Why is John Orton Bennett missing from the genealogical records?
QI can’t find Andrew Bennett’s father, stated at his wedding to Mary Smith in 1848 as John Orton Bennett, butcher, anywhere. There are Orton families in Lancashire, but not Orton Bennetts. I wonder if there was a marriage between an Orton and a Bennett in the family at some point. Andrew’s birth year (1816) is consistent through the census until his death in 1883. He says he was born in Holborn St Andrews, but I can’t find him in 1841.
Stella Kent
ASince Andrew consistently stated that he was born in Holborn in 1815/1816, it is reasonable to assume that he believed that to be true. However, if he moved to London as a young child, he may have had no recollection of living elsewhere. So, when searching for his baptism, the net should be cast wider. Consider the possibility that his parents were nonconformists and check the indexes to nonconformist registers, too (available on ancestry.co.uk, findmypast.co.uk and thegenealogist.co.uk).
Sometimes it is necessary to think outside the box, and not take information at face value. A check of St Mary’s, Paddington, marriage registers confirmed that the details of Andrew’s marriage match with those on the General Register Office (GRO) certificate and there was not a transcription error. It is possible, however, that Andrew was mistaken in the spelling of his father’s middle name ‘Orton’. Should it, perhaps, be ‘Horton’? The marriage of a George Bennett to Anne Horton took place at St Giles, Cripplegate, in 1771; might these be the parents of John Orton Bennett? It is also worth remembering that Andrew’s father may be recorded elsewhere simply as John Bennett.
Might the father’s name be that of a stepfather, John Orton, erroneously recorded as John Orton Bennett? There were at least nine John Orton marriages in London between 1790 and 1816. Although none appears to have been to a Bennett, it is worth looking at the actual register entries because indexing errors sometimes occur. Finally, search for John (Orton) Bennett, butcher, in London directories and follow up any leads. Pigot’s 1839 directory lists John Bennett, butcher, at Middlesex Street. Is this man Andrew’s father? Katherine Cobb