Edward Hill 1817 parents?

May 26, 2010, Tim Sunter, Edward Hill, Hill, , 1

Visit to Worcestershire History Centre 26th May 2010

Research Quest

Find Edward Hill (1817) on Alvechurch parish registers and discover who his parents were.

Conclusion

It is probable that Edward Hill was born in 1817 and baptized in Alvechurch in 1922.  It is therefore also probable that his parents were Thomas and Mary Hill.

It is possible that Thomas Hill, Edward’s father, died aged 66 in 1827 which accounts for the entry on Edward’s marriage certificate.

Background
Have established that Edward Hill married Mary Winnall in 1841.  On the marriage certificate the entry under the column for father is given as ‘none’ for Edward.

This may imply that Edward was illegitimate.  Equally it could imply that Edward’s father was dead, or, indeed that Edward had disowned him.

Research.

In the Alvechurch baptism register for the period in question only one Edward Hill appears.

Date YMD	Name	Parents	Occupation	Location
1816 10 27	John	Joseph and Elizabeth Hill	Labourer
1816 1027	Thomas	Joseph and Elizabeth Hill	Labourer
1822 09 22	Edward	Thomas and Mary Hill	Labourer
1832 09 09	Hannah	Thomas and Jane Hill	Nailer
1832 09 09	Moses	Thomas and Jane Hill	Nailer
1830 06 06	John	illegitimate son of Ann Hill
1828 08 17	Elizabeth	illegitimate daughter of Sarah Hill
1826 08 17	William	illegitimate son of Hannah Hill
1823 11 09	Charles	George and Elizabeth Hill	Labourer
1822 01 27	Elizabeth	William and Mary Hill	Labourer
1821 06 10	Joseph	Joseph and Elizabeth Hill	Labourer

An Edward Hill, son of Thomas and Mary Hill was baptised on 22nd September 1922.

On latest census returns Edward gives his year of birth at about 1817.  He repeatedly stresses in successive censuses  that he was born in Alvechurch.

There is no reason why Edward shouldn’t have been baptised some years later than when he was born.  So the 1822 baptism could well be his.

If the 1822 baptism was another Edward, assuming he lived, then he should show up on later censuses.

A census search on Ancestry.co.uk for Edward Hill, Alvechurch (giving no birth date) throws up the following results.  This implies that ‘our Edward’ repeatedly states he was born in Alvechurch, and is re the only one of the right age to match the baptism record.  This would further increase the probability that the Edward baptised in 1822 is our Edward.

The burial records during the period in question were also examined.  They are given below:

Date YMD	Name	Age
1823	Thomas Hill	9
1823 11 25	Joseph Hill	3
1825 04 04	Charles Hill	1
1825 10 09	Elizabeth Hill	44
1827 07 04	Thomas Hill	66
1828 02 24	Mary Hill	77
1832 02 22	Elizabeth Hill	3 1/2
1833 04 07	George Hill	2m
1835 05 07	Ann Hill	14m
1836 09 21	Arthur Hill	11m
1838 04 17	Thomas Hill	9m
1838 11 11	Mary Hill	3m
1839 05 24	Mary Hill	4m

There is no death of an Edward Hill prior to 1841.  So the census information would imply that our Edward Hill is the one baptised in 1822.

Furthermore, in 1827, the burial of a Thomas Hill is recorded.  Thomas Hill was 66 at this time which, if he was Edward’s father, would have made him 56 at the time of Edward’s birth.  In a pre-contraception age it is feasible that Thomas could have been Edward’s father.  If so, his death in 1827 might be the reason why Edward gave ‘none’ as under the father column on the birth certificate.

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