X00390 Charles Taylor after 1861 - Solved!

Continuing my search for Charles Taylor and his death information (X00390), I was hoping that I would encounter the same luck that I had in tracking down his wife, Eliza Aylward.

First, I did manage to find Charles Taylor in the 1921 census

It's definitely the right one, because the birth information and location (Blackburn) matches, plus his profession is listed as a retired Coast Guard officer. At the time of the 1921 census, he's living in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, England.

The only other census-like record for England after 1921 is the 1939 register, so I had a look for him there. I was not able to find a Charles Taylor that matched, suggesting that he probably died before 1939

So, it would seem that he likely died somewhere between 1921 and 1939, which is a pretty wide range; his name is fairly common and he moved around a lot, so this seemed like an impossible task.

But then I thought, if he was retired in 1921, perhaps he stopped moving around and settled in Cleethorpes. So I looked for death records for a Charles Taylor between 1921 and 1939 in Cleethorpes. And sure enough I was able to find a record for a death in 1939:

Not only does the name and age match, but the profession listed is retired Chief Officer, Coast Guard. As well, the informant is F.C. Taylor, a name that matches one of his known sons.

So, I am happy to conclude that I have found the correct death record and death information for Charles Taylor.

The Taylor-Rothwell Family of Blackburn, Lancashire

The Taylor-Rothwell Family of Blackburn, Lancashire

The story of James Taylor and Alice Ann Rothwell is one of industrious lives, early love, and enduring legacy in the heart of Blackburn, Lancashire. Their journey, though marked by hardship, laid the foundation for generations to come.

James Taylor & Alice Ann Rothwell
James Taylor was born on 30 September 1845 in Blackburn, Lancashire, to John Taylor and Jane Whittle【James Taylor: 1,7】. Baptized at St. Mary the Virgin Church on 23 November 1845【James Taylor: 1】, James grew up in a working-class household and began his career as a cotton weaver before becoming a blacksmith’s striker and eventually a cabinet maker【James Taylor: 3,5,27】.

Alice Ann Rothwell was born on 11 November 1844 in Blackburn to Henry Rothwell and Alice Hacking【Alice Ann Rothwell: 1,4】. Baptized at Saint Mary’s Church on 23 February 1845【Alice Ann Rothwell: 3】, she worked as a throstle spinner and later as a cotton weaver’s wife【Alice Ann Rothwell: 5,10】.

The couple married on 28 June 1864 at Blackburn【Alice Ann Rothwell: 7】【James Taylor: 8】. Their union, though brief due to Alice’s untimely death at age 27 from uterine hemorrhage【Alice Ann Rothwell: 9】, produced three children who carried forward their legacy.

Children of James and Alice
1. Jane Taylor (1864–1941)
Born on 12 October 1864 in Blackburn【Alice Ann Rothwell: 10】【James Taylor: 12】, Jane was just seven when her mother passed away. She later married Christopher Place on 6 May 1883【James Taylor: 33】. Jane lived through the industrial boom of Blackburn and raised her own family amidst the changing tides of Victorian England.

2. Mary Alice Taylor (1867–1938)
Mary Alice was born on 7 January 1867【Alice Ann Rothwell: 11】【James Taylor: 13】. Baptized in Blackburn【James Taylor: 14】, she married Thomas Lee on 8 August 1891 at St. Michael and All Angels Church【Alice Ann Rothwell: 15】【James Taylor: 16】. Her life spanned the transition from Victorian to modern Britain, and she remained in Blackburn until her death in 1938【James Taylor: 20】.

3. William Charles Taylor (1870–1946)
The youngest, William Charles, was born on 15 September 1870【Alice Ann Rothwell: 21】【James Taylor: 22】. Baptized at St. Mary the Virgin Church【James Taylor: 23】, he lived a long and varied life. From working as a cotton spinner and coal miner to becoming a chip fryer and timber yard laborer, William embodied the resilience of the working class. He married Elizabeth Ann Briggs on 24 December 1898【James Taylor: 25】 and died in Blackburn in 1946【James Taylor: 30】.

Legacy and Later Years
Alice Ann Rothwell passed away on 8 March 1872【Alice Ann Rothwell: 9】【James Taylor: 32】. James remarried Hannah Holden in 1876【James Taylor: 9】 and continued working until his death from heart disease on 17 April 1893【James Taylor: 10】.

Their children remained rooted in Blackburn, contributing to its industrial and social fabric. The Taylor-Rothwell lineage is a testament to perseverance, family bonds, and the enduring spirit of Lancashire’s working class.

Source Citations

• Birth, marriage, and death certificates from the General Register Office, Southport【Alice Ann Rothwell: 1,7,9,10,11,21】【James Taylor: 1,7,8,9,10,12,13,22,25,30】
• Census records from 1851 to 1921【Alice Ann Rothwell: 4,5,6】【James Taylor: 2,3,4,5,11】【William Charles Taylor: 3,4,7,8,9,10】
• Baptism records from St. Mary the Virgin and other Blackburn churches【Alice Ann Rothwell: 3】【James Taylor: 1,23】【William Charles Taylor: 6】
• Marriage records from Church of England parishes【Alice Ann Rothwell: 15】【James Taylor: 16,33】【William Charles Taylor: 2】

X00390 Charles Taylor after 1861 - Part 2

As I continue to try to find out more about Charles Taylor after 1861, I have been checking the hints on Ancestry and there is one death record for a Charles Taylor in 1934 that shows up. A number of other researchers have put his year of death as 1934, likely because of this record. So I decided to go and get it.

The name and age match, but that's about it. The profession is different from any other profession that I've seen in other records and the name of the informant as his son doesn't match any of his sons in other records. The location of the death is Blackburn, but Charles doesn't seem to have much of a connection to Blackburn other than having spent his younger years living there. So, this does not appear to be the right death record.

Unfortunately finding a death record is going to be a challenge. Charles Taylor is a commmon name, and he moved around a lot, so there's not much to go on there. I don't have a year of death either, other than that he appears in the 1911 census, so the death would have been after 1911. The only hope is that a death record would have some clear identifying information on it, such as a profession or an informant name. In this case, however, this would mean buying a large number of death certificates in the hopes of finding a key identifying piece of information in one of them.

Instead, I turned my attention to his wife, Eliza Aylward Taylor. She appears in the 1901 census, but Charles is listed as a widower in the 1911 census, so she must have died between 1901 and 1911. And like Charles Taylor, finding any definite death information for someone with a common name like Eliza Taylor, who moved around a lot with no definite death year is a challenge. But I managed to get lucky.

Find a Grave has a memorial for an Eliza Taylor who died on 3 August 1907 and is buried in Lincolnshire, England. The year of birth is 1859, which matches. But the gravestone says on it "Eliza, the beloved wife of Charles Taylor, R.N. Chief Officer, Royal Coast Guard". So I have at least managed to find her death information.

X00390 Charles Taylor after 1861 - Part 1

I'm trying to sort out the children of John Taylor and Jane Whittle and what happened to the family after 1861 when both John and Jane died. I have been able to piece together most of the family, except for a couple of them: John Taylor (to be discussed later) and Chalres Taylor (X00390)

Charles Taylor was born 13 August 1856 in Blackburn, Lancashire. I have found him in the 1861 census living with the rest of the family and attending school. But beyond that it gets a little sketchy. Both of his parents died in 1861 when he was five years old. As well, Charles Taylor is a very common name, particularly in Blackburn.

I checkd on Ancestry for suggestions. An 1871 census record for Accrington, Lancashire has a Charles Taylor of the right age listed as an orphan, which does fit:

A number of other later census records mention a member of the Navy living in various different locations, but the name, year and location of birth all match. Could it be that Charles Taylor was orphaned at age five and ended up joining the Navy at a young age? It certainly would fit and would explain why he moved around from place to place.

The key clue that I found was in a marriage record between a Charles Taylor and an Eliza Aylward in Portsea, Hampshire in 1877. At first, Portsea did seem out of place, but it does make sense if he was in the Navy and moved around a lot. So, I ordered a copy of it:

The name and age match, and the profession is listed as a seaman, which would coincide with the later records of a Charles Taylor in the Navy born in Blackburn. And, his father is listed as a John Taylor an iron foundry worker, which also matches.

And so, it looks as if I have found the right Charles Taylor and with that I can continue to piece together his life after 1861.