Sidney Wood - Chimney Sweep

(1826 - 1895)
1826

Birth

 

The 1826 baptisms are not online - neither are the birth records covered in England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915. The earliest 'Sidney' I could find is:

Name: Sydney Wood
Date of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec 1840
Registration district: Dursley
Inferred County: Gloucestershire
Volume: 11
Page: 298

This 'Sidney' was registered in 1840, but the Sidney I was interested in was obviously born before that. This may relate to another Sidney - one of his nephews.

Unfortunately Sidney is born too late to be currently on the baptims transcribed from the Dursley parish records by FreeReg too!
1841

Both parents are now dead and Sidney at the age ot 16 is living in Boulton Lane, Dursley with his brother, George, and his family and his other brother, Edmund.

All three brothers working as Chimney Sweeps.

George Wood age 25

Maria Wood age 25 - George's wife

  • George Wood age 3
  • Henry Wood age 16 Months

Edmond Wood age 18

Sidney Wood age 16

It is interesting to note that his brother is called Edmond. Sidney later has a son that he names for his brother... but that name does not 'stick' and he gets called Edwin and Edward.
27 June 1843

1 month for Grand Larceny

This may well NOT be our Sidney!

The name in the court record is spelt with a 'Y' not an 'i' and another Sydney was born at about the same time in Bath. I think this was probably the culprit... but I added the entry for completeness of publication of my research!

Name: Sydney Wood
Birth Date: 5 Aug 1823
Event Type: Baptism
Father: Charles Wood
Mother: Jane Wood
Baptism Date: 16 Nov 1823
Baptism Place: Bath, Somerset, England
Denomination: Wesleyan
Piece Title: Piece 1357: Bath, (Wesleyan), 1793-1837

 

1858

(age 35)
Marriage to Elizabeth Merrick
Name: Sidney Wood
Date of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 1858
Registration district: Dursley
Inferred County: Gloucestershire
Volume Number: 6a
Page Number: 302
Records on Page:
Name
Amelia Hill
Elizabeth Merrick
Sidney Wood

The marriage took place in Dursley
1861
 Sidney Wood, age 37, is living with his wife Elizabeth, age 34, in Hickes' Row, Mary Port Street, Berkeley.
5 Apr 1863
Marriage to Elizabeth Hopkins
Name: Sidney Wood
Gender: Male
Marriage Date: 5 Apr 1863
Marriage Place: Berkeley, Gloucester, England
Spouse: Elizabeth Hopkins 
FHL Film Number: 855615
Reference ID: 170

Sidney was a widower when he married Elizabeth Hopkins. She was much younger than him and already had a son out of wedlock.
1871
Name: Sidney Wood
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1871
Gender: Male
Age: 45
Relationship to Head of Household: Self
Birthplace: Berkeley, Gloucestershire
Schedule Type: Household
Registration District: Thornbury
Sub-District: Berkeley
Parish: Berkeley
County:

Gloucestershire

 

  Household Gender Age Birthplace
Self Sidney Wood M 45 Berkeley, Gloucestershire
Wife Elizabeth Wood F 31 Berkeley, Gloucestershire
Son William Hopkins M 12 Berkeley, Gloucestershire
Son Oswald Wood M 8 Berkeley, Gloucestershire
Son Edward Wood M 7 Berkeley, Gloucestershire
Son Albert Wood M 6 Berkeley, Gloucestershire
Daughter Caroline Wood F 3 Berkeley, Gloucestershire
Daughter Jane Wood F 2 Berkeley, Gloucestershire
Son George Wood M 1 Berkeley, Gloucestershire

Note that Elizabeth's son, William, is living with the family, but he retains the surname of Hopkins.

Sidney and Elizabeth's place of birth is given as Berkeley, but later information shows this not to be true.

The 1841 Census was the first of the ones that were taken over the whole country every ten years. Households did not fill in their own forms, someone went around to the houses and collected the information. This was necessary as most working class people could not read and write, but it led to mistakes in transcribing information.
1881
Name: Sidney Wood
Age (Original): 47
Gender: Male
Birth Year: 1834
Birthplace: Dursley, Gloucestershire, England
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Chimney Sweep
Address: Hickess Row
Event Place: Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England
Disability:
Record Type: Household
GS Film number: 1341607
Affiliate Publication Number: RG11
Piece/Folio: 2517 / 11
Page Number: 16
  Household Gender Age Birthplace
Head Sidney Wood M 47 Dursley, Gloucestershire, England
Wife Elizabeth Wood F 40 Slaughter, Gloucestershire, England
Son Oswald Wood (general labourer) M 19 Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England
Son Edwin Wood (plasterer) M 16 Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England
Son Albert Wood (general labourer) M 15 Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England
Daughter Caroline Wood F 13 Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England
Daughter Elizabeth Wood F 9 Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England
Son George Wood M 7 Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England
Son Sidney Wood M 6 Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England
Son Alfred Wood M 5 Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England
Son Charles Wood M 4 Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England
Son John Wood M 2 Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England
Daughter Jane Wood F 1 Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England
Daughter Rosa Wood F 0 Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England

William had left home by now. He moved to Wales.

The older sons now have jobs, but they are not sweeps. The son Edmund on his birth certificate, and named Edward in the last census is now called Edwin.
1891
Name: Sidney Wood
Age: 68
Estimated birth year: abt 1823
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Elizabeth Wood
Gender: Male
Where born: Dursley, Gloucestershire, England
Civil Parish: Berkeley
Ecclesiastical parish: Berkeley
Town: Berkeley
County/Island: Gloucestershire
Country: England
Registration district: Thornbury
Sub-registration district: Berkeley
ED, institution, or vessel: 1
Piece: 2000
Folio: 9
Page Number: 9
Household Members:
Name Age
Sidney Wood 68
Elizabeth Wood 52
George Wood 17
Sidney Wood 16
Alfred Wood 15
Charlie Wood 14
John Wood 13
Elizabeth Jane Wood 12
Rosa Wood 11

All of the older children have now left home.
Death
1895
Name: Sidney Wood
Estimated birth year: abt 1823
Date of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec 1895
Age at Death: 72
Registration district: Thornbury
Inferred County: Gloucestershire
Volume: 6a
Page: 143

After Sidney's death Elizabeth moved to Wednesbury in Staffordshire to live with Edwin, so did George and John.
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