakel name, similarly not a mention in the Parish Records even allowing for the various spelling variations, why do you think theres a Dean link when Inkberrow is a long way from here (other side of Worcester I think) ?

Fennel is a far more common Dean name with over a hundred entries in the site's Parish Records section.

Again Halford is fairly common, searching the forum I see several prior threads along the Severnside area (Blakeney, Awre etc), so fitting your likely area. Similarly I suggest you thoroughly search the Parish Records, tick the Soundex box to get all spelling variations, there are several Thomas's altho admittedly no perfect matches to your date,

maybe ?

Record_ID: 41220
Entry_Number: 52
Year: 1881
Month: Jun
Day: 22
Parents_Surname: HOLFORD
Child_Forenames: Thomas Henry
Fathers_Forenames: Tom James
Mothers_Forenames: Millicent
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: The Cross
Occupation: Guard
Officiating_Minister: John J.Trollope
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: PFC 209 IN 1/6
Page_Number: 7
Parish_Chapel: Lydney
Soundex: H416

Similarly Simkins isnt rare, here are two possibles from the PRs database, both are in the Redmarley area.

Record_ID: 197438
Entry_Number:
Year: 1803
Month: Feb
Day: 18
Parents_Surname: SIMPKINS
Child_Forenames: William
Fathers_Forenames: John
Mothers_Forenames: Elizabeth
Mothers_Surname:
Residence:
Occupation:
Officiating_Minister: Edward Jones M A Vicar
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P101 IN 1/2
Page_Number:
Parish_Chapel: Corse
Soundex: S512

Record_ID: 320730
Entry_Number:
Year: 1808
Month: Feb
Day: 25
Parents_Surname: SIMPKINS
Child_Forenames: William
Fathers_Forenames: Samuel
Mothers_Forenames: Elizabeth
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Hasfield
Occupation:
Officiating_Minister: Saunders William Miller B.A.
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P166 IN 1/5
Page_Number:
Parish_Chapel: Hasfield
Soundex: S512

(Am I correct in thinking your quoted birthdates and places are from Census Records ?, if so they may be inaccurate of course, suggest allow a few years leeway on any Census sourced birthdates).

Hope this helps, Happy Hunting !

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UPDATE.

Apologies if you already know it, but the GlosBMD website is also well-worth searching. http://ww3.gloucestershire.gov.uk/bmd/MainMenu.aspx
It's especially helpfull as it contains Registry Office events such as Marriages which the FoDFH site's PRs (ie Church Records) won't have.

From it I find;

Birth Details
Number of entries matching criteria entered: 1

Child Surname Child Forename Father Surname Mother Surname Mother's Former Name Year District Office Register Entry
FENNELL Emma FENNELL FENNELL NELMES 1852 Forest of Dean Monmouth, Coleford 8 248

and

Marriage Details
Number of entries matching criteria entered: 1

Groom Surname Groom Forename Bride Surname Bride Forename District Parish Building Year Register Entry
HALFORD William FENNELL Emma Forest of Dean Westbury-on-Severn (FoD) Register Office 1891 9 119

Birth Details
Number of entries matching criteria entered: 1

Child Surname Child Forename Father Surname Mother Surname Mother's Former Name Year District Office Register Entry
HALFORD Thomas HALFORD HALFORD JAMES 1876 Forest of Dean Westbury on Severn, Newnham 40 292

This prior thread may help for this and other usefull free sites
http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=35197

NOTE: There appear to be NO "Shakels" on the GlosBMD site database either.