Have a go! Look out for the questions on the Academy pages, suitable for beginners, intermediate and more advanced. For the answers, please visit www.family-tree. co.uk/news/ft-academymar-2023-the-answers
Picking up the trail of Edwin Henwood The case begins with Edwin Henwood, recorded with his fellow soldiers on the 1861 Census in barracks at Chatham, Kent. Using the age and place of birth provided for Edwin as the starting point for the research, a promising candidate was soon identified in the 1851 Census.
'A very strong candidate'
William or John – who was the father?
Why an obituary can be so extremely useful
Challenges
When he joined up for the Army in April 1852, Edwin stated that he was 17 years old and 10 months, and was born in Middlesex, London. So at first glance, this entry in the 1851 Census for a 17 year old Edwin Henwood, born in Shoreditch, Middlesex, looks very promising.
The man in the 1851 Census was the stepson of William Blake Henwood but the man who married Mary Ann Harvey in 1866 was the son of John Henwood, the mason ... and therefore the brother of William Blake Henwood – who appears as a witness to this marriage!
When David Annal tracked down an obituary for an Edwin Henwood, in a New Zealand paper, he turned up some startling new evidence. The obituary stated that Edwin had been born in Truro, Cornwall, in 1829. The 1841 Census entry here shows an 11- year old Edwin Henwood, born in Cornwall – the son of John Henwood, the mason. This, surely, is our Crimean veteran.
Now it’s time for you to pit your wits. Please see the Family Tree Academy challenges below, set by David Annal.
I’m sure we’re all familiar with the scene. It’s one that crops up in countless TV crime dramas. The detective is standing in front of a large pinboard with pictures of the victim and the chief suspects displayed on it. She’s looking at photos of the murder weapon and other pieces of crucial evidence; perhaps there’s a newspaper cutting or two, or photocopies of some relevant documents. And there are pieces of coloured string, linking some of the items on the board, suggesting possible connections.