Birth name and location of Stephen Allison (1790/4-1853)

Question

Stephen Allison (1790/4-1853) is my brick wall, and I think I've reached the limits of what I can research within my own skill set.

The 1851 UK Census suggests he was born around 1794 in Norway, but his death certificate (1853, with age at death of 63) suggests 1790.

He was a mariner, which is what, I opine, brought him to the Docklands, eventually he worked in the Docks and then finally as an Umbrella/Parasol maker.

If he was born in Norway, his name was clearly an Anglicisation of something Norwegian, like Steffan/Sven Olsen, and with the patronymic system I understand that further research past a father of 'Ole' would be difficult.

What can I practically do to find out what his birth name might have been, and where he might have been born?  Or is this a dead end?

Comments

I thing that 'Allison' might be an anglification of 'Eliasson' or 'Eliassen', as 'Elias' was rather common.

'Stephen' might come from 'Stian' or 'Sten'/'Steen'.

Check the 1801 census.

---

in my search I found no Allison or Eliason but there was a Ediasen born circa 1788 on the 1801 census in Steigen Nordland. I did not look at the registry yet at this time.

Answer 1

autosomal testing and y dna testing if you are a direct male from his line can get you close to where you need to be. but non paternal events can leave you out in the cheap seats and uncover hidden secrets. prep for the worst and hope for the best on the results. I shall take a gander at the arkivet and see what pops up for now.

Comments

I concur with this. I get 11 hits in the 1801 census for a Steffen or Stephen Olsen born between 1790 and 1794. But the record quality in this period varies greatly and it is more likely than not it wouldn't be possible to figure out what happened to these next.

But some lucky autosomal hits might help you narrow down the region, and if he was born on a farm there might be a notice in one of the community histories that mention a son ending up in England. The region will also let you know which church records to check to see if his emigration was registered.

https://www.digitalarkivet.no/en/search/persons/advanced?from=&to=&jt%5B0%5D=13&firstname=Stef%2A&lastname=Ol%2A&birth_year_from=1790&birth_year_to=1794&birth_date=&birth_place=&domicile=&position=&event_year_from=&event_year_to=&event_date=&related_first_name=&related_last_name=&related_birth_year=

---

Thanks Darrell. I've done AU and working my way through the hits.  Y-DNA is currently being processed.

---

I think the y test could help zero in on the area in Norway and run a bigger search. I ran the name Stephen being born from 1785 - 1801 and searched the 1801 census to see if anything jumped out,

---

Thanks Darrell - I'll update when I know more.

---

Ok so I now have my Y results - what can I usefully do with them?

---

If you are lucky and have some close matches it can help you narrow down the location. If you have no close matches, all you can do is wait and hope.

---

I had only one match and we don't remotely share a surname so perhaps I need to keep waiting!