Genealogy Chat

Henry may have been in the Shardlow Workhouse from maybe 1915. On 1911 census he is age 6 and listed as at school but believe he was sent to a workhouse.
Is there anyway of confirming this and are there any records anywhere?
Thanks Valda

Workhouse records .if they still exist will be at the local Records Office or History centre for the area.

Try googling for the workhouse you may find more info on it like where the records are now kept

seems to have stayed in the same area

England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2007 about Henry Inniss Wills
Name: Henry Inniss Wills
Birth Date: 23 Nov 1904
Date of Registration: Sep 1982
Age at Death: 77
Registration District: Derby
Inferred County: Derbyshire
Volume: 6
Page: 0627

He is living with a family in 1911 and listed as occ school not living in a school

the people he was staying with are elderly ; have you found they died before 1915 so he may have not been at home then.?

Henry lived with William Smith from birth. No records of Henry after 1911 census
until his marriage in 1931. Trying to fill in the gap and think he was sent to a workhouse. Will follow up the local records office. Thanks

Do you know what the connection was with the .smiths?


1911 England Census about Henry Hiniss Wills
Name: Henry Hiniss Wills
Age in 1911: 6
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1905
Gender: Male
Birth Place: Melton Mowbouy, Leicel
Civil Parish: Alvaston and Boulton
County/Island: Derbyshire
Country: England
Street Address: The Crescent Alvaston
Occupation: School
Registration District: Shardlow
Registration District Number: 434
Sub-registration District: Shardlow
ED, institution, or vessel: 1
Piece: 20814
Household Members:
Name Age
William Smith 78 widower
Elizabeth Jackson 57 widow
Eliza Jackson 17 daughter
Henry Hiniss Wills 6

Don't know the connection yet, but here's William Smith in 1881, and also a visitor Sophia J Wills:


1881 England Census about William Smith
Name: William Smith
Age: 48
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1833
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Annie Smith
Gender: Male
Where born: Alvaston, Derbyshire, England

Civil Parish: Boulton
County/Island: Derbyshire
Country: England

Condition as to marriage: Married
Education:

Employment status:

View Image
Occupation: Builder

Registration District: Shardlow
Sub-registration District: Shardlow
ED, institution, or vessel: 13
Neighbors: View others on page
Piece: 3388
Folio: 85
Page Number: 2
Household Members:
Name Age
William Smith 48
Annie Smith 44
Louisa J. Smith 19
Annie S. Smith 17
Catherine J. Smith 12
Henry H. Smith 9
Sophia J. Wills 3 - visitor, born London

Sophia J Wills, described as adopted daughter:


1901 England Census about Sophia J Wills
Name: Sophia J Wills
Age: 23
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1878
Relation: Adopted Daughter
Gender: Female
Where born: London, England

Civil Parish: Alvaston
Ecclesiastical parish: Alvaston St Michael
Town: Alvaston
County/Island: Derbyshire
Country: England

Street Address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status:

View Image

Registration District: Shardlow
Sub-registration District: Shardlow
ED, institution, or vessel: 11
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Schedule Number: 115
Piece: 3207
Folio: 68
Page Number: 17
Household Members:
Name Age
William Smith 68
Annie S Smith 36
Sophia J Wills 23
Bertha H Hunt 13

Perhaps Henry was an illegitimate son of Sophia.

Births Dec 1904 (>99%)
WILLS Henry Inniss Melton M. 7a 303



????
Marriages Sep 1910 (>99%)
Parrott William Oxford 3a 2326
Wills Sophia J Oxford 3a 2326

Another couple on that page can be found married in 1911.
Can't find William and Sophia anywhere in 1911.

But still don't know if Sophia was any blood relation of the Smiths!

Hi. Yes Henry was the illegitimate son of Sophia (my grandmother). Thanks to genesreunited folk I found Henry's living family. His family thought he was an orphan. Now trying to find out info from 1911 c onwards and still trying to find birth details of Sophia which is how all this started. William & Sophia came to Australia in 1910 immediately after their wedding. Still of the opinion that the Smith family are linked somehow. Sophia lived with them for 23+ years and then her son for at least 6 years. Wilkl keep looking but now we have family in the Derby area helping. Thanks Valda

This is the only Sophia Wills born in London 1870-1880. The birth certificate will tell you her parents' names.

Births Dec 1877 (>99%)
Wills Sophia Holborn 1b 815