Sometimes in genealogical research, a brickwall can be reached in all sorts of circumstances. This week our searchers were initially stumped by one George Jackson, waterproofer. He was named as the father on the marriage certificate of Joseph Jackson.
However, there was simply no Joseph Jackson, son of George a waterproofer in census returns or General Registration records. A likely family was found however, with the father named Charles. He was sometimes recorded as a waterproofer, but also as a labourer or french polisher.
In order to prove this was the relevant family, it was necessary to think outside the genealogical box! In fact, when one of the daughters of this Charles married, one Joseph Jackson was a witness. His signature was recorded as follows:
When comparing this to the signature on the ancestral Joseph's own marriage record, they were certainly extremely similar:
But the final icing on the cake? Joseph's sister married one Sylvanus Musgrove: Joseph's youngest child was named Sylvanus, clearly in honour of his uncle. Thus some clever detective work helped identify the relevant family, despite a discrepancy on a marriage record.
