Neal relations at Cuckoos Cup, The Wrekin

No curfew on finding the right birthplace

Here’s one of those ‘fun’ transcription errors, but in this case its more down to the original census official. William Woodland, a grandfather of the husband of a great great aunt  (Osborne family) – yes that close – was born on the island of Corfu where his father was serving in the military (about 1821). The 1881 census gives this as ‘Ireland, Cerfuw’!

Obviously the latter doesn’t exist but given that his mother was from Ireland I had found a town, Carlow, which was just about a possible match. Fortunately it looked like someone else on the Ancestry site had useful info but was keeping her tree private. So I asked. It did take almost 3 months for a reply (she isn’t actively researching at the moment it seems), but she had got a birth certificate for a sibling which gave the answer. She also had noted that the father Thomas Woodland (b Midsomer Norton about 1788) “served in 28th Regiment of Foot Reserve. Discharged aged 40 years Royal Hospital Chelsea. Soldier Service Documents WO 97/476/167”. I trust she doesn’t mind me reproducing that – someone may want to pursue the records further.

So now do I send a message to all those other Ancestry trees with the wrong birth place info?


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One response to “No curfew on finding the right birthplace”

  1. David Fear avatar

    Actually I think that Corfu might be correct. William’s sister Eliza is noted in the 1851 census as born in Corphew, and in 1861 as coming from Corfu, British subject. The 28th foot regiment served in Greece between 1818 and 1824. William’s father Thomas died in 1824/5 so I don’t think there would be a birth certificate for a sibling.

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