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How can you be sure you have the right ancestor, when so many people in the same area had the same name. Thanks for any help

Welcome to the boards, Christine.

If you give us some more details, perhaps we can help.
Where was he born? When? Names of parents / wife / children?
Any information about him will save us searching for things you already know about.

It is difficult at times. What info. do you have about the person you are looking for.

Is this your William (from a tree on here):

William Winstanley 1846 Warrington ...

If the one that Potty posted is yours there's a nice photo of him on a family tree on Ancestry.

Thanks for your quick response everyone. I'm looking for info on William Winstanley
b 1847/9 Upholland,Wigan. He is my great grandad. He was married in 1876 to Esther Birch b 1857 from Billinge. His son also William Winstanley b1877 (my grandad ..I have seen the church record for the marriage but fathers name for William (1847) was blank I would love to find more information about him, I have searched so many censuses but not convinced I've found the right one. Any help would be amazing. Thank you

If the fathers name is blank on the cert the first thing that would indicate is he could have been illegitimate .

He also could have lost his parents at an early age so didn't know their names

Presume you have found him on some census and worked backwards

Born in the 1840's his birth may not have been registered

If father's name was left blank it suggests his mother wasn't married.

Hmmm - having looked for him in 1851, I see what you mean about so many people with the same name, and born approx. the same time! Three in Upholland, and more in Wigan.

This one's mother is unmarried:

William Winstanley
in the 1851 England Census

Name: William Winstanley
Age: 2
Estimated birth year: abt 1849
Relation: Lodger
Gender: Male
Where born: Upholland, Lancashire, England
Civil Parish: Upholland
Phillimore Ecclesiastical Parish Maps:
View related Ecclesiastical Parish
County/Island: Lancashire
Country: England
Street address:
Registration district: Wigan
Sub-registration district: Upholland
ED, institution, or vessel: 2e
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 90
Piece: 2201
Folio: 108
Page Number: 25
Household Members:
Name Age
James Files 26
Mary Winstanley 26 - born Upholland
William Winstanley 2

This one looks promising


First name(s) William
Last name Winstanley
Gender Male
Birth year 1844
Birth place -
Baptism year 1844
Baptism date 29 Sep 1844
Place Up Holland
County Lancashire
Country England
Father's first name(s) -
Father's last name -
Mother's first name(s) Mary
Mother's last name Winstanley
Record set England Births & Baptisms 1538-1975
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Births & baptisms
Collections from Great Britain
Index (c) IRI. Used by permission of FamilySearch Intl

She's still with James in 1861 - and several more children - and still unmarried:

James Fildes
in the 1861 England Census
Name: James Fildes
Age: 36
Estimated birth year: 1825
Relation: Head
Gender: Male
Where born: Upholland, Lancashire, England
Civil Parish: Upholland
County/Island: Lancashire
Country: England
Registration district: Wigan
Sub-registration district: Upholland
ED, institution, or vessel: 6
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 103
Piece: 2784
Folio: 89
Page Number: 19
Household Members:
Name Age
James Fildes 36
Mary Winstanley 34
Thos Winstanley 15
Willm Winstanley 12
Janes Winstanley 9
Henry Winstanley 7
Peter Winstanley 4
Margt Winstanley 2
John Winstanley 2/12

could this be your William

William Winstanley
England and Wales Census, 1871
Name
William Winstanley
Event Type
Census
Event Date
1871
Event Place
Upholland, Upholland, Lancashire, England
Enumeration District
5
Gender
Male
Age
24
Marital Status
Unmarried
Occupation
Miner
Relationship to Head of Household
Nephew
Birth Year (Estimated)
1847
Birthplace
Upholland, Lancashire
Entry Number
9
Affiliate Image Identifier
GBC/1871/3897/0169
Household
Role
Gender
Age
Birthplace
Thomas Winstanley
Head
M
65
Upholland, Lancashire
Peter Winstanley
Brother
M
42
Upholland, Lancashire
William Winstanley xxxxxxxx
Nephew
M
24
Upholland, Lancashire

Still with James in 1871 - possibly he's the father of the children ??:

in the 1871 England Census
Name: William Winstanley
Age: 28
Estimated birth year: abt 1843
[Abt 1849]
Relation: Son
Mother's name: Mary Winstanley
Gender: Male
Where born: Upholland, Lancashire, England
Civil Parish: Upholland
Ecclesiastical parish: Upholland
County/Island: Lancashire
Country: England
Registration district: Wigan
Sub-registration district: Upholland
ED, institution, or vessel: 6
Household schedule number: 112
Piece: 3897
Folio: 102
Page Number: 21
Household Members:
Name Age
Mary Winstanley 44
William Winstanley 28
James Winstanley 19
Henry Winstanley 17
Peter Winstanley 14
Margaret Winstanley 12
John Winstanley 10
Mary Winstanley 7
Ralph Winstanley 3
John Swift 3
James Files 50

Thank you so much everyone for your time, this info will be a great help

William's not with the family in 1881, which could fit with the fact that your William was married by then:

Ralph Winstanley
in the 1881 England Census
Name: Ralph Winstanley
Age: 12
Estimated birth year: abt 1869
Relationship to Head: Boarder Son (Boarder's Son)
Mother: Mary Winstanley
Gender: Male
Where born: Upholland, Lancashire, England
Civil Parish: Upholland
County/Island: Lancashire
Country: England
Street address: Higher Lane
Occupation: Scholar
Registration district: Wigan
ED, institution, or vessel: 5
Neighbors: View others on page
Piece: 3782
Folio: 86
Page Number: 12
Household Members:
Name Age
James Fyles 62
Mary Winstanley 56
Margaret Winstanley 22
John Winstanley 20
Mary Winstanley 18
Ralph Winstanley 12
John Swift 12 - grandson of Mary
Ann Jane Winstanley - grand-daughter of Mary

is this William's mother would be 44yrs in 1871 census


Mary Winstanley
England Births and Christenings
Name
Mary Winstanley
Gender
Female
Christening Date
22 Apr 1827
Christening Place
UPHOLLAND, LANCASHIRE, ENGLAND
Father's Name
William Winstanley
Mother's Name
Grace

john swift grandson of mary in 1881 census does not have a mothers maiden name on
Results:
Name:
Mother's Maiden Surname: 
 
SWIFT, JOHN    
-  

GRO Reference: 1867  M Quarter in WARRINGTON  Volume 08C  Page 137

Baptism: 29 Sep 1844 St Thomas the Martyr, Upholland, Lancashire, England
William Winstanley - [Child] of Mary Winstanley
Born: 18 May 1844
Abode: Holland
Baptised by: Charles Bisset, Incumbent
Register: Baptisms 1841 - 1862, Page 52, Entry 415
Source: LDS Film 1657546

http://www.lan-opc.org.uk/Search/indexp.html

(worth a look round on above, also has the one posted earlier)

Chris :)

http://www.lancashirebmd.org.uk/index.php

(another useful link)

Just to rule it out, this is NOT the marriage of young John Swift's parents:

Marriages Mar 1862 (>99%)
Swift William Wigan 8c 61
Winstanley Margaret Wigan 8c 61

Mary's daughter Margaret was too young to have married then, or to be John's mother


The grand-daughter Ann Jane in the 1881 census also has no mms given:

WINSTANLEY, ANN JANE -
GRO Reference: 1880 S Quarter in WIGAN Volume 08C Page 130
.