William Henry Woolcock - Which William and Grace were his parents?

Research note for the St. Blazey Families Project by Wesley Johnston - last updated 15 Dec 2013

Background

William Henry Woolcock was baptized at St. Blazey 21 Jan 1838, son of William and Grace. The family's abode was St Blazey Highway. And his father William's occupation was as a miner. (The baptism record image is at https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11049-202114-40?cc=1769414&wc=MMVH-V83:1188659236)

There were two William and Grace Woolcock families married and having children in the St. Austell-St. Blazey area in the 1830's. So which William and Grace were the parents of William Henry Woolcock?

The Two William and Grace Marriages

The two marriages were close together in time and location:

1832 Jun 1 at St Austell - Grace JOB - bachelor and spinster both of this parish, occupations and parents not fiven, witnessed by John Julyan, John Hawken

1837 Sep 27 at St Blazey - Grace ANDREW, widow KITT - he bachelor, miner of Highway, son of mine agent William WOOLCOCK (deceased), she widow, householder of Highway, daughter of miner John ANDREW (deceased); witnessed by William ANDREW and (ubiquitous wintess) Edward MERIFIELD

The marriage records can be seen at

1832 - https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-13029-70583-39?cc=1769414&wc=MMVH-VZB:1996024941

1837 - https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11049-200122-56?cc=1769414&wc=MMVH-V8R:2019891738

These are two distinct Willams, since both were married as bachelors. So it is not a case of the St. Austell William remarrying in St. Blazey.

Clearly the fact that the 1837 couple both resided at St Blazey Highway, which was the abode where William Henry was living at the time of his baptism only 4 months later points to the 1837 couple as his parents, although not definitively so. And the 1841 census shows that this is correct. William and Grace are living in Lanivet, with her sons from her first marriage, John and Frederick KITT, and their sons together, William and Joseph WOOLCOCK.

William Henry WOOLCOCK's parents were the William WOOLCOCK and Grace (ANDREWS) KITT who married 27 Sep 1837 at St. Blazey.

Baptisms of Children of William and Grace

Although this research note's question is only about who were the parents of William Henry WOOLCOCK, the project must untangle the children of the two marriages, so that they are recorded in the database with their correct parents.

Cornwall Online Parish Clerks (OPC) lists these baptisms in the 1830's and 1840's for children of William and Grace WOOLCOCK. These are all Church of England baptisms, since no non-conformist baptisms were found:

1833 - Austell, St. - Edward

1834 - Crowan - Grace

1834 - Austell, St. - Lydia

1834 - Crowan - Elizabeth Jane

1836 - Austell, St. - Thomas

1838 - Blazey, St. - William Henry

1838 - Austell, St. - Elizabeth Ann

1841 - Lanivet - Ellen

1843 - Lanivet - Joseph Oliver

1845 - Blazey, St. - Elizabeth Ann

1848 - Blazey, St. - Joseph Oliver

The Crowan baptisms might be eliminated from consideration, since in 1834, there were baptisms both at Crowan and St. Austell. But the only other OPC-marriage-listed William & Grace who might have been having children in this period was the couple married in Calstock in 1813.

MORE TO COME ... Have to examine each baptism and see abode and father's profession before making a determination of which parents had which children, although clearly the 1834-1836 children were most likely not those of the 1837 couple. And it seems likely that the two children baptized at Lanivet were siblings of William Henry WOOLCOCK. But more needs to be done to evaluate the rest.