In 1836, Geoffrey and Sarah were married. One year later, their infant son, James, died. One year after that, Sarah died. She may have died while giving birth to another child or complications from childbirth.

Geoffrey Aldous

Born: 1810 in Denham St John, Suffolk County, England

Father: William Aldous (1767 to 1852)
Mother: Jane Mills (1774 to 1848)

Spouse: Sarah Boor (1815 to 1838)

Married: 21 MAR 1836 in Denham St John, Suffolk County, England

Child:

James Aldous (1836 to 1837)

Died: 1886 in Denham St John, Suffolk County, England

Timeline:

1836 Marriage to Sarah
1836 Birth of son, James
1837 Death of son, James
1838 Death of wife, Sarah
1841 Denham St John, Suffolk County, England
1843 Death of sister, Hannah
1848 Death of mother, Jane
1851 Denham St John, Suffolk County, England
1852 Death of father, William
1860 Death of sister, Jane
1861 Hoxne, Suffolk County, England
1871 Denham St John, Suffolk County, England
1878 Death of sister, Martha
1879 Death of brother, William
1881 Eye, Suffolk County, England
1886 Death and Burial

Occupation: agricultural laborer

Records:

1841 to 1881 England Census Records
England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
England, Select Marriages, 1538–1973
England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index: 1837-1915

Variations of Surname: Aldis

Spouse:

Sarah Boor:

Sarah was born in 1815 in Palgrave, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1838 in Denham St John, Suffolk County, England.

Sarah’s father was Jacob Boor. He was born in 1784 in Palgrave, Suffolk County, England. He died in 1845 in Eye, Suffolk County, England.

Sarah’s mother was Harriet Hunt. She was born on 8 JAN 1787 in Redgrave, Suffolk County, England. She died between the years 1818 and 1822 in Eye, Suffolk, England.

Sarah had five sisters, all born in Palgrave:

Mary Boor (1805)
Anna Boor (1809)
Harriet Boor (1812)
Sophia Boor (1817)
Martha Boor (1818)

After Harriet died, Jacob married Phyllis Stannard on 11 OCT 1822 in Eye, Suffolk County, England. Four known children were born to this marriage, all in the parish of Eye:

Ann Boor (1826)
Ellis Boor (1827)
Mary Ann Boor (1833)
Emma Maria Boor (1836)

Phyllis Stannard was born in 1793 in Sudbury, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1850 in Eye, Suffolk County, England

Life After Marriage:

In 1836, Geoffrey and Sarah were married. One year later, their infant son, James, died. One year after that, Sarah died. She may have died while giving birth to another child or complications from childbirth.

The 1841 England census shows that Geoffrey returned to live with his parents.

The 1851 England census shows that Geoffrey and his widowed father were living with his sister, Jane, and her husband, James Hawes. Their father died in 1852.

The 1861 England census shows that Geoffrey had moved to Hoxne where he was a boarder of Thomas and Mary Ann Bayles.

The 1871 England census shows that Geoffrey moved back to Denham St John. He was living with his brother, Edward, and his family.

The 1881 England census shows that Geoffrey was then an inmate of the Hartismere Union Workhouse in the parish of Eye, Suffolk County, England.

In this span of 42 years, Geoffrey never remarried. Normally, a husband would mourn the death of his wife for a period of one year. The widower would then remarry in an attempt to propagate sons that would continue his lineage. In this case, to carry on the Aldous surname.

Yet, Geoffrey did not remarry. He lived with his parents and then with his brother. Could it be that his love for Sarah was so great that he could not imagine marrying anyone else?

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.

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