Elisha was the name of a prophet venerated by Christians, Judaists, and Muslims. In 1770, Elisha’s parents may have chosen this name because they wanted him to enter the priesthood.

Elisha Aldous

Born: 1770 in Denham St John, Suffolk County, England

Father: John Aldous (1738 to 1809)
Mother: Hannah Fuller (1745 to 1785)

Spouse: Unknown

Married: Unknown

Children: Unknown

Died: 1854 in Stradbroke, Suffolk County, England

Timeline:

1841 Hoxne, Suffolk County, England
1851 Stradbroke, Suffolk County, England
1854 Death and Burial

Occupation: agricultural laborer

Records:

1841 and 1851 England Census Records
England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index: 1837-1915

Variations of Surname: None

From Elisha’s baptism record, we can confirm that he was born in 1770.

The 1841 England census record shows that Elisha was living on Denham Road next to Reading Green. The two highlighted slash marks indicate that he lived alone.

The 1851 England census record shows that Elisha was then an inmate of the Hoxne Union Workhouse in Stradbroke, Suffolk County, England.

If you follow the marital status column from the first entry to Elisha’s, you will notice that he was listed as unmarried. His age was also recorded as 66 years old, which is the same age as the individual below him.

If you have ever searched through census records, you have come to understand that the transcriptions were prone to human error. The original returns were hand-written onto index pages. The originals returns were then destroyed. Because of this action, there is no way to verify that an error occurred through transcription.

I know for a fact that in 1851 Elisha would have been 81 years old.  Yet, as I could find no marriage record or baptism records for children that might have been born to him, I have to assume he remained unmarried.

Notes:

Here are some links to websites that helped with my Aldous family research:

Aldous.net (Aldous family history and family tree)
Ancestors of Tim Farr, Descendants of Stephen Farr (family tree)
Reid-Schroeder Genealogies (family tree)
The Tree of Us (family tree)
Family Search (family tree website)
The Internet Surname Database (surname meaning and origins)
House of Names (coat of arms)

Creating Your Family Tree

Interested in building a great family tree? Remember these important steps:

Look in your photo albums. You may have old pictures that your parents or grandparents gave you. Or, ask them for copies of photos that they have in their possession. Many people will write names and dates on the backs of photographs. Letters, diaries, and family bibles are also an excellent source for vital records.

Talk to your older relatives to find out about your ancestry. They may relate stories about an ancestor that you can add to your family tree. Family history is usually not found in newspapers. It is more of a verbal memory passed down from generation to generation.

Find the right family tree builder that suits your needs. You can choose one that has a paid subscription like Ancestry.com. There are also free sites like FamilySearch.org.

When you start building your family tree, add documentation to your ancestor’s profile. Records should include birth, marriage, death, census, military, city, and county directory listings. Any information that you can find will help create a life story about your ancestor.

If you have a unique surname, you may find databases on the internet that are useful in your search. I use SurnameDB.com for my English surnames. There are other websites on the internet for countries like Italy and Germany.

Genealogy is the study of a person’s “line of descent.” As you create your family tree, you would start with one individual and go “back into time.” You would add their parents, grandparents, and so on. There are also family trees that go “forward into time.” Many of these family trees start with a famous person, such as a president or royalty. They would then move forward into the present time. The purpose of this type of pedigree is to establish a person’s bloodline to that famous person.

There is no limit on how big your family tree can grow. The blank canvas is there for you to use. Cherish your family history, and it will be there for generations to come!