Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

Greetings Everyone,

I've been referred here by Barbara Lee from Crosby, UK.

I'm researching the Hanford family of Liverpool. Specifically, that of Isaac Charles Hanford (Master Mariner) and Margaret Pye (daughter of John Bridge Pye, Musician/Music Seller of Liverpool) married 15 Jul 1813 at St. Peter's Church, Liverpool.

I'm trying to find the birth / baptism of Henry James Hanford and I'm having some trouble. I have a theory as to why, being that I believe he was born in Barbados (i.e. the Lesser Antilles in the Americas).

Henry James Hanford marries his cousin, daughter of Charlotte Jane Wells (Pye), Margaret Hanford Wells. They have a young daughter named Clarissa Ann Hanford.

Around this point, Henry James Hanford (also a Master Mariner) absconds to Southern Africa where he enters the "Cattle Trade". Buying cattle from the Xhosa, transporting them to the Isle of France (Mauritius) where they are sold for a profit. Rather inopportunely a war breaks out with the Xhosas and he is left stranded at Knysna.

He and his wife are estranged, despite his wife making numerous enquiries to Harry Smith, Governor of the Cape, as to his whereabouts. He later marries an Afrikaans woman by the name of Johanna Hendrina Barnard. His sons from this marriage even take up arms against the British during the Boer War.

Two of his sons are sent to St. Helena. One was captured at Elandslaagte, the other at Paardeburg.

Look forward to hearing from you all. Thank you so much for providing such a fantastic platform to discuss Liverpool history.

Hi and Welcome,

A few obits from the Liverpool Mercury,

January 17, 1834,



May 20, 1853



Oct 15, 1856.

Bertieone wrote:Hi and Welcome,

A few obits from the Liverpool Mercury,

Oct 15, 1856.

Quite sad that Clarissa Anne Hanford died so young. I can't help but wonder whether, had Henry James Hanford been present, she would have been better cared for. By May 29, 1854 he had remarried, to Johanna Hendrina Barnard.

In her letter to Harry Smith, Mary Hanford writes:
"If you could therefore gain any information respecting of him or Captain Harker I should feel most grateful for I am left in a delicate state of health to support myself and child without the success of doing so."

Hi and welcome to the forum. Wonderful story with a lot of research put into it.

To help with dating, these are the details from the marriage

St Brides, Liverpool 25 January, 1844
Henry James Hanford Full age Bachelor Mariner Gloucester Street
Father Isaac Charles Hanford, Master Mariner - and
Margaret Hanford Wells Full age Spinster Gloucester Street
Father David Wells, Clerk in the Court of Requeste?
By Licence, groom signed his name, bride made her mark
Witnesses A J? Wells and Charlotte Jane Wells

Per the marriage announcement (Liverpool Mercury, 2 Feb 1844), he was Henry James Hanford of St John's NB.

Could this be him?

Criminal Register

Name: Henry James Hanford
Age: 24
Date of Trial: 22 Jul 1844
Offence: Uttering counterfeit coin
Location of Trial: Liverpool Boro', Lancashire, England
Sentence: 5 weeks Imprisonment


Blue

This looks like a reference to the father Isaac Charles:-

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin ... &id=I62867


Blue

Two siblings baptised at St Peter's on 24 January 1816: Charles Alexander Hanford and Thomas Edmund Hanford, parents Isaac Charles & Margaret. Abode Warren Street

Clarissa was born in Liverpool. She appears to have been baptised in 1854 i n West Derby baptism on Ancestry.

There's Barbados and Jamaica records on Family Search no sign of him. Do we know of any more children born after 1816?


Blue

What an incredible response! Thank you all so much.

MaryA wrote:Hi and welcome to the forum. Wonderful story with a lot of research put into it.

Thank you; I've spent a fair amount of time researching this, including primary documents from the Cape Archive. I just haven't been able to learn more about Henry James Hanford's provenance. I do hope to collate and publish it all, at some point.

retiringtype wrote:Per the marriage announcement (Liverpool Mercury, 2 Feb 1844), he was Henry James Hanford of St John's NB.

Is that New Brunswick, Canada? Curious. His South African Death Notice states Birthplace of the deceased: America (http://www.eggsa.org/documents/main.php ... Id=1482166).

Blue70 wrote:Could this be him?

Criminal Register

Name: Henry James Hanford
Age: 24
Date of Trial: 22 Jul 1844
Offence: Uttering counterfeit coin
Location of Trial: Liverpool Boro', Lancashire, England
Sentence: 5 weeks Imprisonment

Blue

I wonder if there's a physical description of him? In the same letter to Harry Smith, in 1849, Mary wrote "His name is Henry James Hanford, fair complexion, 5ft10ins high, his age is 28, he has lost 2 fingers off the left hand."

Blue70 wrote:There's Barbados and Jamaica records on Family Search no sign of him. Do we know of any more children born after 1816?

Blue

I've searched through those documents and, though I haven't found mention of Henry James Handford, I've found mention of John Bridge Pye (Mary's Hanford's father) being buried on the 8th of January 1803 at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Bridgetown, Barbados.

Thank you all, once again, for the amazing response.

Blue70 wrote:This looks like a reference to the father Isaac Charles:-

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin ... &id=I62867

Blue

Thank you, I've contacted Evelyn Beran and will let you know if anything comes of it.

MerseysideBoer wrote: Is that New Brunswick, Canada? Curious. His South African Death Notice states Birthplace of the deceased: America (http://www.eggsa.org/documents/main.php ... Id=1482166).

I've searched through those documents and, though I haven't found mention of Henry James Handford, I've found mention of John Bridge Pye (Mary's Hanford's father) being buried on the 8th of January 1803 at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Bridgetown, Barbados.

Thank you all, once again, for the amazing response.

The reference to America on the death notice could refer to the USA, Canada or the Caribbean the term was often used to broadly refer to the Americas. Canada was sometimes referred to as British America or British North America. The age on that death notice points to a birth c1825 later than I expected and I doubt its accuracy if the father Isaac Charles Hanford died in 1822.


Blue

From what I can remember about St Johns New Brunswick, It seems to change country from USA to Canada, Sometimes it's one, sometimes the other. I have rellies from there so if you comes across any GODSOE s please let me know.

MerseysideBoer wrote:

Blue70 wrote:This looks like a reference to the father Isaac Charles:-

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin ... &id=I62867

Blue

Thank you, I've contacted Evelyn Beran and will let you know if anything comes of it.

Response from Evelyn Beran:
Sorry, I'm not much help on this one. On p. 51 of the same Hanford genealogy I cited online, Golding continues the line only with the entry "Isaac Charles Hanford m. Margaret ......." So he married, but there is nothing to indicate whether or not he had children. This is near the end of the pages I copied, and I saw no Henry James Hanford in the remaining pages I copied. At least you know he did marry, though a first name doesn't help a lot. Since you know he died at sea in August 1822, perhaps you can find some probate papers, or a remarriage of widow Margaret Hanford. Good luck with your search.

Just found this in the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick:
Date: February 24 1844
County: Saint John
Place: Saint John
Newspaper: New Brunswick Courier

The language of the text is the original used in the newspaper entry and as transcribed by Daniel F. Johnson. Records acquired by the Provincial Archives are not translated from the language in which they originate.

m. Liverpool, England, 25th Jan., Henry James HANFORD (St. John) N.B. / Margaret Hanford WELLS eldest d/o Daniel WELLS of Liverpool.

Also,

Rank 101
Date April 17 1823
County Saint John
Place Saint John
Newspaper City Gazette

info The language of the text is the original used in the newspaper entry and as transcribed by Daniel F. Johnson. Records acquired by the Provincial Archives are not translated from the language in which they originate.


Est. Isaac Charles HANFORD of this city; Admin.: Margaret HANFORD, James T. HANFORD.

From the Liverpool Mercury, 3 April 1840

retiringtype wrote:From the Liverpool Mercury, 3 April 1840

Would that mean January 1st, 1840? Or January 1st, 1839? Not quite sure what to make of "1st of January last".

Could this be him?

Criminal Register

Name: Henry James Hanford
Age: 24
Date of Trial: 22 Jul 1844
Offence: Uttering counterfeit coin
Location of Trial: Liverpool Boro', Lancashire, England
Sentence: 5 weeks Imprisonment

Looking at the register page. I think the offence was fraud. I can't see anything in the contemporary press about it