Genealogy Chat

Hi all you guys were incredibly helpful last time I asked so here goes again.

My Great-Grandma was Ada Whitehouse who was born in Birmingham. Unfortunately that was a very common name at that time in Birmingham so I'm trying to be 99% certain I have the right person.

Here's what I have to go off...

Her marriage certificate (looks like she eloped to Lancashire to get married) says her fathers name was Harry Whitehouse who was a 'Tube Drawer'. It says she was 20 when married in 1910.

Looking at the census records I think I have found her but am not certain. In the 1901 census there was an Ada Whitehouse b.1891 and her Dad was Harry Whitehouse with his occupation listed as 'Brass Tube Maker'.

It seems to link up but how can I be certain? Anyone know what a 'Tube Drawer / Brass Tube Maker' job even was? Is it the same thing?

Any help would be greatly appreciated :)

google gives a good explanation of the occupation

Tube drawer was a tube maker acc to old occupations https://rmhh.co.uk/occup/t.html

So sounds likely.

1891 England, Wales & Scotland Census
New Summer Street, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England


Harry Whitehouse Head Married Male 24 1867 Tube Dresser Warwickshire, England
Martha Whitehouse Wife Married Female 23 1868 - Warwickshire, England
Ada Whitehouse Daughter - Female 0 1891 - Birmingham, Warwickshire, England

1901 England, Wales & Scotland Census
House Court, 9, Great Russell Street, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England

Harry Whitehouse Head Married Male 35 1866 Brass Tube Maker Birmingham, Warwickshire, England
Martha Whitehouse Wife Married Female 33 1868 - Birmingham, Warwickshire, England
Ada Whitehouse Daughter Single Female 10 1891 - Birmingham, Warwickshire, England
Harry Whitehouse Son Single Male 8 1893 - Birmingham, Warwickshire, England
May E Whitehouse Daughter Single Female 1 1900 - Birmingham, Warwickshire, England

Children have mmn South ( on GRO birth index)

so probable
Marriages Mar 1889 (>99%)

South Martha W. Bromwich 6b 769
Whitehouse Harry W. Bromwich 6b 769

1939 gives Smauel's birthdate as 11 Feb 1889 and Ada's as 22 August 1890

Struggling to find them in 1911

Thanks Rambling that's really helpful!

Where I am struggling is her age / D of B dont seem to tie up?

On her marriage certificate (married 4/7/1910) she says she is 20. I have her D of B from her death record as 22/8/1890 which would make her 19 on the above wedding date not 20. Would she have had to prove her age?

The 1891 Census was taken in April '91 so the age in your second post of 0 ties in to that date.

Ada and Samuel Sly got married in Lancaster bizarrely (he was from Bury-St-Edmunds) so I suspect they eloped to get married?

I had Martha South tentatively in my family tree so that seems to tie in perfectly - just the d of b/ age I'm slightly confused by.

Thanks :)

Thanks @lancashireann - Ada was married in 1911 so was Ada Sly living in Lancs. I've not looked for Harry in 1911 yet :)

1911 Census For England & Wales
21 Camden Street Hollinwood Oldham, Oldham, Lancashire, England


George James Watts Head Married Male 55 1856 Cloth Looker Cotton Mill Worcestershire Worcester
Caroline Watts Wife Married Female 53 1858 Weaver Calico Lancashire Blackburn
Samuel Charles Sly Boarder Married Male 22 1889 Showmans Assistant Suffolk Bury St Edmund
Ada Sly Boarder Married Female 20 1891 - Worcestershire Birmingham

No she wouldn't have had to prove her age, and may have just gone with 20 as it was so close to that

WHITEHOUSE, ADA mmn SOUTH
GRO Reference: 1890 S Quarter in ASTON Volume 06D Page 421

1911 Census For England & Wales
3 /201 Farm St B Ham, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England


Harry Whitehouse Head Married Male 43 1868 Tube Closee ( closer on image)
Warwickshire Birmingham
Mrs Whitehouse Wife Married Female 43 1868 Scratchbrusher Warwickshire Birmingham
Harry Whitehouse Son Single Male 18 1893 Brass Filer Warwickshire Birmingham
May Whitehouse Daughter - Female 11 1900 Scholar Warwickshire Birmingham
Leonard Whitehouse Son - Male 9 1902 Scholar Warwickshire Birmingham
Hilda Whitehouse Daughter - Female 8 1903 Scholar Warwickshire Birmingham
Gladys Whitehouse Daughter - Female 5 1906 - Warwickshire Birmingham

Ada & Samuel married in Earlestown near Newton-le-Willows and Samuel was a showman & his father a waiter so maybe they were working in Lancashire

Marriage: 4 Jul 1910 St John the Baptist, Earlestown, Lancashire, England
Samuel Charles Sly - 21, Show Man, Bachelor, Haydock St.
Ada Whitehouse - 20, Professional, Spinster, Market Place
Groom's Father: Samuel Sly, Waiter
Bride's Father: Harry Whitehouse, Tube Drawer
Witness: John Powell; Catherine Powell
Married by Banns by: T. R. Matthews

married by banns which means they were both at the time living in the parish

It is not too unusual for the age on a marriage certificate to be wrong

Still in Lancs in 1911 and in a completely different are to the marriage makes it seems like they were with a travelling show/circus

edit
in 1911 under industry it says 'cinematograph' (I think) + ? Hall

WOW thanks so much guys that's amazing, gives me lots to add in :)

Scratchbrusher sounds an unusual job??? I think they must have been working in a similar place - Harry as a Tube Closee, Martha as a scratchbrusher and the son as a brass filer.

I love watching Peaky blinders - that is the same era as what I am researching now?

V interesting about Banns, not come across that term before

1st child born in Bolton & 2nd in Burton upon Trent seems to support the theory that they travelled round with a show of some kind

you could only be married by Banns if at least one of the couple lived in the area for a certain number of weeks before the wedding. They were anounced in the church for 3 weeks prior to the wedding in order to give people a chance to object to the marriage for some legal reason

I know he became a Cinamatographer in Swadlincote (nr Burton on Trent) as that was on his army file

He was also a cinematographer when he was in Oldham in 1911