Delving into the family history on and off for about 20 years has left me hopelessly addicted to the following clues, hunches and inevitable red herrings that are all needed to piece together the bare chapters of someone's life. Unable to resist people's 'brick walls' or an innocent query re the origin of grandparents and those before, there's nothing better than trying to find the unfound.
This is my sudoku, my multilevel crossword, my jigsaw where most of the pieces are missing and there's definitely no picture to start from.
So - to satisfy this addiction, each week I intend to choose someone at random from the 1881 census (checking that their story hasn't already unfolded on ancestry.co.uk) and uncover, piece together what I can from internet sources their untold story.
The puzzling and the unfolding story will be told in this blog.

Monday 23 July 2012

First protagonist - Alexander Cowan

In 1871 according to White's 1871 Directory of Sheffield and District the King's Arms in Rotherham was run by John Athey and was at 33 College Street or Doncaster Gate. No sign of John in the 1871 census no of the King's Arms at 33 College Street or on Doncaster Gate! However a search of College Street finds the King's Arms at number 43. John has obviously died as his widow Sophia aged 46 born in Swinton is the innkeeper; her son Mark aged 30 born in Maltby is with her, a railway carriage builder; and her father William Grindle aged 79 born in Swinton, a retired ag. lab. is also there. Two servants must help with the inn: Lucy Roebuck aged 18 born in Rawmarsh and Sarah Russell aged 18 born in Stainby Lincolnshire.

 Sophia died in  the September quarter 1875 in Rotherham.  The National Probate calendar has her death as 15 August 1875 with administration being granted to Mark Athey, Yeoman on 10 September. Maybe that's when Alexander Cowan arrived and took over the pub. It's hard to imagine though that Alexander, who was only 26 in 1881, arrived fresh from Scotland seeking his fortune in Rotherham. 
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