X00369: Investigating Ellen Rothwell - Solved!

A few weeks ago, I posted about Ellen Rothwell's birth and death. I have since received the birth and death information from the GRO.

Here's the birth record:

and here's the death record:

The birth record gives a maiden name for the mother of Hacking, so that matches. The death record mentions that she was a daughter of Henry Rothwell, and the informant is Alice Rothwell. Both have ties back to my Henry Rothwell and Alice Hacking. Based on when I'm seeing in these records, I'm convinced that these are the correct birth and death records for Ellen Rothwell and that she is died to my Rothwell family.

X00369: Investigating Ellen Rothwell

Last week, I mentioned ordering the potential birth and death records for Ellen Rothwell from the General Registry Office. When I had a look at the potential death registations, however, I found this for the 1851 record:

ROTHWELL, ELLEN
GRO Reference: 1851 M Quarter
BLACKBURN
Volume 21, Page 45
Age at Death: 85

With an age of death of 85, this can't be the Ellen Rothwell born in 1842. So I had a look at some other records that might fit and found two potential records:

ROTHWELL, ELLEN
GRO Reference: 1844 J Quarter
BLACKBURN
Volume 21, Page 19
Age at Death: 2

and

ROTHWELL, ELLEN
GRO Reference: 1846 D Quarter
BLACKBURN
Volume 21, Page 39
Age at Death: 5

The first one would suggest a birth year of 1842, which matches. The second one is close, with a birth year of 1841. I'm going to order the first certificate and see if it gives any clear indication that this is the correct person

X00369: Investigating the Rothwell Family: The Case of Ellen Rothwell

As I delve deeper into the history of the Rothwell family, my focus has recently shifted to their children. While exploring various family trees on Ancestry, I came across a child named Ellen Rothwell, who supposedly was born in 1842 and lived until 1851. Since she did not survive long enough to appear on any census records, confirming her connection to my Rothwell family has proven to be a challenging task.

In my quest for answers, I searched for a baptism record and discovered an Ellen Rothwell born on May 23, 1842, and baptized on July 2, 1842, in Blackburn, Lancashire. The parents listed on the record were Henry and Alice Rothwell, which seemed to be a good match. However, the father's profession was recorded as "labourer" rather than "carter," which he is usually listed as, leaving some room for doubt.

Undeterred, I turned to the General Register Office (GRO) indexes and found a birth record for an Ellen Rothwell that listed the mother's maiden name as "Hacking." This detail appeared promising and warranted further investigation. The next logical step was to order the birth certificate to verify the information and uncover any additional clues.

Similarly, I found a GRO index for a death record of an Ellen Rothwell in Blackburn in March 1851. This date aligns with the information I have, as it would have been before the census was taken. However, to confirm this, I will need to order the death certificate as well.

As I continue to piece together the story of the Rothwell family, each discovery brings me closer to unraveling the mysteries of my ancestors. Stay tuned for more updates and revelations in future blog posts.