My Brickwall: John's Mysterious Disappearance

After 1880, John Platts completely disappears from anything I can find. Without definite proof, there are several things that could have happened, but first, it is clear that the family moved Lockport, NY in 1882. However, I have not been able to track where they went. My theories on what happened to John:

(a) John was actually living with the family but not working from 1888 to 1893 when only Sarah is listed as head of household. While this is possible, it is not probable. The thinking of the time was to list all adults over 16 in the household, and that even if sick and unable to work, John was still head of household. It is rare that a woman would take this position if her husband was still alive.

(b) very shortly after the family moved, John dies. This would be someone's first assumption, but there is evidence to the contrary. Mainly the Lockport directories, which list Sarah Platts but not as a widow until 1893. Typically, if a woman was a widow, it is listed as such and there were many examples of this throughout the directories (so it was directory protocol to list widows when they knew).

(c) John was separated from the family while looking for work. This is a typical pattern for families during hard times: the head of the family goes out looking for work in a place where he has heard they are hiring, he gets a job and establishes himself and sends for his family. In this scenario, John would be looking for work from at least 1887 (when the directory took information for the 1888 directory where Sarah is first listed alone), until his death sometime in 1892 (when the directory took information for the 1893 directory when Sarah is first listed as a widow).

(d) John abandoned his family. There is a family rumor that this happened, although my father-in-law heard it was about his grandfather, Albert Platts. Albert is John and Sarah's son, and my research shows (and I'll be posting in future blogs) he was living with his family right up until his death. So the rumor was probably not about Albert, but may have been about John. Given that he was not finding consistent work, he had 8 children and a wife to care for, the economics of the time were hard and his expertise was being replaced by newer technology, and the possibility of drink, it is not hard to imagine that someone might be overwhelmed and walk away. It happened more times than we would like to think, and was easier than it would be today. There were no social security numbers or computer tracking; one could easily change their name or just walk off. I am currently looking for advertisements in Niagara County or Ontario papers regarding John Platts to see if this was the case. The wife or husband (women ran away too!) would have to advertise a missing person to see if any information could be found. If none was forth-coming, after a certain number of years (varied depending on the laws where you lived), abandonment could be claimed and a divorce granted. I am looking for that paperwork too. Rather than state "divorced," which was scandalous, many claimed to be widowed.

     Obviously a death certificate or news article could give us a lot of information, and I will continue to look for it, and will certainly post it when I find it!

Platts between 1880 and 1900

The 1890 U.S. Census went up in flames during a basement fire in the Commerce Building in Washington, D.C., and genealogists lost an invaluable source of information. We therefore must cobble together other documents and records to discover what happened during these 20 years.

     One of the main sources of information during this time is directories. Long before there were telephones, there were city directories listing who lived in the city and businesses. Even though they couldn't pick up the phone and call Roto-rooter, they still had needs for plumbers, electricians, etc. and many weren't just around the corner. Buffalo, NY has directories starting in the 1830s and other towns followed suit quickly. Our current telephone directories did evolve from these city directories.
     I had a chance to stop by the Niagara Historical Society in Lockport when I visited there and photograph pages from some of their directories. Rather than show you many of pages of them, I will just list my findings:

= 1880-1881 directory: John Platt listed in the Lockport Directory as living at 31 Price. This is consistent with the data from the 1880 Census.
= 1882-1883 through 1887 directories: No Platts listed in Lockport at all.
= 1888 directory: Mrs. Sarah Platts, domestic, listed as living at 165 Pine, Lockport. An Anna Platts is also listed as a domestic but living at 130 Locust. It is unknown if this Sarah & John's daughter, who would have been 18 or 19 years old in 1888.
= 1891 directory: Sarah Platts, listed as living over 7 Pine in Lockport. Anna is not listed, but an Albert Platt (no S) is listed as a tinsmith, boarding at 157 Pine and William H. Platt (again no S) is shown as a blacksmith living at 280 Chestnut. Again it is not known if this two men are the children of Sarah and John, but despite the misspelling it could be. The boys would have been 18 and 20 respectively at this time.
= 1893, 1894 and 1895 directories: Sarah Platts, widow of John, listed as living over 5 West in Lockport. William Platt is also listed in same location as in 1892.
= 1897 directory: Sarah Platts, widow of John, listed as living at 161 Prospect in Lockport. Again listed as under Platt (no S) are, but unknown if they are the sons of Sarah and John: (a) Albert J, laborer, h 435 Vine, (b) Thomas, laborer, h 9 Lagrange, and (c) William H, laborer, blacksmith, h 61 Lock.
= 1898 directory: Sarah Platts, widow of John, listed as living at 161 Prospect in Lockport. Again listed as under Platt (no S) are, but unknown if they are the sons of Sarah and John: (a) Albert J, laborer, h 17 Dayton, (b) Thomas J., laborer, h 9 Lagrange

The next directory was the 1900 one, a year which I will cover with the 1900 US Census.

Platts in the 1880 U.S. Census

.

In 1880, the Platts family was living in Lockport as shown by the U.S. Census of that year. My best transcription, with handwritten entries in italic:

Inhabitants in the 4th ward of Lockport, in the County of Niagara, State of N.Y., enumerated by me on the 9th day of June, 1880. Lyman A. Dietrick.

Living on Price St.

Name/Color/Sex/Age/Marital Status/Occupation/Employment Status*/Disability Status/Literate Status/Birthplace/Birthplace of Father/Birthplace of Mother

= Line #1, John Platts, White, M, 43, Head, Married, Machinist, Checkmark for employment status*, no disabilities listed, can read and write, born in England as well as both parents
= Line #2, Sarah Platts, White, F, 33, Wife, Married, Keeping House, No employment or disability status, can read and write, born in England as well as both parents
=Line #3, Samuel Platts, White, M, 12, son, at school, no employment or disability status, attended school this year, born in England as well as both parents
= Line #4, Anna E. Platts, White, F, 11, daughter, at school, no employment or disability status, attended school this year, born in England as well as both parents
= Line #5, William Platts, White, M, 9, son, at school, no employment or disability status, attended school this year, born in England as well as both parents
= Line #6, Albert Platts, White, M, 8, son, at school, no employment or disability status, attended school this year, born in Canada, both parents born in England
= Line #7, Thomas Platts, White, M, 6, son, at school, no employment or disability status, attended school this year, born in Canada, both parents born in England
= Line #8, Mary Platts, White, F, 5, daughter, no employment or disability status, born in Canada, both parents born in England
= Line #9, Clara Platts, White, F, 3, daughter, no employment or disability status, born in Canada, both parents born in England
= Line #10, Alfred Platts, White, M, 10mo (b. Aug of prev yr), son, no employment or disability status, born in Canada, both parents born in England

*Employment status: The questions asks how many months, if any, was the person unemployed in the year previous to the census. This was in response to several fiscal crises in the US and was designed to see how many people had been out of work. However, the information was deemed too erratic and unuseable.

A brief stop in Canada

It is hard to say where John Platts was at the time of his mother's death. He could have been living nearby in Holloway, Derbyshire, England. Or he may have already sailed to Canada. Since I have not found the his name on a ships' list yet, it is hard to determine.

     What is known is that he and his family were listed on the 1871 English Census, then he and Sarah appear in the Wellington, Ontario, Canada Birth Registry with the 16 June 1873 birth of Albert (previous blog, 1/20/07). Four more children follow quickly: Thomas on 23 March 1875, Mary Ellen on 9 Dec 1876, Clara on 10 July 1878 and Alfred on 29 Sept 1879. So within 12 years of marrying, Sarah had given birth to 8 children that we know of.
     There is no census or other records that I have found showing what they did or where they went during their stay in Canada, nor their reason for immigration. My best guess is that they were following where the work was, and that there had been some kind of depression or loss of work in Derbyshire.
     Upstate and Western New York, as well as parts of Ontario, Canada were evidently well known in parts of Derbyshire and Yorkshire. I met a University of Buffalo professor who was studying the connection of quarrymen between these parts of the globe. Evidently, good quarrymen were hard to come by and once they found places to quarry in New York and Ontario (like when they were building the Erie Canal), many were recruited from England. A lot of Yorkshire and parts of its neighboring county, Derbyshire had lots of quarries in which men were trained and recruited from. As we saw in previous census, Lea/Holloway was one of the Derbyshire area that had quarrying nearby. Many of these men would work in New York during the warm months, then winter in England where they could work in better temperatures. Kind of an 19th century snowbirds!
     With stone masons in the family and living around them, John and Sarah probably knew or heard about New York and Ontario from these men. And when times got tough, they probably followed them or at least heard about greener pastures from them.
     I will post more in future blogs about the economic conditions of the times in both Derbyshire and Ontario as I find out about them.

Platts in the 1871 Census (Part II: John & Sarah)

.John and Sarah's family is the third family listed on this census. My best transcription:

Civil Parish of Ashover, Village of Holloway
Family number: 8
Where lived: Gregory Tunnel

Name/Relationship/Condition/Age and Sex/Occupation/Place of Birth

= John Platts, Head of Household, Married, 32 male, Hosiery Power Frame Fitter, Derbyshire Holloway
= Sarah Platts, Wife, Married, 23 female, occupation lined through, Derbyshire Matlock Riber

= Samuel Platts, Son, Unmarried, 3 male, Scholar, Derbyshire Ashover Holloway
= Anne E. Platts, Daughter, Unmarried, 2 female, Scholar, Derbyshire Ashover Holloway
= William H. Platts, Son, Unmarried, 10mo. male, Scholar, Derbyshire Ashover Holloway

Notes:
(1) The ages of John and Sarah match the ones on their marriage certificate. In addition, I now have the birthplace of Sarah so I can hopefully find out more about her and her family.
(2) Note that in roughly 3-1/2 years that Sarah has had three children, all close to one year apart.
(3) In the manufacture of hosiery, a power frame was basically the machine that made the fabric or hosiery. Often there would be more than 100 of these machines running at one time, tended by someone in charge of 6 to 24 of them. In Lowell, MA there is a textile mill/factory as part of the National Park. They have a floor of these machines to give you a feel for what it was like. Even though there are about 100 on the floor, only a third of them are working at any time (in the exhibit, in real life there was little down time for any machine and all of them would have been running). Even so, with only a third of the machines, the noise was horrendous. Many factory workers had their hearing damaged at young ages from working in the factories.
     Also, the vibration from these machines shuttling back and forth was terrific. In Lowell, the factory actually moved the machines from the third floor to the first less than a year after opening. Having the machines on the third floor was actually shaking their new brick building apart!
     If John also repaired the machinery, he had a dangerous, complicated dance to perform. First, unless the machine had actually died, he had to coordinate with the foreman and person in charge of the loom when to take down the machine for repairs. This was to maximize the efficiency and production of the machine. Second, repairs were often made while the machine was running, which is obviously dangerous. Again, this was for maximum production. Lastly, the machines themselves were dangerous and the mill floor was not a safe place. Spindles or other bits of machinery would break and go flying off (remember, they were run 24/7), often into a person or into another machine which would then send its own shrapnel flying. Pulley and belts were not enclosed and one could easily catch hair or a piece of clothing in them -- losing a limb or even your life.

Platts in the 1871 English Census (Part I: Martha)

. .

With their marriage in 1867, John and Sarah Platts had established their own household separate from Martha Platts. I will be looking at both their households in the 1871 census in this blog and the one following.

     Martha Platts' family is the third from the top. Here is the my best transcription of their information:

Family #94

Where Lived: Lea

Name/Relationship/Condition/Age & Sex/Occupation/Where Born

= Martha Platts, Head of Household, Widowed, 69 Female, Hosiery Trimmer, Derbyshire Ashover
= Anne Platts, Daughter, Unmarried, 43, Hosiery Trimmer, Derbyshire Ashover
= Samuel Platts, Son, Unmarried, 37, Wool Sorter, Derbyshire Ashover

Notes:
(1) Martha has returned to work, indicating that the loss of John's income has tightened their purse strings. At 69 in 1871, this could not have been easy. When Germany set the first retirement age (65!) for their pension system in the late 1800s, they chose an age where most people would be too feeble and near certain death to work or earn any monies, thus requiring the aid of the state. Given a life of hard and constant labor, where everything had to be hand-done, and poor medical practices, a person's body had taken quite a pounding by this time. To still be working, and at such close work as sewing (hosiery trimming was a specialized form of sewing) would be quite difficult. Martha probably had arthritis (many women developed this early, like in their 30s, due to the lye in the soap they were constantly having their hands in when cleaning or washing), and her eyesight must have been strained doing such fine work (11 stitches to the inch was considered an acceptable stitch size). Much of this, if not all, was done by lamplight as she probably didn't have electrical light in her lifetime. Most of the cottages at that time had small windows and thick walls and roof (to keep in heat). Even during the day they could be dimly lit, so candles would have been used unless it was nice enough to sit outside.

(2) Her place of birth has changed from Crich (listed 1841) to Ashover, although both are in Derbyshire. This probably indicates that she wasn't the one who gave the census taker their information, but one of her children. Since all of them were born in Ashover, they either assumed she was too or didn't know and gave the census taker the quick answer.

(3) The occupations on this page tend to reflect less of an industrial city. Besides the Platts' occupations, the occupations are: Tailor, Dressmaker, miller/farmer, butcher/farmer, and scholars (both boys and girls noted in this manner). Either the neighborhood changed to a more suburban outskirts of town or the Platts have relocated. It is hard to tell which one as their address or street has not be listed on any census.

The Death of Maria Bunting Platts

. .

Above is the Death Certificate for Maria Bunting Platts. My best transcription, with the handwritten items in italic and typed ones in bold:

Certified Copy of an Entry of Death

Given at the General Registry Office

Application No. COL199776

Registration District: Bakewell in the County of Derby

1865 Death in the Sub-District of Matlock

No. 344

When and Where Died: Fifth June 1865, Upperwood, Matlock Bath

Name and Surname: Maria Platts

Sex: Female

Age: 25 years

Occupation: Wife of John Platts, a Framesmith Journeyman

Cause of Death: Tubercular Peritonitis Certified

Signature, description and residence of informant: John Platts, Present at the Death, Upperwood, Matlock Bath

When Registered: Sixth June 1865

Signature of Registrar: Joseph Hallows, Registrar

(remainder of writing pertains to modern day assurances of authenticity)

Notes:

(1) With their wedding date of 16 July 1864 and a death date of 5 June 1865, John and Maria were married less than a year. In addition, John married Sarah Redfern on 12 June 1867, just about two years after Maria's death. If this seems fast, it was quite common in those days, with many people dying young. Often a widower with small children would remarry within six months of the death of his wife. This was for the practical reason of who would take care of the kids and manage the house (no small task itself).

(2) It is interesting to note that she was 21 on her wedding certificate, but in one year, she aged to 25 on her death certificate.

(3) Tubercular Peritonitis is defined (in 1907 medical terms) as Chronic inflammation of the peritoneum, with thickening and degeneration of this layer. (The peritoneum is the membrane that forms the lining of the abdominal cavity, and covers most of the intra-abdominal organs.) According to the 1907 document I read, this disease "develops insidiously, the symptoms in the earlier stages being more or less obscure, and of little clinical significance. Disorders of digestion are always present to some extent". The disease then progressed undetected until it was very painful and the outlook was not favorable. If one did not catch it in the early stages (when it was easy to pass off as indigestion or gas), then it was usually fatal. A change of diet and climate were often prescribed.

(4) Matlock Bath is best known as a fashionable retreat for the wealthy and a setting for many Jane Austin novels. However, it was also home to many sanitoriums for health where the sick would go for a change in climate as well as care. It may be this reason that John and Maria were there at the time of her death, and not in Lea/Holloway.

The First Marriage of John Platts

. .

Back when I looked at the marriage of John Platts and Sarah Redfern in 1867 (see previous post of 3/14/07), I remarked on his Widower status, given that in 1861 he was unmarried. Further research has turned up his short, first marriage.

.

Here below is my best transcription of his first marriage license, with handwritten items in italic:

.

Certified Copy of an Entry of Marriage

Given at the General Registry Office

Application Number: COL126267

.

1864. Marriage Solemnized in Birchwood Chapel, Alfreton in the District of Belper in the County of Derby.

No. 65
When Married: Sixteenth July 1864
.
Groom's Information:
Name: John Platts
Age: 25 years
Condition: Bachelor
Occupation: Machine Man
Father's Name and Surname: Josiah Platts, deceased
Profession of Father: Bookkeeper
.
Bride's Information:
Name: Maria Bunting
Age: 21 yearsCondition: SpinsterOccupation: [none given; lined through]
Father's Name and Surname: William Bunting, deceasedProfession of Father: Lead Miner
.
Married in the Birchwood Chapel according to the rites and ceremonies of the Wesleyan Reformers, by me
Edwin Crane, Minister
Francis Mather, Registrar
.
This Marriage was solemnized between us
John Platts
Maria Bunting
.
In the presence of us
Samuel Platts
Anne Burnett
.
Note: While it appears that there should be signatures for the last three sets of names, the handwriting looks like it was all done by the same person, possibly the registrar copying the actual wedding certificate, with original signatures (or X's), into the Registry.

Platts in the 1861 English Census

. .
By 1861, we find Martha Platts heading a much smaller household. It is assumed that most of the children have married or moved out on their own. Still living in Lea (its unclear if its the same house) are:
.
Name/Relation/Condition/Age & Sex/Occupation/Where Born
.
Martha Platts, Head of Household, widowed, 58 female, Housekeeper, Derbyshire Criche
.
Anne Platts, Daughter, Unmarried, 33 female, Hosiery Trimmer, Derbyshire Ashover
.
Samuel Platts, Son, Unmarried, 27 male, Wool Sorter, Derbyshire Ashover
.
John Platts, Son, Unmarried, 22 male, Apprentice to Fitter & Machinist, Derbyshire Ashover
.
Some Notes:
.
(1) Things have either improved for Martha if Housekeeper means she is staying home. With all her children working, money probably wasn't as tight and she may have been able to retire. However, she may also be working as a housekeeper as another wife on the page just has a blank as to occupation.
.
(2) Samuel's occupation is listed as a Wool Sorter, a position which he appears to have held all his life. Wool came into factories with the uncleaned fleeces packaged into huge bundles. A Wool Sorter would rip open the bundles, divide and grade the wool before sending it to the next department to be cleaned and processed into fabric, thread or yarn. Different sheep produce different types of wool, and sometimes one animal can produce many differnt types also. Coarser wool makes a rougher fabric and is ideally used in outer garments. Finer wool, either produced by the sheep as a whole or just its undercoat, would be used in garments worn closer to the skin. If you've ever been in contact with an old wool blanket, you've felt how scratchy and itchy it is. That's because it was made from coarser wool. Also, some sheep are cleaner (or kept cleaner by the farmer) than others. Many will stain their coats, and this stained wool would be graded lower than a similar type that was unstained. Given that the Wool Sorter had to open many bundles and quickly sort & grade the fleeces, this was a specialized job with much training.
.
(3) Other occupations on this page include: Joiner Builder (& Farmer), Servant, Joiners Apprentice, Scholars and School Girl, Lead Smelter, Chapel Cleaner, Stone Mason, Industrial Mistress, Infants Mistress, Industrial Assistant, Industrial pupil. The last four are the most interesting. First, to keep factories up-to-date and expanding, you need to have lots of workers and those workers need to be educated. The Infants Mistress would be the 1861 equivalent of a Day Care Worker, and indicates that there may have been enough of a concentration of female workers inside a factory (not at home) to need a Day Care. In addition the Industrial Mistress, Assistant and Pupil indicate an Industrial School was established nearby. About this time, American Textile Mills were also establishing schools to train their workers to do more detailed work as the industry had progressed beyond simple chores.

Platts in the 1851 English Census

.
The above is the 1851 English Census showing the Platts Family the year after Josiah's death. Either the family has moved or the names of their districts have been changed, it is hard to tell. They are now in Dethwick Lea & Holloway (civil parish), Ripley (sub-registration district), Belper (registration district), Derbyshire (county). The family is the first family listed on this page, with Martha being in the top slot. The transcription:
.
No. of Householder's Schedule: 69
.
Name of Street: Lea Bridges
.
Name/Relation/Condition (marital status)/Age & sex/Occupation/Where Born
.
Martha Platts, head, Widowed, 48F, Trimmer of Hosiery Goods, Derbyshire Crich
.
Ann Platts, daughter, unmarried, 23F, Trimmer of Hosiery Goods, Derbyshire Ashover
.
Joseph Platts, son, unmarried, 22M, Stone Mason, Derbyshire Ashover
.
James Platts, son, unmarried, 20M, Hosiery Warehouseman, Derbyshire Ashover
.
Samuel Platts, son, (not noted), 17M, Wool Sorter, Derbyshire Ashover
.
John Platts, son, (not noted), 12M, Scholar, Derbyshire Ashover
.
Some notes on this census:
.
1) The death of the head of household typically hit pretty hard at this time. Note Martha and the children are all working where in 1841 Josiah was the only one.
.
2) A new son appears, Joseph, age 22. Because of his age and technical (at the time) job as a Stone Mason, I am assuming that he was apprenticed at the time of the 1841 Census. Indeed, there are several Joseph Platts the right age who are not living with family when I look back at the previous census. His appearance in the house could be for several reasons. First, men usually lived with female relatives to take care of their house, clothes and cook their food before they were married. And Second, he has moved in with his mother to help her financially after the death of the main breadwinner in the household. It is probably a bit of each.
.
3) Son Henry, who would now be 16, has disappeared. While many children did die young at this time, we should not assign this fate to Henry so soon. It could also be that he is apprenticed elsewhere, just like his brother Joseph above was. This would have helped the household because there was one less mouth to feed, as well as having the part of his wages that would have been paid to his Mother to help her. I will look into this further if I can.
.
4) The census and family jobs reflect the Industrial Revolution that was re-shaping Derbyshire at the time. Derbyshire moved from small farms and business, into a Wool and Woolen goods manufacturing center. There were also many quarries in the area, which were improved upon and grew into a major industry. The various occupations listed on this page are: Hosiery Trimmer, Stone Mason, Hosiery Warehouseman, Scholar (student), Lead Smelter, Domestic Duties (housewife), Leadworks Laborer, Woolcarder, Manager for Hosiery maker and Servant.
.
5) Hosiery at this time were long, knitted socks. Nylons as we know them now, did not exist. Many of the woman in the outlying towns and villages would knit the socks (a good knitter could do two socks a day in addition to all her household duties!), and they would be collected and brought to town for decorating and finishing (trimming). For both Martha and Ann, this trimming was done at home, in addition to the running of the household. If they were lucky, the hose would be dropped off or picked up; otherwise they would walk into town to get new hose to trim while dropping off the finished ones. Often they had a quota they had to meet in order to remain employed, and they were paid by the piece (probably not very much). Considering that this probably required long hours, was done by candle-light at night, and that all clothes at the time had to be hand-sewn, you have a pretty hard job.

Platts in the 1841 English Census

.

.
The above is the 1841 English Census, the first one done in England. The Josiah Platts/Martha Stocks family is listed as being in Lea/Holloway township, Belper district, Derbyshire, England. They are the family, second to the bottom of the census, and listed as follows:

Place:
mark indicating same as above; above family listed as being in Lea

Names:
= Josiah Platts, age 40 male, Clerk, not born in same County, check mark in last column (more on this later in blog)
= Martha Platts, age 35 female, no occupation, born in same County
= Ann Platts, age 14 female, no occupation, born in same County
= James Platts, age 10 male, no occupation, born in same County
= Samuel Platts, age 8 male, no occupation, born in same County
= Henry Platts, age 6 male, no occupation, born in same County
= Jno (John or Jonathan) Platts, age 2 male, no occupation, born in same County

Note on last column: This column asks whether the person is born in Scotland, Ireland or other Foreign Parts. There is a check mark for Josiah. This means either that (a) he was born in one of these places or (b) the census taker asked and received a negative answer, putting a check to indicate this. In this case, a blank would mean that he had forgotten to ask. Further supporting choice (b) are two more facts: first, there is a checkmark next to everyone who answered "no" in the preceding column (they can't all be from outside of England can they?) and second, the family below the Platts has For written in this column to indicate a Foreign (outside of England, Scotland or Ireland) birth.

Note on Occupations listed on this census page: Part of the fun of looking at census information is that you can see the changes that took place over time in one spot. One way is to look at the occupations listed on a census. Just on this page alone is listed a Mine Agent, a Smelter, a Clerk and a Wool Carder. All these occupations reflect the prime industries of 1841 Derbyshire: mining/quarrying and textile mills. As we go through the various censuses, we'll be able to see how the Industrial Revolution affected Derbyshire.

Two out of Three Ain't Bad

.

Woo Hoo! In my last blog, I said I was looking for John Platt's birthcertificate, his parent's marriage certificate and his mother's maiden name. Well, I got two out of three within several days of posting, and am absolutely thrilled.

.

The above is John Platt's birth certificate, and as an added bonus, it lists his mother's maiden name as Stocks! I ordered it from the General Register Office (GRO) online, and received it within a week! I tested ordering this online vs. the traditional mail in a request, and the latter took over a month. The link for the GRO is http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/ You can also Google "GRO Ordering" and it pops right up.

.

Transcription of the birth certificate with the printed form in regular type, input information in bold, and handwritten info in italic:

.

Banner across top:

on left: Certified Copy of an Entry of Birth

on right: Given at the General Register Office, Application Number COL030859

Top Box:

Registration District Belper

1838 Birth in the Sub-district of Wirksworth in the Country of Derby

Middle Box:

No. 273

When and Where Born: Eighth of December 1838 at Holloway

Name: John

Sex: Male

Name and Surname of Father: Josiah Platts

Name, Surname and maiden surname of Mother: Martha Platts formerly Stocks

Occupation of father: Book Keeper

Signature, description and residence of informant: X The mark of Martha Platts, mother, Holloway

When Registered: Twenty second of December 1838

Signature of Registrar: Marcellus Peale, Registrar

Name entered after registration: [lined through]

Below middle box:

Certified to be a true copy of an entry in the certified copy of a Register of Births in the District above mentioned. Given at the General Register Office, under the Seal of the said Office, the 16th day of March 2007.

Again, I will not be transcribing the small print at the bottom of the form.

Who's Who -- Josiah and Martha Platt's Family

As per the previous marriage certificate in the previous post, John Platts' father was Josiah Platts. Looking at on-line British records (starting 1837), I was able to locate most of the family.
.
Josiah Platts married Martha (maiden name unknown) and had the following children:
.
William Platts (b. abt 1825)
Anne Platts (b. abt. 1828)
Joseph Platts (b. abt 1829)
James Platts (b. abt 1831)
Samuel Platts (b. abt 1833)
Henry Platts (b. abt 1835)
John Platts (b. abt 1837)
.
All children appear to be born in Holloway, Ashford, Derbyshire, England.
.
I am still looking for John Platt's birth certificate, Josiah & Martha's marriage certificate and Martha's maiden name.

The Marriage of John Platts and Sarah Redfern

. .

As promised, this is the marriage certification for John Platts and Sarah Redfern. A big thank you to my sister Gina, Thomas Arakawa and the Krause Center for Innovation for help with the scan (my scanners are not working).

.

Although I am posting the scans and pictures better, the above is still hard to read. My transcription is below, the regular type is printed on the certificate and the italic is for the items that were handwritten in.
.

Top left: CERTIFIED COPY OF AN ENTRY OF MARRIAGE

Top Right:

Given at the GENERAL REGISTER OFFICE

Application Number PAS1129995

.

Across top, inside box:

1867. Marriage Solemnized at the Parish Church in the Parish of Matlock in the County of Derby.

.

First box: No. 284

Second box: Wh. married June 12th

.

Remaining boxes, lines for groom:

Name and Surname: John Platts

Age: 28

Condition: Widower

Rank or Profession: Framesmith

Residence at time of Marriage: Ashover Lea

Father's Name and Surname: Josiah Platts (deceased)

Rank or Profession of Father: Accountant

.

Remaining boxes, lines for bride:

Name and Surname: Sarah Redfern

Age: 20

Condition: Spinster*

Rank or Profession: Worker in Factory

Residence at time of Marriage: Matlock Riber

Father's Name and Surname: Henry Redfern

Rank or Profession of Father: Farmer

.

Line along bottom of boxes: Married in the Parish Church according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Established Church after Banns by me, Charles Jones, Curate of Matlock

.

Bottom of box:

This marriage was solemnized by us, John Platts, Sarah Redfern, in the Presence of us, Samuel Platts, Selina Hutchinson

.

Bottom of Form, below box:

Certified to be a true copy of an entry in the certified copy of a register of Marriages in the Registration District of Bakewell, Given at the General Register Office, under the seal of such office , the 19th day of January 2007.

.

[The rest is legal small print that does not pertain to the Platts/Redfern marriage and I am not going to transcribe]

.

*Spinster refers to a woman who has never married; it did not get it's "old maid" connotation until around the 1920s, long after this marriage!

Who's Who -- John & Sarah Platt's Family

John Platts (b. abt 1837) married Sarah Redfern (b. abt 1847) in Derbyshire, England in 1867. I have ordered a marriage certificate which I hope to post soon. They had the following children:

Samuel Platts (b. abt. 1868, Holloway, Ashover, Derbyshire, England)
Anne E. Platts (b. abt. 1869, Holloway, Ashover, Derbyshire, England)
William Platts (b. abt. 1871, Holloway, Ashover, Derbyshire, England)
Albert John Platts (b. 16 June 1873, Wellington, Guelph, Ontario, Canada)
Thomas Platts (b. 23 Mar 1875, Wellington, Guelph, Ontario, Canada)
Mary Ellen Platts (b. 9 Dec 1876, Wellington, Guelph, Ontario, Canada)
Clara Platts (b. 10 Jul 1878, Wellington, Guelph, Ontario, Canada)
Alfred Platts (b. 29 Sep 1879, Wellington, Guelph, Ontario, Canada)

When looking at a family group from the 1800's, I am always amazed at how many kids they had, and so soon apart. However, it can be a big help too! In looking at the above, the family's move from England to Canada is very narrowed down to around 1872!

Albert Platt's Birth Registry

Margaret Platts married Charles Scheel (see previous posts), and in one of the quirks of genealogy, I am able to trace her line (the Platts side) back to 1841. Because it is so rare to be able to trace back four generations at a shot, I will be taking the opportunity to do so.
.
I will be starting with this post on her father's birth, then moving back via family who's who until her great-grandfather in 1841 in England. I will then move forward with the Census and Directory informaiton that I have until 1930 (last US Census released), ending with Margaret & Charles' family on that census.
.

Albert's Birth Registry is on the center bottom, left side. Translation:

.

Header:

Page #216

SCHEDULE 'A' - BIRTHS

Registration District of Wellington

Division of Guelph

.

Birth Registry:

No. 119 (stamped 024120)

When Born: 16th June 1873

Name: Albert John Platts

Sex: M

Name and Surname of Father: John Platts

Name and Surname of Mother: Sarah Redfern

Rank or Profession of Father: Machinist

Signature of Informant: Sarah Platts

When Registered: 24 July 1873

Name of Accoucher: Dr. McGuire

Signature of Registrar: Geo. Harry?

[No comments written]

.

Footer of Page:

I hereby certify the foregoing to be true and correct entries of all Births returned to me for the (1/2) year ending July 15, 1873

Given under my hand, this 28th day of July, AD 1873

John Harvey, Division Registrar of Guelph