Platts in the 1841 English Census

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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.

The death of Josiah Platts

The above is the certified copy of Josiah Platt's entry into the Death Registry. Here is my best translation:

Application No. COL 864309
Registration District: Belper
1850 Death in the Subdistrict of Worksworth in the County of Derby

No. 222
When and where died: Thirtieth April 1850, Lea (town)
Name and Surname: Josiah Platts
Sex: Male
Age: 53 years
Occupation: Bookkeeper
Cause of Death: Dropsy, 4 months, Not Certified
Signature, description and residence of informant: Samuel Platts [son], in attendance, Lea
When Registered: Fourth May 1850
Signature of Registrar: Marcellus Peal, Registrar

Some notes and comments on Josiah's Death:

1) Dropsy was our ancestor's term for Edema (swelling), which was usually caused by kidneys or heart disease (especially congestive heart failure).
2) Not Certified means that the death was not attended by a physician or other official who would have treated or verified the disease. The local constable would inquire into these deaths if deemed suspicious.
3) Samuel was very much in demand to witness family events. He was about 16 when he attended and reported his father's death. He also attended and reported his mother's death and he was the witness to John & Sarah Platt's wedding.

Two out of Three Ain't Bad

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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.

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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.

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

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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.
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Josiah Platts married Martha (maiden name unknown) and had the following children:
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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)
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All children appear to be born in Holloway, Ashford, Derbyshire, England.
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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

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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).

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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.
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Top left: CERTIFIED COPY OF AN ENTRY OF MARRIAGE

Top Right:

Given at the GENERAL REGISTER OFFICE

Application Number PAS1129995

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Across top, inside box:

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

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First box: No. 284

Second box: Wh. married June 12th

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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

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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

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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

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Bottom of box:

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

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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.

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

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*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!