Since finding out Henry’s date of birth, I haven’t had a chance to do anything with it until today.

I have applied online at the General Register Office for a copy of the birth certificate of Henry Hedges, registered in Marylebone in Jan-Feb-Mar 1897. This is the Henry Hedges that I already believed to be my grandfather, and the registration quarter is correct. Hopefully it will be the correct date of birth and then I’ll have confirmation that the Marylebone family in 1901 is mine.

On the assumption that it is, I revisited old ground this afternoon and found entries on the same page of the Marylebone marriage index for Henry Hedges and Louisa Copp in 1894. This, if I’m correct, would be my grandfather’s father Henry (that gets confusing at times), and mother Louisa. In 1891, there is a Louisa Copp as a servant for Eliza Hedges, a 58 year old widow in Hampstead (RG12/112 Folio 11 Pg 16). This could be my brick wall coming down.

In 1881, I had trouble finding Eliza Hedges, who would have been 48. Then I came across Eliza Hodges, 47, widow from London in Marylebone (RG11/159 Folio 53 Pg 26). With her were Henry Hodges aged 14 from Marylebone (right age and birthplace) and Anne Eliza Hodges aged 11.

Here’s where my trail goes cold. Try as I can, I cannot find Eliza and Henry in the 1871 census.

I have contacted Sue Hedges at The Hedges-Study, to see if she has anything in her database that might help me. Sue was very helpfull about six years ago, when she put me on the right tracks for getting hold of Henry’s will.