Catching Up With Charles Martin
I’ve now got the marriage certificate for a Charles Frederick MARTIN to Emily RICHARDSON, married 11 July 1871 at St Thomas’ Church. At the time of the wedding Charles & Emily were living at 9 Thomas St, which is where their first daughter, Emma, was born on 29th October the same year. It is noticeable that no Martins were witnesses. The witnesses were William RICHARDSON, Emily’s father, and Mary RICHARDSON (not sure what relation she was to Emily), who signed with her ‘mark’. I wonder whether this was a bit of a ’shotgun’ wedding, with Emily almost 6 months pregnant on her wedding day! I have sent off for several birth certificates for the children of Charles MARTIN and Emma. Each time the certificate gives the mother’s name as Emma MARTIN (nee Richardson) but the father’s name as Frederick Charles MARTIN, rather than Charles Frederick. So who was my gt gt grandfather, really? We first encountered Charles was on the 1903 marriage cert between William MARTIN and Emily Sarah COOPER, Parish Church, Christ Church, Southwark, Surrey (LONDON). William’s father is given as Charles MARTIN, coal porter. The coal porter profession fits well with a family legend of this man being covered in coal dust and known as ‘black dad’. After Dad & I met with one of the researchers at the Family Records Centre we’re certain that these records are for our family members.
I now need Charles’ death and birth certificates.